Proposals for New Degrees

Proposing a new degree is normally a three-stage process: (1) a very brief rationale for the degree is placed on the Academic Master Plan, and if approved by the CSU Board of Trustees, (2) the full degree proposal is developed and approved at the campus, (3) documents are submitted to the CO for approval at the system level.

STEM Classifications

The STEM classification (DHS or NSF) is determined by the CIP code used by the US Department of Homeland Security. Once a program has been approved by the CSU Chancellor's Office (CO) and based on the CIP code, the appropriate STEM classification will be assigned accordingly.

Steps for Proposing a New Degree

New degree proposals require a series of steps on campus and final approval by the Chancellor's Office. Following is an outline of the stages that should be followed when developing a new bachelor's or master's degree:

~6 Months for Review

The AMP is approved on campus each fall for submission in January and consideration by the Board of Trustees in March. When proposing new degree program projections on the academic master plan please complete the Projected Proposal Template for the AMP found at the CSU System Academic Programs, Innovations and Faculty Development website.

The form includes the following elements, which are the criteria by which proposed changes to the Academic Master Plan are evaluated:

  • Is this an online program?
  • A brief summary of the purpose and characteristics of the proposed degree program.
    (New bachelor's degrees should be as enduring as possible in content and title.
    Breadth is the hallmark of bachelor's degrees, and more narrow specialization occurs
    at the graduate level.)
  • How the program fits into the campus mission and strategic plan
  • Whether the program is offered through state support or special sessions
  • Anticipated student demand
  • Workforce demands and employment opportunities for graduates
  • Other relevant societal needs
  • An assessment of the required resources and a campus commitment to allocating
    those resources
  • And, as applicable:
    • If the projection is a pilot program, also list the academic years during which the
      program will operate in pilot status.
    • If the projected program is now offered as an option, concentration, or emphasis,
      provide a brief rationale for elevation to a full degree program.
    • For new degree programs that are not already offered in the CSU, please
      provide a compelling rationale explaining how the proposed subject area
      constitutes a coherent, integrated degree program that has potential value to
      students and meets CSU requirements for an academic program at the
      undergraduate or graduate level.

CSU Academic Master Plan

CSUB Academic Master Plan

~1-2 Years for Review

The following steps are followed prior to final implementation:

  1. The general concept and requirements are discussed broadly by faculty impacted by the proposed degree. When changes affect programs outside the school, documentation of consultation should accompany proposals.
  2. The CSU System Academic Programs, Innovations and Faculty Development website provides a Program Planning Guide that includes proposal guidance and templates for the New Degree Proposal 2022, Assessment Plan Template, Curriculum Map Sample Template and Self-Support Sample Budget Template.  These templates and tips for completing a successful program proposal should be carefully reviewed. The Faculty Proposal Checklist is a helpful resource to ensure you have met all requirements and should be submitted with the proposal.
  3. CSUB's New Degree Routing Sheet accompanies the proposal at all steps of the campus approval process. Consult with the AVP for Academic Programs throughout the process.
  4. Typically, department faculty will propose a new degree. Upon departmental approval, the routing sheet is signed by the department chair and the approving memo is attached.
  5. The Curriculum Committees typically require that all affected programs be consulted prior to submission. In the case of inter-school programs, the Academic Affairs Committee of the Senate serves as the curriculum committee. Approval is documented by the committee chair's signature on the routing sheet and attachment of the approving memo.
  6. The Dean considers the program and, upon approval, signs the routing sheet and attaches a memorandum indicating an analysis of the resource commitments that must be
    made to support the program and the origin(s) of those resources.
  7. An electronic copy of the final proposal is sent to the AVP for Academic Programs. The hard copy with routing sheet and accompanying documentation is delivered to the Academic Programs office, EDUC 242. The AVP for Academic Programs reviews the documentation to log the proposal and ensure that the proposal follows all campus, system, and legal requirements.
  8. If the Provost endorses the proposal, it is sent to the Academic Senate office for consideration by the campus.
  9. The Senate office will not accept a proposal without a complete routing sheet. The Chair of the Academic Senate forwards the proposal to the appropriate Subcommittees of the Academic Senate for consideration.
  10. Any changes to the proposal, in response to requests from the subcommittees should be sent to the Senate office with a copy to the AVP for Academic Programs. The Academic Senate sends its recommendation regarding the program to the President.
  11. If the President approves the recommendation of the Senate it can go forward to the Chancellor's office.

Additional resources you need to develop a new state-or-self support degree program can located at the CSU System Academic Programs, Innovations and Faculty Development website.

~3-6 Months for Final Approval

  1. The proposer is responsible to provide the Academic Programs office with four hard copies and an electronic copy of the final proposal. An electronic catalog copy is sent to the Director of Academic Operations and Support. At this point, all official documentation and advertising must be accompanied by the caveat that the program is pending approval by the CSU system.
  2. The Chancellor's office shepherds the proposal from this point forward (See CSU Flowchart). They send the proposal to external reviewers, evaluate system-wide concerns, and submit to CPEC, if necessary. The Chancellor's office must communicate approval to the President and office of Academic Programs before the program is allowed to enroll students.

Alternative Processes for Proposals

Three alternative processes allow for simpler approvals than those outlined above:

Fast Track proposals are those that are not required to be put on the Academic Master Plan prior to campus approval. Thus, they skip "stage 1," above. Fast Track proposals are limited, among other requirements for fast track proposals, to those that can be offered at a high level of quality within the existing resource base and are not subject to specialized accreditation.
A limited number of Pilot Program proposals are allowed to operate for five years on a trial basis if, among other requirements for pilot program proposals, they can be offered at a high level of quality within the existing resource base and are not subject to specialized accreditation. Pilot programs are reviewed by the Chancellor's Office to ensure conformity to all system policies. In order to become permanent, the program must be formally reviewed by an external reviewer and the university program review committee (UPRC) before being forwarded to the Chancellor's office for final approval.
Elevating a Concentration or Emphasis to a full degree program is accomplished by forwarding to the Chancellor's office a well-supported rationale and evidence of a significantly greater campus commitment to the program than was required to establish it as a specialization area.

Proposing New Certificates

A certificate is any official, printed document, signed by an administrative officer and bearing the name or seal of the University, that testifies to academic achievements or experiences different from those recognized by the usual diplomas.

Academic Credit Certificate Programs are multi-course programs of study that do not substitute for majors, minors or credentials in established degree programs, are designated as professional or pre professional, and may be offered as either state funded or self-supporting through Extended Education and Global Outreach (EEGO).
Professional Certificate Programs require a bachelor's degree as a prerequisite or co-requisite and are comprised exclusively of upper-division or graduate level coursework.
Pre-professional Certificate Programs shall contain at least fifty percent upper-division
level coursework. Pre-professional certificate programs require as a prerequisite an associate of arts degree or an equivalent number of units or appropriate experience and special needs.
Non-Academic Credit Certificate Programs are offered exclusively through the Extended University Division. Proposals should conform to Academic Senate Resolution 141530.

Proposing New Concentrations

The only terms recognized by the university to differentiate degree pathways are concentration and emphasis. They are distinguished by the size of the core requirements that they share with the remaining degree pathways (see table, below). The common core/electives are defined as common set of required coursework or common set of required electives taken by all students obtaining the degree. 

Number of Units in Common Core/Electives

 Degree

Concentration

Emphasis

BA

up to 24 semester units

> 24 semester units

BS

up to 36 semester units

> 36 semester units

Master's Degree

up to 50%

> 50%

For instance, a BA degree in X that requires 42 semester units has two pathways Y & Z that differ by their choice of five 3-unit classes (15 units). The two pathways share 21 units in core coursework and each have 6 units of upper-division electives. The programs would be designated as "BA in X with emphasis in Y" or "BA in X with emphasis in Z" because 27 (21 + 6) is greater than 24.

Note: The university does not recognize terms like "track" or "option" to describe different pathways to the degree. If such terms are used in the catalog, great care should be taken to avoid any appearance to students that these are similar to the formal concentrations and emphases. Thus, they may not be used in the catalog for headings or appear as titles. The program may have advising sheets outside of the catalog that describe advisory pathways (e.g., "Graduate School Preparation Track Advising Sheet") so long as it is clear that this is a set of recommended courses that do not constrain a student in meeting graduation requirements.

Proposers should go through the following steps when proposing a new concentration or emphasis:

  1. The general concepts and requirements are discussed broadly by faculty impacted by the proposed concentration. Formal proposals need documentation of consultation with programs outside of the school.
  2. CSUB's template for new concentration/emphasis proposal is used to prepare the formal proposal and the concentration/emphasis routing sheet accompanies the proposal at all steps of the campus approval process. Consult with the AVP for Academic Programs throughout the process.
  3. Department faculty propose new concentrations and emphases. Upon departmental approval the routing sheet is signed by the department chair and the approving memo is attached.
  4. Curriculum Committees typically require that all affected programs be consulted prior to submission. In the case of inter-school programs, the Academic Affairs Committee of the Senate serves as the curriculum committee. Approval is documented by the committee chair's signature on the routing sheet and attachment of the approving memo.
  5. The Dean considers the program and, upon approval, signs the routing sheet and attaches a memorandum indicating an analysis of the resource commitments that must be
    made to support the program and the origin(s) of those resources.
  6. An electronic copy of the final proposal is sent to the AVP for Academic Programs. The hard copy with routing sheet and accompanying documentation is delivered to the Academic Programs office, EDUC 242. The AVP for Academic Programs reviews the documentation to log the proposal and ensure that the proposal follows all campus, system, and legal requirements.
  7. If the Provost endorses the proposal it is sent to the Academic Senate office for consideration by the campus.
  8. The Senate office will not accept a proposal without a complete routing sheet. The Chair of the Academic Senate forwards the proposal to the appropriate Subcommittees of the Academic Senate for consideration.
  9. Any changes to the proposal, in response to requests from the subcommittees should be sent to the Senate office with a copy to the AVP for Academic Programs. The Academic Senate sends its recommendation regarding the program to the President.
  10. The President's approval is the final approval but the Chancellor's office must recognize the concentration or emphasis prior to implementation.
  11. The proposer is responsible to provide the Academic Programs office with an electronic copy of the final proposal and a modified electronic catalog copy to the Director of Academic Operations and Support that incorporates all necessary catalog changes.

Proposing New Credential Program

Proposing a Doctoral Degree

Examples of policies, plans and proposals and implementation for existing CSU doctoral programs can be found at CSU Doctoral Degree Planning Resources.

For additional proposal resources please review the guidelines at CSUB New Degree Proposals.