9.7 Program Requirements

The institution publishes requirements for its undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate professional programs, as applicable. The requirements conform to commonly accepted standards and practices for degree programs.

Judgment

x Compliance o Non-Compliance o Partial Compliance

Narrative

UL Lafayette publishes academic policies that adhere to principles of good educational practice. The principal policies governing the administration and conduct of academic programs have evolved from collaboration between faculty and administration, and, whenever appropriate, with input from student representatives.

Undergraduate Programs

UL Lafayette defines and publishes program requirements for its undergraduate degree programs in its online University Catalog, which is available on the University website and via the “Academics” tab on ULink. General requirements for all undergraduate degrees, as well as individual degree program requirements are clearly outlined therein.

These requirements conform to commonly accepted standards and practices for degree programs. For undergraduate programs, the Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) requires a minimum of 120 hours, with a significant general education core of 39 hours. Beyond the BOR global degree requirements, the University of Louisiana System Bylaws and Rules, Chapter 2, Section 8 stipulates standards and practices for all undergraduate degrees including General Education requirements, major courses, electives and selectives, total credit hours, and GPA.

All undergraduate degree programs at UL Lafayette meet the BOR’s requirements for the types of courses and number of hours needed for graduation, as well as the degree requirements of the UL System Board of Supervisors (BOS). Additional degree completion requirements are imposed by UL Lafayette:

• A core curriculum consisting of a minimum of 42 credit hours (the BOR General Education Core, plus UNIV-100 First-Year Seminar for all first-time, incoming freshmen);

• An adjusted grade point average of at least 2.0;

• 45 credit hours at the advanced level (3XX and 4XX);

• A major area of study, usually 25% of the total required hours, 24 of which must be above the 100 level;

• More than 55% of the total credit hours in the major and/or area of specialization;

• A minor area of specialization, which must consist of at least 18 credit hours, with at least 6 earned at the 300‐400 level (only required by certain colleges); and

• Satisfaction of all qualitative and quantitative requirements of the academic college and program in which the degree is sought.

All general undergraduate requirements and program-specific requirements are clearly described in the Catalog. Students seeking information about any undergraduate degree program can access the relevant description of the individual program, which outlines the General Education Core Curriculum, as well as all required courses and electives organized by year (freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior), for clarity of information and convenience of student advising. The University Catalog also offers a Degree Planner listing the same requirements by year, so that students and advisors may easily track progress toward graduation and check off completed requirements. The program requirements, as stipulated in the University Catalog, are also available to students and advisors via Ellucian Degree Works, a degree audit tracking system that helps students and advisors monitor progress toward degree completion, and offers clear visual indicators showing whether a course requirement has been met or is in progress. When a program proposes to change its curriculum, approval must be sought through the Department Head, Dean, and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs – Academic Programs.

Graduate Programs

UL Lafayette defines and publishes program requirements for all its graduate and post‐baccalaureate professional programs in its online University Catalog, which is available on the University website and via the “Academics” tab on ULink. General requirements for all graduate degrees, as well as individual degree program requirements, are clearly outlined on the University’s website.

Admission requirements are the first gauge of the level of program requirements in UL Lafayette’s graduate programs. Minimum expectations for application and admission are established by the Graduate Council and are outlined in the Catalog, as well as in the following documents:

• Graduate Admission Requirements, Expectations, and Deadlines

• Graduate Program Application Requirements and Deadlines at a Glance

• Graduate Programs

• Graduate School Brochure

• Sample Graduate Program Brochures

Students seeking information about any graduate degree program can access the relevant description of the individual program, which outlines the admission requirements, foundation courses, prerequisites, required courses and electives, internships, thesis and non-thesis options, and comprehensive examination and oral defense of thesis, dissertation, or synthesis project requirements (when applicable). Sample program descriptions include:

• MS in Kinesiology

• MBA

• EdD in Educational Leadership

• PhD in Earth and Energy Sciences

• PhD in Systems Engineering

The program requirements, as stipulated in the University Catalog, are also available to students and advisors via Ellucian Degree Works, a degree audit tracking system that helps students and advisors monitor progress toward degree completion, and offers clear visual indicators showing whether a course requirement has been met or is in progress. Examples include the PhD in Applied Language and Speech Science and the MS in Kinesiology.

UL Lafayette conforms to commonly accepted standards and practices for graduate degree programs as outlined by the BOS and the BOR. The BOS Bylaws and Rules includes guidelines for course classification of graduate level courses (C-I, Academics, Section II), minimum length of academic courses (C-I, Academics, Section VII), academic renewal (C-I, Academics, Section X, B), and requirements for master’s and doctoral degrees, respectively (C-II, Students, Sections XI and XII). BOR Policies and Procedures stipulates approved academic terms and degree designations to be used for transcripts, catalogs, diplomas, and all publications for universities in Academic Affairs Policy 2.11.

The Graduate School’s “Guidelines for the Preparation and Submission of Theses, Dissertations, and Synthesis Projects” demonstrates that the capstone products of graduate programs at UL Lafayette conform to commonly accepted standards and practices.

Program Development

The degree program approval process undergone by all programs ensures that the design and structure of graduate programs meet or exceed commonly accepted standards. Requests for new graduate degrees to be offered at UL Lafayette go through a rigorous process that involves the vetting of all proposals for conformity to commonly accepted standards and practices at successive administrative levels. (For a description of the program approval process, also see Standard 9.1.) The following process governs all program development at the University:

Stage 1: Departments/faculty initiate requests for new program creation after internal discussions of need and feasibility, usually following preliminary discussions with the Dean of the academic college, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs – Academic Programs, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the President of the University. If the initial request is received in a generally favorable light, the Department Head or departmental spokesperson contacts the Dean of the Graduate School for a more in-depth conversation about the degree program being considered.

Stage 2: After consultation with the Dean of the Graduate School, the department officially provides the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs — Academic Programs and the Dean of the Graduate School a brief, written response to certain important points in order to further the consideration of the request. This begins the preliminary paperwork describing and justifying the proposed program. Among other things, the department is asked to estimate the costs of the program, and to identify sources of funding needed to develop the new program. This preliminary request is then submitted to the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs – Academic Programs and the Dean of the Graduate School, who review the request and forward it through the University chain of command, whereby a decision is reached to deny, approve, or hold in abeyance the preliminary program request.

Stage 3: If the preliminary request for a new degree program is approved at the University level, the department then prepares a Letter of Intent following the procedures and timelines outlined online by the Louisiana BOR. The Letter of Intent is prepared using the BOR template and routed for approval through the appropriate channels at the BOS. Recent examples include:

· PhD Earth and Energy Sciences Letter of Intent

· MAT Elementary Education Letter of Intent

· MS Environmental Resource Science Letter of Intent

· MS Informatics Letter of Intent

Stage 4: If the Letter of Intent is approved by the BOS and BOR, the department is then asked to complete a “BOR Request for Authority to Offer a New Degree Program” and “Budget Form” following BOR Academic Affairs Policy 2.05 “Guidelines for New Academic Program Proposal,” which is then submitted through the same chain of command used with the Letter of Intent. The Proposal (following up on and expanding information required at the Letter of Intent stage) encompasses answers to numerous questions about the curriculum for the proposed program, the faculty credentials of those to teach in the new program, the costs of the program and sources of support for the program, the need for equipment and the adequacy of the facilities to support the program, the expected number of enrollees and graduates of the program, the economic impact of the program, and other factors. The BOR employs external consultants to review new program requests as part of the approval process. Recent examples include:

· PhD Earth and Energy Sciences Proposal

· MAT Elementary Education Proposal

· MS Environmental Resource Sciences Proposal

· MS Informatics Proposal

The criteria required by the Guidelines for the Proposal of a New Academic Program, and the rigorous approval process, ensure an end product that results from a consistent, cumulative procedure begun with informal conversations at the faculty/departmental level; formalized at the campus level with an initial written request prepared and reviewed by University administrators; and, upon internal approval, allowed for the preparation of a Letter of Intent which, if approved through the BOS and BOS, gave invitation for the preparation of a full Proposal for a new degree program that conforms to commonly accepted standards and practices.

Stage 5: Upon approval by all channels culminating with the BOR, the new degree program is established at the University, and recruitment efforts for the new program are launched.