Revision of Existing Graduate Programs
Revisions to graduate degrees must be reviewed by the Graduate School and approved by the Faculty Senate and Provost. Depending on the type and extent of revision, approval by SUNY and NYSED may also be required.
- Programs that are not licensure-qualifying may make changes up to 1/3 of the total minimum credits required for the award without seeking approval from SUNY or NYSED. Department or College procedures for changes must still be followed. Once a non-licensure qualifying program exceeds the one-third threshold, they must submit a formal revision to be approved on campus and with SUNY and NYSED.
- Programs that are licensure-qualifying must submit a formal revision to be approved on campus and with SUNY and NYSED for any change to the program requirements.
Revisions cannot be implemented without proper approval. This means they cannot be posted, advertised, added to websites, included in the academic guide, or updated in department advising materials or manuals until formal approval is confirmed by the Graduate School.
Policy and procedural revisions to graduate programs, such as grievance procedures, exam deadlines and policies, and academic probation policies, should also be discussed with the Graduate School. The Graduate School can assist with ensuring that programs are aligned with national best practices in graduate education.
Development and Approval of New Graduate Programs
New advanced certificates and graduate degree programs, including articulation arrangements with other institutions, must be reviewed by the Graduate School. The Guide for New Proposal Development provides further detail about the approval steps and materials required.
Award Types
- Doctoral Degrees
, doctoral programs shall require a minimum of three academic years of full-time graduate level study after the baccalaureate degree, or their equivalent in part-time study. Doctoral studies shall include the production of a substantial report on original research, the independent investigation of a topic of significance to the field of study, the production of an appropriate creative work, or the verified development of advanced professional skills. - Master’s Degrees
, master’s degrees normally require a minimum of one academic year of full-time graduate level study, or its equivalent in part-time study, with an accumulation of not less than 30 semester hours. The requirements for a master’s degree shall normally include at least one of the following: passing a comprehensive test, writing a thesis based on independent research or completing an appropriate special project. - Advanced Certificates
Advanced certificates allow students to develop specialized expertise in a focused area of study. They are at least 6 credits, but typically include 12-16 credits of graduate-level coursework. - Combined Degrees
4+1, Combined and Double Degree Programs
Institutions may create pathways (following on campus approval procedures) which combine bachelor's and master's or two graduate degrees without needing SUNY or NYSED approval, as long as none of the individual programs are licensure-qualifying. Any combination of licensure-qualifying programs will require both SUNY and NYSED approval.
Dual Degree Programs
Dual Degree combinations involve at least one program that is licensure-qualifying. Given this, they require full campus review and approval from SUNY and NYSED (Office of Professions).
- Articulation Agreements
Articulation agreements (between any ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ department/school and an external department/school/university) must be approved by the Graduate School and may require additional approvals, depending on the type of arrangement and institutions involved. Articulation agreements include the exchange of graduate students between institutions without paying additional tuition and must follow SUNY system guidelines.
Resources
- Curriculum Resources Page
- Access to proposal software with how-to guide
- Overview of the Program proposal process
- All forms related to the proposal process