ACADEMIC RESOURCES
Academic Program Proposals
Submitting Program Proposals
Outlined below is the process required to develop new academic programs, change existing programs, and develop articulation agreements at Towson University.
1. Faculty must submit a completed internal Declaration of Intent (DOI) to the dean of the college for approval and signature. The dean will then submit the DOI to the Provost’s Office. The DOI should be submitted six to 12 months before intended submission to MHEC.
2. If the Declaration of Intent is approved by the provost, the assistant provost will send signed copies to the college dean, chair of the department(s), and the registrar. The academic department may then begin formal development of the program.
3. For guidance in developing program proposals, review the University System of Maryland instructions.
4. After the Declaration of Intent has been submitted and approved, the department must complete the USM Letter of Intent (LOI) and forward to the dean of the college for approval. The dean will send the USM LOI to the assistant provost electronically. The Provost’s Office will submit the Letter of Intent to the USM Office of Academic Affairs.
5. The Letter of Intent is sent to the USM Academic Affairs Advisory Council (provosts and vice presidents). Institutions are asked to review and to respond directly to the proposing institution’s provost/vice president with comments, questions or objections within 10 business days. The USM Office of Academic Affairs is copied on responses. If there are no objections, development of the formal program proposal should proceed.
6. Departments can submit the proposal to the following individuals for guidance in developing the full program proposal.
Proposals for undergraduate programs that do not involve community college partnerships can be forwarded to Bob Giordani, registrar and associate vice president for academic affairs, 410-704-3508. He will work with the program director and offer guidance.
Proposals for graduate programs can be forwarded to Lawrence Shirley, associate dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, 410-704-3500. He will work with the program director and offer guidance.
The department should then submit the full proposal to the dean of the college and the appropriate College Curriculum Committee.
7. Full undergraduate program proposals that have been submitted and approved by the dean and the College Curriculum Committee , should be forwarded to the University Curriculum Committee for review. The University Curriculum Committee meets the 2nd Friday of each month. Full graduate program proposals that have been submitted and approved by the dean of the college and the College Curriculum Committee should be forwarded by the dean to the Graduate Studies Committee for review and approval. The Graduate Studies Committee meets on the 2nd Friday of each month.
The proposal is typically reviewed by committees approximately two to six months after the DOI is submitted.
8. If approved by UCC or GSC, the proposal is sent to the University Senate Executive Committee for inclusion on the next Senate agenda for final approval. The University Senate Executive Committee meets the 3rd week of the month.
9. Once approved by the Senate, the completed proposal is submitted by the department chair or college dean to the Provost’s Office. The proposal should be received at least two weeks prior to the opening of the next Program Submission Window. These dates are listed on the University System of Maryland Web site.
10. In the Provost’s Office, the assistant provost reviews the proposal. If the proposal is found to be complete and consistent with institution, USM and MHEC requirements, the proposal will be submitted by the assistant provost on behalf of the Provost’s Office to the USM Chancellor and MHEC concurrently. A copy of the proposal that is sent off campus is forwarded to the appropriate deans, department chair and/or the Graduate School.
11. The USM Office of Academic Affairs will prepare the proposal with the Chancellor’s recommendation for submission to the USM Board of Regents Education Policy Committee (EPC) for its review at the next scheduled meeting. The EPC makes a recommendation to the Board of Regents at their next meeting. The EPC may recommend approval, request additional information or recommend that the proposed program not be approved.
12. Action is taken by the Board of Regents at their next meeting, which is within 60 days of the submission to the USM.
13. MHEC concurrently reviews the proposal. Within 10 business days, MHEC must either notify the institution that additional information is required or, if the proposal is deemed complete, disseminate the proposal to all Maryland higher education institutions for comment. Institutions are given 30 days to comment/object. If there are no objections, MHEC must take action within 60 days of receipt of a completed proposal.
14. When the proposal is approved, the Secretary of MHEC sends a letter to the Provost’s Office, which includes the new program inventory codes.
The Provost’s Office will forward a copy of this letter to the appropriate college dean and department chair, director of Institutional Research, registrar and associate vice president for Academic Affairs, associate dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, associate director of Admissions,
the director of Graduation, and the University Relations catalog coordinator.
The Provost’s Office will send a congratulatory letter to the department chair and college dean.
15. Departments can submit the proposal to the following individuals for guidance in developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). More information and a sample MOU are provided for guidance.
Proposals for graduate community college partnerships and articulation agreements can be forwarded to Lawrence Shirley, associate dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, 410-704-3500. He will work with the program director and offer guidance.
Proposals involving undergraduate community college partnerships and articulation agreements can be forwarded to Stephanie Fowler, associate director of admissions, 410-704-6285. She will prepare the GenEd template with equivalencies and will forward copies to the registrar, the appropriate academic department and the assistant provost.
“Two plus Two Programs” and special articulation programs also require Declarations of Intent to be submitted for internal monitoring and tracking. Often the types of programs involved in these agreements already exist, and require only notification to USM and MHEC. They do, however, require a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the details of the proposed agreement and the signatures of the chief academic officers from the participating institutions.
BTPS proposals also represent a collaborative effort between Towson University and a partner institution. If the BTPS already exists, simple notification to USM and MHEC is sufficient. If it doesn’t exist, the full submission to USM and MHEC is required.
The department should send the MOU to the assistant provost for final review. The assistant provost
will return the MOU to the department. It is the department's responsibility to then obtain signatures from the dean of the college and the partnering institution. The dean of the college should submit a minimum of three signed original MOUs to assistant provost. Additional, original signed MOUs may be required when partnering with more than one institution. Upon receipt of the signed MOU, the assistant provost will obtain the provost's and president's signatures and send the MOU to USM and MHEC.
MHEC will then send the provost office a letter of approval.
Division of Academic Affairs
Administration Building, Room 311
Phone: 410-704-2126
Fax: 410-704-3129
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