Petition for New or Revised Degree Program
Name of institution:
Location(s), including mailing address(es), where program will be offered (i.e., main
campus, extension site[s]):
Name, title, email address, and phone number of person completing petition:
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INSTRUCTIONS
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Respond to each question using 12 point, black, single-spaced, Times New Roman font.
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Do not alter or delete any questions or instructions in preparing the petition, since doing so (even if accidental) could
result in the petition being returned or denied.
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Save completed petition as a PDF file and name it as follows: [School Name] Petition. In the event a school is submitting
multiple petitions, please include a petition number in the file name (i.e., [School Name] Petition 2).
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Combine any appendices into one bookmarked PDF and name file as follows: [School Name] Appendices.
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Email petition PDF and appendices PDF as attachments to the Director, Accreditation Services.
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This kind of petition requires a $250 fee. Make check payable to ATS Commission on Accrediting (not to ATS).
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Enclose the $250 check with one print copy of the completed petition and of any appendices and mail to
DIRECTOR, ACCREDITATION SERVICES | ATS COMMISSION ON ACCREDITING | 10 SUMMIT PARK DRIVE | PITTSBURGH, PA 15275-1110 Failure to
include the required $250 fee with the paper submission of this petition will result in this petition not being processed,
which may delay its consideration by the Board of Commissioners.
Petitions are due either November 1 (for action at the Board of Commissioners’ winter meeting) or April 1 (for action at the
summer meeting), though some petitions can be submitted at any time for expedited action. (For details, see “Petitions” on
the Accrediting section of the ATS website.
Because the ATS Commission on Accrediting (“Commission”), through the work of the Board of
Commissioners (“Board”), not only accredits institutions but also approves degree programs
offered by an accredited school, a school must seek the Board’s approval before it (a) introduces
a new degree program; (b) revises an existing degree program significantly (see section 3.e of
Appendix 3 of the Board Policy Manual for what constitutes a significant revision); or (c) offers an
existing approved degree (in whole or in part) at a new location. If the revision is simply a name
change, please use the Petition for Change in Nomenclature for a Degree Program for that
change.
The Board may approve petitions for new or revised degree programs at the master’s level or
for ongoing offering of courses at an extension site based on review of the institution’s petition
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and documentation only. The approval of new doctoral programs and the approval of extension
sites where more than half of a degree program can be earned will require the Board’s review of
both the institution’s petition and the report of a focused evaluation committee authorized in
response to the school’s petition, unless a visit exemption is warranted.
The institution’s petition should address all of the following factors, which the Board will consider in
decisions regarding approval of new or revised degrees. The total length of this petition should be
5–7 pages, plus required appendices.
1. Type of petition
Note whether this program is new or revised; if revised, describe briefly the nature of the revision.
2. Name of degree program and letter of Degree Program Standard to which this
program applies
(e.g., Standard A for MDiv, Standard B for professional MA, Standard D for academic MA, etc.). Note that
professional master’s programs use “in,” such as “Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry,” and academic master’s use
parentheses, such as “Master of Arts (Religion).”
Name of degree program:
Letter of Degree Program Standard:
3. Delivery method
Specify what portion of this degree is residential or online.* Note that only academic MA programs under Degree
Program Standard D may be completely online unless an exception for residency requirements is granted. See
separate Petition for an Educational Experiment or Exception.
*Count hybrid courses as residential “only if the majority of instructor-directed learning occurs in situations where both
faculty and students are in person on the school’s main campus or at an extension approved for the school to offer
the full degree” (see Educational Standard, section ES.4.2.19); count all other hybrid courses as online.
Percent residential:
Percent online:
4. Purpose and need
Describe in 2–3 paragraphs the purpose of this new or revised program, how it supports the institution’s mission, and
what need(s) it will address. Include any market analysis results.
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5. Program goals/outcomes
List the student learning outcomes—typically 3 to 6—for this program, and clarify how these cover the required
content areas described in the applicable Degree Program Standard.
6. Degree requirements
List the total hours required for this degree program and also list—here or in an attached appendix—the core and
elective requirements for this program, including how many credits are granted for each requirement. If this is a
revised degree program, append instead a chart comparing the revised requirements with the original requirements.
Note that the Board has generally not approved any three-year degree programs with fewer than 72 credits or any
two-year degree programs with fewer than 36 credits.
Total credits for this degree program:
List of courses for this degree program:
7. Admission requirements
Describe any special admission requirements (e.g., language).
8. Impact
Describe in 1 or 2 paragraphs any impact this proposed program might have on existing degree programs or existing
resources (e.g., faculty workload).
9. Faculty resources
Describe what faculty resources are needed for this program; also append a vita of the program director. For new
doctoral programs, append a list of all faculty—with a summary of their credentials—who will teach regularly in this
program, noting adjunct and residential. Petitions for revised degree programs need only summarize any changes in
faculty resources required.
10. Support resources
Describe the resources and support services available from the school’s library, technology, and student services
areas. If any of these services are provided by another entity, append formal agreements documenting that. Note that
petitions for revised degree programs need only summarize any changes in required support.
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11. Financial resources
Append a three-year budget, showing projected revenue and expenses for this new degree program. (If the budget is
fairly basic, it may be described here.) Petitions for revised degree programs need only summarize here any changes
in required finances.
12. Assessment
Describe how this new or revised degree program will be assessed and how that assessment will be incorporated
into the institution’s overall assessment plan. Note that the description here should include both direct and indirect
measures of assessment, how those relate to the program goals/outcomes described in #5 above, how faculty will be
involved in evaluating assessment results, and how those results will be used to improve the program and student
learning outcomes.
Approval of any petition for change is effective with the date specified in the official action. Such approval expects the
change will be implemented within a year of that approval date. If the change cannot be implemented within that time
frame, the school must submit a satisfactory explanation for the delay and a modified time line for implementation.
Absent implementation of the change or granting a request for additional time, the approval will expire one year after
the initial grant date. In such cases, the school would need to submit a new petition seeking permission to implement
the change after that one-year period. In addition, any contingency attached to an approved petition must be satisfied
before the change can be implemented, typically within a year, unless the school provides a satisfactory explanation
for the delay and additional time is granted.
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