Curriculum Resources

Meetings vary by college

Meets weekly during the academic year

Meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month during the academic year.

Meets every first Thursday of the month during the academic year.

• Forms need to be completed for any new programs or program changes and are reviewed as they are submitted. 
• Screening and inquiry forms may take a few weeks. 
• Application and substantive changes may take months. 
• Please email completed forms to und.hlc@UND.edu. 

how the HLC defines program changes

complete list of CIP codes

New Degree Programs

New Degree Program Screening Form

New Certificate Programs

Certificate Screening Form

Program Changes

• Screening Form for Changes to Existing Degree Programs
• Reactivating an academic program: Program Reactivation Form 

Meets every first Wednesday of the month during the academic year; curriculum agenda is variable.

Typically meets once per month; curriculum agenda is variable; may not review curriculum requests during the summer months.

Please note that at the NDUS and SBHE level, curriculum requests may not be on the agenda during each monthly meeting.

The Program Management Form is used to:

• Propose a new program: New Program Exploration (previously Stage I) and New Program Request (previously Stage II)
• Propose an existing program for online format: Change to Academic Program Degree Type (previously Stage II Abbreviated)
• Edit/change a program
• Suspend or terminate a program
• 4-year Degree Plan

The Course Management Form is used to:

• Propose a new course
• Edit/change a course
• Deactivate: Inactivate or Terminate a course

The Miscellaneous Management Form is used for:

• Department Name Change
• Degree Title Change
• Prefix Change

Approve an item in the workflow.

Assistance with completing forms is available from personnel in the Office of the Registrar, 777.2711, your college USCC representative or the Chair of the USCC.

A report will be on the web each month listing all approved changes. Please call the Office of the Registrar with any questions regarding curriculum requests.

New Program Proposals require two steps: 1) New Program Exploration, and 2) New Program Proposal. Complete this process to propose a new program. This includes doctorates, masters, majors, minors, and certificates programs and degrees.

New Program Exploration Phase

The New Program Exploration form is found on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage in the Program Management Form section. The first level of review provided by the academic deans. This step allows the deans to identify opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, review for potential program duplication, and to verify the program fundamentally advances the mission of the University.

Steps to complete the form are as follows.

1. Select “Propose New Program”
2. Proposal Type is “New Program Exploration”
3. Complete the form
4. This form requires you to attach an academic program exploration analysis. This analysis should come from Lightcast. If you do not have access to this, please contact Jeff Holm  for your exploration analysis. This must be attached in order to submit your program exploration form to NDUS.
5. “Save & Submit” the form when you are ready to initiate the review process

The New Program Exploration requires review from the following:

• Academic Deans
• Department Chair
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• Vice President for Academic Affairs
• NDUS Academic Affairs Council

You will receive formal notification through email from the Office of the Provost & VPAA once final notification is received from NDUS.

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

New Program Request Phase

Both the New Program Exploration and the New Program Request may be submitted concurrently. However, approval of the New Program Exploration by the NDUS Academic Affairs Council is required before the New Program Request can proceed to the next stage of review.

The New Program Request form is found on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage in the Program Management Form section. Please note that you have two years from the date of New Program Exploration approval to submit a New Program Request request to NDUS.

Steps to complete the form are as follow.

1. Select “Propose New Program”
2. Proposal Type is “New Program Request”
3. Complete the form. Information about the New Program Request is available on the NDUS website
4. “Save & Submit” the form when you are ready to initiate the review process

The New Program Request requires review from the following:

• Department
• College/School Curriculum Committee
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Committee, if applicable
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• University Curriculum Committee
• University Senate
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC).  See forms in "Approval Review Cycle" above.
• Vice President for Academic Affairs
• NDUS Academic Affairs Council
• SBHE Academic and Student Affairs Committee

You will receive notification through email from the Office of the Provost & VPAA once final notification is received from NDUS.

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

Applicable SBHE Policy: 421 Academic Program Requests 

Complete this process for title changes for departments ONLY.  Use the Program Change form to request a title change for degrees, programs, majors, minors, and certificates.

Access a Miscellaneous Management Form found on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage.

Steps to complete the form are as follows.

1. Select “Propose New Misc”
2. Select the appropriate type of title change from the drop-down options
3. Select the appropriate College/School
4. Select the appropriate Department
5. Input the current title
6. Input the proposed title
7. Indicate whether the request is for the undergraduate or graduate level
8. Attach supporting documentation if applicable.
9. Select “Save & Submit” when you are ready to initiate the review process

Title changes requires review from the following:

• Department
• College/School Curriculum Committee
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Committee, if applicable
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• University Curriculum Committee
• University Senate
• Vice President for Academic Affairs
• NDUS Academic Affairs Council
• SBHE Academic and Student Affairs Committee

You will receive notification through email from the Office of the Provost & VPAA once final notification is received from NDUS.

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

Complete this process to place programs including degrees, majors, minors, and certificates on inactive status.

Access the Program Management Form on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage.

Steps to complete the request are as follows.

1. Search for the program you wish to place on inactive status. Instructions for searching are listed above the search bar
2. Select the program
3. Select the red “Deactivate Program” button on the left side of the page
4. In the Change Request section, select the “Inactivation” option
5. Complete the form and include justification for the request
6. Select “Save & Submit” when you are ready to initiate the review process

Placing a program on inactive status requires the following levels of review:

• Department
• College/School Curriculum Committee
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Committee, if applicable
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• University Curriculum Committee
• University Senate
• Vice President for Academic Affairs
• NDUS Academic Affairs Council

You will receive notification through email from the Office of the Provost & VPAA once final notification is received from NDUS.

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

Notes:

• If students are currently enrolled in the program, please describe the plan to accommodate the students.
• Per SBHE Policy 403.1.3, not later than three years after the program is placed on inactive status, the institution must reinstate the program, present the program for termination, or notify the Chancellor of its intent to continue inactive status, which may continue for up to three additional years. Any change in program status will require the respective department to complete the appropriate CourseLeaf form to initiate the review process.

Applicable SBHE Policy: 403.1.3 Inactive Programs

Complete this process to terminate a program, including degrees, majors, minors, and certificates. If the program was previously inactivated, reach out to Christina Fargo to reactivate prior to following Steps 1-6. 

Access the Program Management Form on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage.

Steps to complete the request are as follows.

1. Search for the program you wish to terminate. Instructions for searching are listed above the search bar
2. Select the program
3. Select the red “Deactivate Program” button on the left side of the page
4. In the Change Request section, select the “Terminate” option
5. Complete the form and include justification for the request
6. Select “Save & Submit” when you are ready to initiate the review process

Termination requests requires the following levels of review:

• Department
• College/School Curriculum Committee
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Committee, if applicable
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• University Curriculum Committee
• University Senate
• Vice President for Academic Affairs
• NDUS Academic Affairs Council
• SBHE Academic & Student Affairs Committee

You will receive notification through email from the Office of the Provost & VPAA once final notification is received from NDUS regarding State Board of Higher Education action.

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

Applicable SHBE Policy: 403.1.1 Program Termination

Complete this process to propose an existing program for an online or distance format. 

Access the Program Management Form on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage.

Steps to complete the request are as follows.

1. Select “Propose New Program”
2. Proposal Type is “Change To Academic Program Degree Type –  Existing Programs”
3. Complete the form
4. Select “Save & Submit” when you’re ready to initiate the review process

Approval to offer a program via distance delivery requires the following levels of review:

• Department
• College/School Dean
• Provost
• NDUS Academic Affairs Council

You will receive notification of approval through email from the Office of the Provost & VPAA. 

Access a Miscellaneous Management Form found on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage.

Steps to complete the form are as follows.

1. Select “Propose New Misc”
2. Select the appropriate type of title change from the drop-down options
3. Select the appropriate College/School
4. Select the appropriate Department
5. Input the current title of the program (or new title if requesting for new program)
6. Input the Prefix being requested and explanation for the request in the Description
7. Indicate whether the request is for the undergraduate or graduate level
8. Attach supporting documentation if applicable.
9. Select “Save & Submit” when you are ready to initiate the review process

New Prefix requires review from the following:

• Department
• College/School Dean
• Vice President for Academic Affairs
• NDUS Academic Affairs Council
• SBHE Academic and Student Affairs Committee

You will receive notification through email from the Office of the Provost & VPAA once final notification is received from NDUS.

Once approved at the state level the prefix is added to CourseLeaf.  At this point the prefix can be updated to courses in CourseLeaf. 

If the new prefix is to be used for already-existing courses course changes will need to be made, you will need to notify the Registrar’s Office of the prefixes that need updating. They can complete the prefix updates in CourseLeaf to the individual courses, however the department will need to make any other changes to the courses and “Save & Submit” the request to route it through the approval process.  

A prefix change also requires updates to the program or 4-year plans that have the course listed, this will not occur automatically.

All new program proposals must be approved by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) before they can be offered to students. This means that the HLC will first need to approve any new program before it can be added to the next iteration of the UND catalog, and a program cannot accept applications, admit students, or advertise/market the new program(s) until the HLC has approved the degree(s). 

Please keep the following process and timeline in mind for all new degree proposals as they relate to HLC approval:  

Step 1: (Abbreviated review) 

After the application paperwork is submitted, it will take the HLC two weeks to respond.  

• The HLC may choose to approve the new program at this stage OR require a full review. 
  • The best-case scenario is approval after two weeks (Step 1 only).  
  • If a full review is required, then the process goes to Step 2.   

Step 2: (Full review) 

If the HLC determines that a new program proposal(s) needs a full review, additional paperwork will be required, and the review timeline is lengthened to approximately 3-4 additional months.  

• If this is the case, that will increase the approval timeline to approximately 4-5 months.  
• During this time, prohibitions are in place related to admitting students or any marketing of the program until HLC approval is given.  
• The Step 2 process cannot begin until the new degree is approved at the state level.  
• A full review will cost $1125 per degree. 

Complete this process to propose a change to a program, such as title or program requirements.

Submit the Program Management Form on the Curriculum Committee Forms website.

Steps to complete the request are as follows.

1. Within the Program Management page, select “Added Programs” in the drop-down on the right side of the page
2. Search for the program you wish to make changes to. Instructions for searching are listed above the search bar
3. Within the search results, select the program
4. Select the green “Edit Program” button on the right side of the page
5. Make the appropriate changes
6. Select “Save & Submit” when you are ready to initiate the review process

Program changes require the following levels of review:

• Department
• College/School Curriculum Committee
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Committee, if applicable
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• University Curriculum Committee
• University Senate
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC).  See forms in "Approval Review Cycle" above.

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

Complete this process to request a new course.

Access the Course Management Form on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage.

Steps to complete the request are as follows.

1. Select “Propose New Course”
2. Complete the form
3. Attach appropriate documents such as letters of support if the title or the content of the course could be attributed to more than one program or department
4. Select “Save & Submit” when you are ready to initiate the review process

A new course proposal requires the following levels of review:

• Department
• College/School Curriculum Committee
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Committee, if applicable
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• University Curriculum Committee
• University Senate
• Vice President for Academic Affairs

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

Reminder: New courses may affect program requirements and/or four-year plan. Program changes and four-year plan changes can be submitted using the Program Management Form.

Complete this process to delete a course.

Access the Course Management Form on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage.

Steps to complete the request are as follows.

1. Within the Course Management Form page, select “All Courses” on the drop-down on the right side of the page
2. Search for the course. Instructions for searching are listed above the search bar
3. Search for the course you wish to delete.
4. Select the course
5. Select the red “Deactivate” button on the left side of the page
6. Complete the form
7. Select “Save & Submit” when you are ready to initiate the review process

A course deletion requires the following levels of review:

• Department
• College/School Curriculum Committee
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Committee, if applicable
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• University Curriculum Committee
• University Senate
• Vice President for Academic Affairs

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

Reminder: Course deletions may affect program requirements and/or four-year plan. Program changes and four-year plan changes can be submitted using the Program Management Form.

Complete this process to make minor changes to an existing course such as amendments to the pre- or co-requisites, the number of credits, the frequency of offering, or minor edits in the course description or title.

Submit the Course Management Form on the Curriculum Committee Forms webpage.

Steps to complete the request are as follows.

1. Within the Course Management Form page, select “All Courses” on the drop-down on the right side of the page
2. Search for the course
3. Within the search results, select the course you wish to change
4. Select the green “Edit Course” button on the right side of the page
5. Make the appropriate changes (changes are reflected in red or green font and strikethrough text after changes have been saved)
6. Select “Save & Submit” when you are ready to initiate the review process

A program change requires the following levels of review:

• Department
• College/School Committee
• College/School Dean
• Graduate Committee, if applicable
• Graduate Dean, if applicable
• University Curriculum Committee
• University Senate

The status of your request may be monitored through the “In Workflow” and “Approval Path” sections of the CourseLeaf request.

Because new and revised programs require multiple approvals, they cannot be marketed or listed on the UND Admissions application until key milestones are complete. Depending on the change, approvals may be required from: 

• University Curriculum Committee (UCC)
• North Dakota University System (NDUS)
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) 

This resource covers new programs, program name changes, program reactivation, program inactivation and program termination. 

When planning marketing and recruitment timelines for a new program, keep in mind: 

• Prospective students typically take 1.5 to 2 years from first awareness to enrollment.
• Full UCC, SBHE and/or HLC approvals can take 1 to 2 semesters.
• Marketing and recruitment begin after official approvals, which affect when enrollment growth will occur. 

Example Timeline 

A new program is submitted in fall 2026 and receives UCC, SBHE and HLC approvals in spring 2027. 

Late Spring 2027

• Program is added to the Admissions application.
• Program finder webpages are launched.
• Recruitment begins. 

Fall 2027

• First enrollment occurs, but is typically low due to student decision timelines. 

Spring 2028 or Fall 2028

• First significant enrollment increase is most likely. 

Required Before Marketing Begins 

New programs and tracks must be listed in the UND Course Catalog and on the admissions application before any marketing, PR or recruitment occurs. 

At this stage, the new or revised program is moving through CourseLeaf and the University Curriculum Committee (UCC) review. 

What Faculty Should Do 

• Complete all required CourseLeaf steps.
• Watch for approvals from SBHE, NDUS and HLC.
• Keep these groups informed of general timelines. Send one group email to the following:
  • College marketing contact.
  • Marketing & Communications (M&C):
    • Alex Kroke: alexander.kroke@UND.edu
    • Peni Rosten: peni.rosten@UND.edu
  • Admissions:
    • Jenn Aamodt: jennifer.aamodt@UND.edu
    • Lisa Panzer: lisa.panzer@UND.edu

New Programs and Reactivations 

• Complete the New Program Questionnaire emailed by M&C after UCC approval. 
  • Use information from the program exploration and new program proposal when filling out the questionnaire. 
• Review draft program finder pages when provided. 

Name Change, Inactivation or Termination 

• Contact M&C and college marketing contact to confirm the timeline.
• Website and admissions application changes cannot be made until full NDUS or SBHE approvals are received. 

Program and Course Requirement Changes 

• Changes to the requirements or courses of existing programs need to be submitted and processed with the Registrar's Office.
• Once approved and completed in CourseLeaf, updates are pulled automatically into the program finder requirements page. 

What is Allowed

• M&C and Admissions begin steps to prepare the program finder pages and admissions application.
• Draft program finder pages are sent to the academic department for review.
• Planning for recruitment marketing begins internally. 

What is Not Allowed

• No public marketing or promotion.
• No listing on UND.edu/programs.
• No listing on the admissions application.
• No announcements or recruitment activity. 

Once SBHE, NDUS and/or HLC approval is received, the new program or change can move toward being published in the catalog and activated in marketing and admissions systems. 

What Faculty Should Do 

• Look for the official approval email from the Office of the Provost & VPAA.
• Complete remaining CourseLeaf steps with the Registrar’s Office to ensure the change appears in the UND Course Catalog. 
  • Questions? Contact Christina Fargo: christina.fargo@UND.edu
• Notify key campus partners that the approval is complete. Send one group email to the following:
  • College marketing contact.
  • Marketing & Communications (M&C):
    • Alex Kroke: alexander.kroke@UND.edu
    • Peni Rosten: peni.rosten@UND.edu
  • Admissions:
    • Jenn Aamodt: jennifer.aamodt@UND.edu
    • Lisa Panzer: lisa.panzer@UND.edu 

What's Done After Approval

M&C

• Publishes new program finder pages on UND.edu/programs.
• Updates existing program finder pages for name changes.
• Conducts SEO optimization on program finder pages.
• Updates Tuition & Cost pages and calculator information (in coordination with Student Finance).
• Updates printed Admissions recruitment materials as needed. 
• Archives programs that are inactivated or terminated so they are not visible on UND.edu/programs.

Important (New and Reactivated Programs): New programs must be in the UND Course Catalog before program finder pages can go live. Requirement information is pulled automatically from CourseLeaf. 

Admissions

• Updates the UND admissions application with the program change.
• Updates program lists on:
  • Request More Info website form.
  • Campus Visit registration form. 
  • Informs tour guides, presenters, admissions reps, etc. to support recruitment. 

College Marketing Contact

• Updates college/department website with program changes.
• Contacts UND Today about new program/reactivation for PR options.