Guidelines for the Preparation of the Proposal Brief for Proposed New Programs including:
Undergraduate Degrees, Majors, Minors, Areas of Concentration, Areas of Emphasis, Degree-credit Certificates and
Degree-credit Diplomas, and Co-operative Education options.
Effective September 1, 2011, in accordance with the University of Guelph's Institutional Quality Assurance Process
(IQAP ), proposals for new undergraduate degrees and majors require an external review. External reviewers will be appointed by the Associate Vice-President (Academic) (AVPA) based on nominations made by the academic unit. To allow adequate time for an external review to take place and time for revisions to be made based on review feedback, the submission deadline for the initial brief to be submitted to the Office of the AVPA is earlier than in the past. Review the timelines online.
Along with the completed brief addressing the sections below, the academic department or school chair will provide a list of three nominees with appropriate expertise, the rationale for their inclusion and a CV for each nominee.
Reviewers will normally be associate or full professors, or the equivalent, with program management experience, and will be at arm’s length from the program under review. The Department/School is responsible for making the initial contact to determine the willingness of the nominee to be nominated and to establish their availability. It is strongly suggested that nominations be submitted with the initial brief submitted for AVPA review.
New Undergraduate Degrees and Majors (programs requiring an external review):
November 1, 2014 – initial brief submitted to the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Academic)
December 1, 2014 – nominations for external reviewers due to the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Academic)
March 1, 2015 – final brief submitted to the Director, Academic Programs and Policy
New Minors, Areas of Concentration, Areas of Emphasis, Degree-credit Certificates and Degree-credit Diplomas
(Reported to the Quality Council; external review is not required):
January 1, 2015 – initial brief submitted to the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Academic)
March 1, 2015 – final brief submitted to the Director, Academic Programs and Policy
NB: All proposed new programs (undergraduate degrees and specializations) must receive a recommendation to move through the governance process (BUGS, Senate) from the Office of the Provost. Submit the New Program Proposal Brief to the Associate Vice-President (Academic) through the Director, Academic Programs and Policy. The AVPA, on behalf of the Provost, undertakes the initial review to ensure new programs are consistent with the strategic plans and directions for growth of the university.
All non-core undergraduate programs and majors are submitted for funding approval to the Ministry of Training,
Colleges and Universities (MTCU) once approved by Senate.
Proposed Program/Specialization Name:
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Indicate the Sponsoring Department/School and College(s):
Indicate the office(s) responsible for academic counselling.
Provide evidence of consultation with other units/programs participating in the proposed new program/specialization.
If the schedule of studies includes courses from unit(s) other than the sponsoring unit, a clear commitment of support
(memo from the Chair/Director/Dean) for the proposed program/specialization must be included.
Proposals for new co-op programs must also include a letter of support from the Chair, Co-op Program Coordinating
Committee.
Explain the rationale for developing the proposed program and identify its relationship to the Integrated Plans of the
Department/School and College, the University’s Integrated Plan (IP) and the approved Strategic Mandate Agreement
(SMA).
Include the Learning Outcome Alignment Template with this submission. The “LO Alignment Template” is available for download on the Learning Outcomes website (refer to the tab under Undergraduate LOS).
Outline and describe how the learning outcomes enhance, overall, the undergraduate curriculum.
Indicate how the identified outcomes will be assessed and in which specific courses.
Identify the appropriateness of the proposed method(s) of assessment in evaluating student progress and achievement of the learning outcomes.
Identify which of the five University of Guelph Learning Outcomes are particularly addressed and how the proposed program supports student achievement of the Learning Outcomes.
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Identify any distinctive curriculum aspects, program innovations or creative components.
Identify how the curriculum addresses the current state of the discipline.
If the program includes a Co-op option, the proposal must address 1) the proposed Learning Outcomes for work term reports; and 2) work term report guidelines for students. Contact the Director, CECS for more information.
For professional program areas, identify congruence with current accreditation and regulatory requirements of the profession and include any formal correspondence with accrediting bodies.
Outline the proposed program (course and additional academic) requirements, including: a) courses currently offered, with frequency of offering; b) list of any new courses proposed as part of the submission; c) required courses mounted by other units and confirm commitment by said unit; d) research and/or experiential learning activities, indicating whether required or elective; e) thesis, major paper or other capstone requirement, indicating whether required or elective.
Identify the mode of delivery (in-class, lecture, problem- or case-based learning, online/distance, hybrid) and explain why the methods are appropriate for meeting the program’s learning outcomes.
Identify the appropriateness of the program’s structure and curriculum in meeting expressed learning outcomes.
Include the proposed calendar copy for this program (Preamble, Schedule of Studies) and templates for any new courses proposed to support the program.
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Identify projected enrolment levels for the first five years of operation of the proposed program, including: a) initial enrolment; b) enrolment after two years; c) steady-state annual enrolment and steady state total enrolment and years these will be achieved.
Identify whether the proposed program will impact existing programs and whether students move to this program from others or whether the proposed program is expected to attract new students.
Identify any programs proposed for closure as a result of this proposed new program. NB: Program closures require approval of the Board of Undergraduate Studies and Senate. Closures are reported for information to the Quality
Council and to MTCU.
List the admission requirements and indicate their appropriateness for ensuring adequate achievement and preparation for entry into the proposed program.
List any proposed alternative admission requirements and rationale.
For new majors within an already approved undergraduate degree program, indicate whether the admission requirements differ from existing requirements within the degree program. If different, provide the rationale.
Provide evidence of and planning for adequate numbers and quality of:
(a) faculty and staff to achieve the goals of the program; or
(b) plans and the commitment to provide the necessary resources in step with the implementation of the program;
(c) planned/anticipated class sizes;
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(d) provision of supervision of experiential learning opportunities (if required); and
(e) the role of adjunct and part-time faculty.
Provide evidence that there are adequate resources to sustain the quality of scholarship produced by undergraduate students, including library support, information technology support, and laboratory access.
Indicate whether there are any notable resources available to the proposed program demonstrating institutional appropriateness e.g. Chairs, institutes, centres; unique library collections or resources; facilities such as computer, laboratory, other acquisitions, etc.
Indicate any external financial support demonstrating strength such as facility/equipment donations, other external donations, grants, etc.
Identify similar programs offered by other institutions in the Ontario university system and provide evidence of justifiable duplication based on demand and/or societal need.
Provide convincing evidence of student demand for the proposed program. Per the MTCU checklist, consider the following in making these determinations: a) evidence of student demand through application statistics, for example: number of enquiries, applications received, number of qualified applicants; b) origin of student demand (% domestic and visa students); c) duration of the projected demand (e.g. short, medium or long-term demand from specified sources; d) evidence of review and comment by appropriate student organization(s), if applicable.
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Identify the societal need for the proposed program including: a) dimensions of the societal need for graduates (e.g. socio-cultural, economic, scientific, technological); b) geographic scope of the societal need for graduates (e.g. local, regional, provincial, national); c) trends in societal need for graduates; d) duration of the societal need (e.g. short, medium, or long-term).
Examples of evidence for the above would be:
 letters from a variety of potential employers of graduates who have seen the curriculum and commented upon the need for graduates within their organization and, more broadly, in their field of endeavour;
 professional society and/or association comments about the need for graduates based on a review of the curriculum;

employment surveys, survey of the number of positions advertised in, for example, the CAUT Bulletin, AUCC
University Affairs, etc.;
 statistics related to the number of Ontario students leaving the province to study in the same field elsewhere in
Canada or abroad
Provide the following supporting documentation with a new program proposal:

Letter of support from the relevant Dean(s), including confirmation of the adequacy of required resources;

Letter of support from the Head, Information Services, indicating a completed Library Assessment and adequate library resources’

Learning Outcome Alignment Template

Confirmation of support from other units a) implicated in the proposal or b) affected by the proposal;

Estimate of student demand from the Registrar (or Associate Registrar, Admission Services);

For proposed Co-op Programs, include a letter of support from the Director, Cooperative Education and Career

Services (CECS), and copy of the Co-op Market Study;
Nomination of External Reviewers, if applicable.
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