New Major / Degree Undergraduate

• The Higher Learning Commission takes approximately six months to approve a program; students cannot be awarded financial aid for that program until approved.
• Requirements cannot be added to an active catalog because this violates students' catalog rights.
• Estimated time for approval (from beginning of process to final approval): 1 to 1.5 Years.

Phase 1/2: Ohio Department of Higher Education (Initial Inquiry)

(Letter of inquiry) Approval Body

1. Department/School
2. Dean's Office

(Letter of inquiry) Timeline and process

An initial inquiry form can be acquired from the Ohio Department of Higher Education by the Vice Provost for Academic Planning. Once the Initial Inquiry form is filled out by the chair of the originating department, with the assistance from the corresponding Dean's office, the document will be returned to ODHE for processing. The usual turnaround time is up to two days. 

Phase 2/2: Full Proposal (After Initial Inquiry)

(full proposal) Approval Body

1. Department/School                  
2. College Curriculum Committee                         
3. College Faculty
4. Dean's Office
5. UCC                               
6. Steering / Senate
7. Provost
8. President
9. Board of Trustees
10. ODHE
11. Senate (if modifications requested by ODHE)

(full proposal) Timeline and process

A full proposal template will be requested from ODHE by the Vice Provost for Academic Planning, after which it will be filled out by the originating department in order to be submitted for internal approval by the stakeholders listed on the left.

Faculty Senate's first approval (step #6) must be made by the last day of Fall classes to be effective the following Fall.

This presupposes that the Board of Trustees and ODHE will approve the full proposal.

Approved by ODHE with no modifications by July 1, implemented Fall semester (approved by ODHE after July 1, Spring implementation).