There are 247 undergraduate majors at Ohio University. Here is what the process looks like to start a new area of study:
There are several stages in the process of adding a new area of study, such as a major, minor or certificate. The process usually takes about six months after the proposal is submitted. However, it is dependent on what time of year it is because the University Curriculum Council, or UCC, does not meet in the summer.
To begin the process of adding an area of study, a faculty member must submit their idea to OCEAN, the Ohio Curriculum Enhancement and Approval Network.
“(OCEAN) is a web-based system designed for the Quarters-to-Semesters transition,” Connie Patterson, Assistant Dean for Academic Engagement and Outreach, said in an email. “All new courses and course changes are submitted via OCEAN 2.0 while new programs and program changes use OCEAN 1.9.”
A major is considered a program such as a Bachelor’s of Art, Bachelor of Science, Associate of Art, or Associate of Science.
“The typical approval process goes from the faculty person to their department/school curriculum committee, then to the department/school director, the college, UCC, programs committee, the full UCC for two readings, and finally to the office of the provost and the Board of,” Patterson said in an email.
Each level of the process has a different set of responsibilities for checking the program. That includes that the department or school is responsible for ensuring that the program content and structure are appropriate and follow current approaches with in the field of discipline, according to the Programs Committee Guidelines.
The college committee is responsible for making sure the college needs the area of study, the college can afford it, all accreditation requirements are met and many other topics.
The Programs Committee and UCC are responsible for confirming that the program reviews what the other areas have covered as well as making sure all documents are in order, that the registrar’s office has been consulted about DARS issues and other business-related topics.
If a graduate level area of study is proposed, it also has to be reviewed by the Chancellor’s Council on Graduate Study, Beth Quitslund, interim associate dean of the Graduate College, said.
If a new degree program is proposed it has to be approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, Quitslund said.
The most recent areas of study were discussed by the UCC at their meeting on Sept. 11. At the meeting, seven areas of study were proposed, and were all unanimously approved.
So far in 2018, there have been 15 new programs approved by the UCC. There are usually two to four programs proposed each month, Patterson said.
