Faculty of Health Sciences
New Graduate Program Development and Approval Process Guide
The ultimate goal of this Guide is to provide a new program development team with assistance in navigating through the process of creating and
establishing a new graduate program at McMaster University. Experience suggests that each step in the document needs to be addressed to
ensure smooth transition through the approval process. The Guide was developed specifically for the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) and,
therefore, processes internal and external to FHS, some of which occur simultaneously, are separated in the table below. Should other Faculties
express any interest in utilizing this Guide, it can be easily adapted to their specific policies and procedures.
Program:
Department:
Projected
Start Date:
Annual intake (Full Time/Part Time and domestic/visa for Full Time):
Steady state enrolment (Full Time/Part Time):
Year steady state enrolment reached:
Please note that this document refers to the graduate program process only; should there be an undergraduate component as well, you will have to
follow rules and regulations related to the undergraduate program approval process.
Internal Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) Process
Spend time thinking about what the program will look like, why it is needed, what gap it will fill, and
why McMaster/FHS/proposed team are the best group to implement it.
University Process (outside of FHS)
After this, think about what our ideal graduate would look like and how they would fulfill the needs
gap. Familiarize yourself with the Degree Level Expectations (DLE) early in the process. Detailed
information about DLEs can be found at http://cll.mcmaster.ca/COU/degree/graduate.html
Suggestion: also consider your team: who will help you develop the proposal?
Discuss with the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, feasibility of the proposed
program. (Appendix A at the end of this document contains a list of the current incumbents as of June
30, 2014).
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Suggestion: to expedite the entire process, schedule monthly meetings with Health Sciences Graduate
Studies (HSGS) through the Graduate Associate at ext. 21609.
Discuss feasibility of the proposed program with
the Associate Registrar & Graduate Secretary,
School of Graduate Studies (SGS). (Associate
Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and
Manager, HSGS, should attend the meeting).
Suggestion: ask the Associate Registrar and
Graduate Secretary whether in their opinion this
program will be classified as Government Funded
(BIU eligible) or Self-Funded. In either case, when
working on your budget, explore different
scenarios to ensure financial stability and viability
of the program.
Check point:
Proceed, if interest in the program and its viability
is affirmed by both, FHS and SGS, leadership.
Familiarize yourself with the following:
 Policy on Academic Program Reviews
http://www.mcmaster.ca/policy/AdminAcad/AcadAdmin/indexA.html
 New Program Proposal Guidebook and other materials at
http://miietl.mcmaster.ca/site/iqap/?toggle=new-program-proposals
 University Program Approval Submission Guideline (also available through SGS or HSGS
office);
 Front sections of the Graduate Calendar related to the rules and requirements on admissions,
language requirements, courses, etc.
Suggestion: it is a good practice to review the details of a prior successful application. Inquire with the
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences regarding getting access to such applications.
Organize a development team, which may include, but is not limited to, senior leadership from your
department/program, faculty with expertise in the proposed field, financial manager, administrative
staff, etc.
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Create a one/two page Vision Document, a high level summary of your proposed program, which will
describe current vision of the development team with regards to the areas of training, leading
program/department, curriculum emphasis, and graduates’ further development opportunities
and/or career options.
Comment: this document will be of a great assistance to you as your team moves through the process
as it will provide all involved parties with consistent information of the essence of the proposed
program in a concise form.
Develop and submit a Statement of Intent
available here:
http://miietl.mcmaster.ca/site/iqap/ under the
New Programs Proposals toggle.
The purpose of this document is to provide all
necessary personnel with a brief overview and
rationale of the proposed program. The
Statement of Intent must be endorsed by the
Department Chair, Associate Dean of Graduate
Studies, FHS, and the Faculty Dean before it
proceeds to the Associate Vice President, Faculty,
and and Dean of Graduate Studies for new
graduate program proposals.
Organize your department/program meeting to inform all members about the proposed program
development, receive their feedback, and address their concerns (for example, regarding an increased
teaching load related to the new program, other resource implications, etc.).
Suggestion: keep your program/department informed about all important stages of the new program
development.
Identify your program stakeholders and analyze their involvement in the program as different groups
will have different needs and focuses and may require different approaches.
List of stakeholders may include, but is not limited to, potential students, supervisors (if the program
has research component), industry partners (potential employers which will hire your program
graduates), Faculty Deans, Assistant Deans, other Faculty and University leadership.
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Start stakeholder consultation very early in the process.
Survey your potential students and stakeholders to get data on a level of interest of the proposed
program.
Suggestion from one of the programs:
We had a “stakeholders’ workshop” very early in the planning process. This was a day-long event offsite, where we invited stakeholders from the University, industry, leaders in the community, etc. This
process established an essential foundation for all the planning that was to follow. By engaging the
stakeholders in the development process, their buy-in later on is almost guaranteed.
Potential items for the retreat agenda (you may want to engage an external facilitator):
Presentation of the concept
Environmental Scan
Industry STEP analysis – Social, Technological, Economic, Political
The “Ideal Graduate”
Affinity analysis exercise to profile desirable graduate competencies
Idea Generation
Structured brainstorming to generate potential approaches and initiatives
Assessment and consolidation of the ideas
SWOT Analysis
Strengths: characteristics of the program that give it an advantage over others
Weaknesses: characteristics that place the program at a disadvantage relative to
others
Opportunities: elements that the program could utilize to its advantage
Threats: elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the program
Shaping the Program
Breakout groups consolidate advice under designated themes related to curriculum
content, experiential learning, educational delivery, industry partnerships and
marketing
Group presentations with discussion and feedback
Moving Forward
Driving and restraining forces
Implementation of the suggestions
Next steps
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Important points to remember:
 Extensive consultations between the development team and other program leaders at the
University, such as Deans and Associate Deans, HSGS, SGS, Provost Office are extremely
useful. Guidance from some (e.g., Provost’s Office) should be sought after the meeting with
the Deans (described later);
 Broad consultation from the very earliest point in development is recommended;
 Keep your “stakeholders” updated on your progress, make sure to consult with them before
the proposal is submitted for approval;
 Keep in mind that the development of a new program is a multi-year endeavor.
Consult with other existing graduate programs that may have similar components/formats, or that
are similar to your proposed program.
Similarly, it is important to have consultation with any programs/departments that could potentially
be affected by your new program, i. e. you may draw students that traditionally applied to their
program.
Conduct a market scan:
 Are there similar programs offered elsewhere?
 If yes, where are they offered?
 How much is their tuition?
 How much is their student support? What form does the support take, i.e. program
scholarships, TAship, research scholarship, bursaries?
 Do they provide support to their full time thesis-based students only or the course-based and
part-time students as well?
Record all your findings, create comparison tables addressing the following questions:
 What will be your niche, or how are you differentiated from the other programs?
 What will be your feeder programs and demographics of your program?
 Will your program be considered a feeder program for one of the existing programs?
Important point:
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) will look at the proposal more favourably if the
program will be attracting new student population that otherwise wouldn’t go to graduate school
than drawing potential applicants from existing student population. They will also look more positively
on programs that provide students with unique skills that will impact on the graduate’s future career.
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Familiarize yourself with the University Program Approval Submission Guideline for universities
seeking funding and OSAP eligibility for programs (October 2014). Review nine elements of the
evaluation criteria as they must be addressed in the program proposal.
The Guideline will be forwarded to the development team as part of the new program development
package.
Familiarize yourself with the New Program Budget Template available at
http://budgetmodel.mcmaster.ca/tools-templates.php.
Check point:
Proceed if the program is financially sound; be conservative in your approach.
Consider your approach to the tuition for your program early in the process. Where the requested
tuition fee is at the high end of a wide range or is outside the existing tuition range at the university,
the Ministry asks that universities justify the tuition based on comparable programs. The templates
for presenting tuition information can be found in the University Program Approval Submission
Guideline.
Determine who will be the program faculty: list them in the proposal and summarize the required
information (e.g. how many students they currently supervise, etc.).
Programs with internship/co-op/practicum components: what are the opportunities and what is the
format of this component (length, paid/unpaid, mandatory/optional, etc.)?
Work on procuring letters of support from prospective partners.
Suggestion: provide your prospective partners with a list of points that you would like them to address
in a letter of support.
Consult with potential participating Faculties/Departments, library, other relevant units.
Indicate to the Deans, Chairs, Directors, Heads that you will need their letters of support for the brief.
Important points:
 Record their concerns: they will need to be addressed;
Meet with the Deans. The individuals leading the
program development need to meet with the
Associate Vice-President (Academic), Health
Sciences, the Associate Vice-President and Dean
of Graduate Studies, and the Associate Dean of
Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, to discuss the
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


Consider overlap with your target population and/or program curriculum with other
programs/faculties – this needs to be discussed in detail;
If you think that your program will not overlap with any existing programs, ask the Associate
Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, to either confirm it with other Associate Deans, or
request that they consult with their Deans to verify it;
If you receive a letter of support from an individual in another Faculty, make sure you obtain
letters from their appropriate Chair and Dean as well.
Check point:
Proceed if interest in the program is affirmed; consult with appropriate individuals if there are
any concerns.
proposal. Chair(s) of Departments often attend
this meeting, particularly if the program will
involve only one or a few departments.
For Interdisciplinary programs, Deans of all
participating Faculties should attend the meeting,
ideally with their Associate Dean of Graduate
Studies. Program proposals must have the
support of the Deans affirmed to move forward
with further development and approval.
For professional programs which are regulated by external accreditation (such as, for example,
Occupational Therapy), consider all governing body accreditation approvals, rules and regulations,
etc.
If there is a legal requirement for graduates in a program to be certified, registered or licensed, the
Ministry expects that the university has received the appropriate recognition or has started the
process to receive accreditation.
Inquire whether start-up funding will be available from the Department/School or other sources for
the development of the proposal and/or program.
Suggestion: Start-up funding is requested via a letter to the leaders of the above mentioned units.
Start preparing your program proposal brief following the IQAP format and determining:
 program governance;
 structure: FT/PT, thesis based/course based, Masters/PhD, domestic/international, inclass/on-line
 size: number of students, breakdown by options
 curriculum
 budget, including tuition and other fees
 resources (teaching, staff, space, laboratories, etc.)
 will there be TA opportunities, graduate scholarship support?
Suggestion: refer to the section 5 of the Policy on Academic Program Reviews at
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http://www.mcmaster.ca/policy/AdminAcad/AcadAdmin/indexA.html
Consider external and internal reviewers and develop a proposed list of “arm’s length reviewers” (i.e.
no former graduates or recent collaborators; see the Policy on Academic Program Reviews for full
details on the criteria).
Consider the dates for the reviewers’ visit.
Submit the names of suggested reviewers and the proposed dates of their visit to SGS as the
scheduling of the site visit often begins early in the approval process.
Important point:
In addition to the program development group and other participants, the reviewers will need to meet
with the following University leaders:
 Associate Vice-President (Academic), Health Sciences
 Associate Vice-President and Dean of Graduate Studies
 Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences
 Deans and Chairs of the participating Faculties and Departments
 Associate Vice-President, Faculty - if there is an undergraduate component
Provide SGS with the suggested dates of the visit as early as possible to avoid scheduling issues.
Continue working on your Program Proposal Brief using IQAP template. Distribute preparation of the
sections of the brief between team members.
Conduct meetings with proposed core faculty, share your brief with them.
Suggestion: consider holding a retreat of the development team. Involve McMaster Institute for
Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (MIIETL staff) and students, facilitate their
perspective and feedback on the brief. Determine Program Learning Objectives (PLO) and Degree Level
Expectations (DLE) appropriate for the program.
Using the information collected for your Program Brief, complete Program Approval Request
Submission and Institutional Fit forms. They will be forwarded to SGS as the part of the submission
package. The templates can be found in the University Program Approval Submission Guideline.
Update the letters of support, if needed, for example, if there is a new Chair, Dean, etc.
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Submit all the documents related to the new program approval process to the Associate Dean of
Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, for detailed review and guidance on any issues that need to be
resolved.
Circulate your Program Proposal Brief for the approval by the Department/School in which the new
program will be hosted. Department/School leadership would have reviewed the proposed program
budget and approved it. The Department/School will review the proposal to ensure that the new
program meet the stated objectives within the context of the discipline.
Discuss your proposal brief at the Faculty Graduate Program Executive meeting (optional) for early
input before the documents go through formal approvals. This group may have suggestions about the
proposal and additional parties to consult with. Inquire with the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies,
Health Sciences, about arranging it. After the meeting, consult with the Associate Dean of Graduate
Studies, Health Sciences, on suggested revisions, so that the proposal can proceed to the next steps.
Validate the program budget, and proposed fees, with the Manager, HSGS. Normally, the budget is
reviewed by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and the Associate VicePresident (Academic), Health Sciences, before it goes forward to the next steps.
Non-standard fees should be discussed with the
School of Graduate Studies.
Determine whether there will be start-up funding approved, conditional on the program official
approval at all levels, by
____ Department/School
____ FHS (Dean’s Office)
____ Provost
Suggestion: discuss your plans on how to deal with any deficit in the first years of the program
operations.
Send the program budget and budget notes to the Executive Director Finance and Administration
(Academic), to verify that it is acceptable. Complete any recommended revisions. If revisions are
made, check with the Manager, HSGS, the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and
the Associate Vice-President (Academic), Health Sciences, before proceeding.
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Submit all documentation (see a list at the end of this document) to School of Graduate Studies for
input, with a copy to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences. Consult with the
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, and the Associate Registrar and Graduate
Secretary, SGS, on suggested revisions, so that the proposal can proceed to the approvals steps.
Important points for the Approval Stage of the process:




1-2 members of the program development team will be required to provide a brief synopsis of the proposal and attend meetings for all levels of
approval to address the questions in real time. The Department Chair typically also attends for within-department programs. You may wish to
prepare the synopsis in advance of the first meeting for program approvals or use your updated Vision document;
Remember that the proposal may be returned for revisions at any point in the approvals process, and therefore you will need to allow extra
time in case the brief needs to be revised and submitted to the next monthly meeting. Update your synopsis as needed;
Approved documents are forwarded for the next level of approval by SGS or the administrator handling the preceding committee. In some cases,
the order of approvals may be modified with written permission from the Dean or AVP (Academic), Health Sciences;
The program budget and budget notes need to accompany the program proposal for approvals by: the Faculty Executive Council(s), University
Planning Committee (UPC) and Senate.
SGS will work with the program, who should
consult with the Associate Dean of Graduate
Studies (Health Sciences) to complete Program
approval Request Submission and Program
Approval Certification forms.
SGS will circulate the documents for this stage of
approval, which is the Faculty GPCC (Graduate
Policy Curriculum Council).
For Interdisciplinary program proposals, the
documents will go to the GPCC of all participating
Faculties for consideration of approval.
SGS will forward the approved documents to the
Faculty Executive Council for approval.
For Interdisciplinary program proposals, the
documents will go to the Faculty Executive
Council of all participating Faculties for
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consideration of approval.
FHS Faculty Relations will forward the approved documents to Graduate Council for consideration of
approval.
Graduate Council considers the proposal for
approval.
Note: Fees Committee approval may occur before or concurrently with other approvals.
SGS will forward the documents approved by
Graduate Council to the Fees Committee and the
University Planning Committee for consideration
of approval.
Important point:
Approval by the Fees Committee is needed if the fee requested is not the standard graduate program
domestic or international fee. Requests for graduate program fee approvals go through the SGS office.
The request needs to contain a memo from the department to the Fees Committee requesting
approval for the fee. It can be short – just a one paragraph description of the program (adopted from
your program proposal) and a justification for the fee – the comparison table contained in the budget
justification document is very important for this.
The documents are forwarded by SGS to Senate
for consideration of approval.
SGS will forward the Program Proposal Brief, the
McMaster Guide to Program Reviews and other
materials specific to the review to all members of
the review team no less than two weeks prior to
their visit.
Site visit occurs to review the program proposal.
The external report, prepared by the review team, comes in to SGS within four weeks of visit.
SGS forwards the external reviewers’ report to
the Faculty (multiple Faculties, in the case of ID
programs) and requests that the Faculty
responds to the report within two weeks of
receipt.
The program prepares a written response to the criticisms and suggestions made by the review team
and discusses the response with the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences. You may
need to meet with her as soon as you receive the reviewer’s report to discuss the response. The
program submits their final draft of the response to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health
Sciences.
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The Faculty Dean or AVP (Academic), Health Sciences, responds in writing to the review report based
on the program response. Usually, the initial draft of their response is written by the Associate Dean
of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences. The response is submitted to SGS by the Associate VicePresident (Academic), Health Sciences, office.
SGS reviews the submitted materials and may
request revisions.
To align university program funding approvals
with the Differentiation Policy Framework and
SMAs, all new programs funding approval
requests will be streamlined into one of two
categories: Expedited Review or Secondary
Review. In both cases, institutions are to
complete all sections of the program approvals
template. Universities will be informed within 30
days of the submission deadline regarding
whether a submission will undergo an Expedited
Review or Secondary Review.
SGS submits documentation for consideration of
approval by Ministry of Training, Colleges and
Universities (MTCU).
MTCU invites universities to submit new program
proposals to the Ministry in parallel with the
submission of these programs to the Ontario
Universities’ Council on Quality Assurance.
Clarifications or revisions may be required by
either or both bodies. MTCU notifies the
University of the decision.
If Approved, the New Program Starts!
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Submission Package shall include the following materials:
 Statement of Intent
 Program Proposal Brief (IQAP format)
 Detailed Budget
 Letters of Support
 Program Approval Request Submission
 Institutional Fit
You may also consider preparing the following, if applicable:
 Brief 1-2 page synopsis of the proposal
 Budget notes (stating your assumptions and detailed explanation of certain items)
 Forward with Integrity and/or Strategic Mandate Agreement
 Memo to the Fees Committee
Note that the Program approval Request Submission and Program Approval Certification forms prepared by SGS are included in the submission to
the Ministry.
Disclaimer: please note that while care has been taken in the preparation of this document, in case of discrepancies between this document and
other University official documents, McMaster and School of Graduate Studies policies and procedures will supersede this Guide.
Updated September 17, 2015
Susan Birnie, Catherine Hayward, and Tatiana Dobrovolska in collaboration with FHS departments and with utilization of SGS materials and McMaster Policies
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Appendix A
List of incumbents as of September 1, 2015
Faculty of Health Sciences:
Acting Associate Vice-President (Academic), Health Sciences
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Health Sciences
Director, Education Services
Manager, HSGS
Dr. Fiona Smaill, smaill@mcmaster.ca, ext. 22110
Dr. Catherine Hayward, haywrdc@mcmaster.ca, ext. 21609
Susan Birnie, birnie@mcmaster.ca, ext. 22506
Tatiana Dobrovolska, dobrov@mcmaster.ca, ext. 22735
Central Services:
Acting Associate Vice-President and Dean of Graduate Studies
Associate Vice-President, Faculty
Associate Registrar and Graduate Secretary
Executive Director Finance and Administration (Academic)
Manager of Program Enhancement, (MIIETL)
Dr. Doug Welch, deangrad@mcmaster.ca, ext. 24205
Dr. Susan Searls Giroux, avpfac@mcmaster.ca, ext. 24672
Stephanie Baschiera, baschie@mcmaster.ca, ext. 23684
Linda Coslovi, coslovi@mcmaster.ca, ext. 26544
Lori Goff, lgoff@mcmaster.ca, ext. 24368
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