Course, Program and Subject Approval and Review
Procedure (MPF1001)
GOVERNING POLICY
This procedure is made under the Course, Program and Subject Approval and Review Policy.
SCOPE
This procedure applies to all award and non-award courses, programs and subjects of the
University.
PROCEDURE
1.
Overview
1.1
This procedure provides details of each step required for approval of
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Concept Proposals
New Courses
Major Changes
Entry requirements
University Breadth Subjects
Work Experience in Industry subjects
Subject quotas
Minor Changes (delegated authority)
Late Changes
including what information is required, who is responsible for providing that information and how
each step is achieved.
2.
Concept Proposals - planning
2.1
The faculty/graduate school/course standing committee (CSC) must submit a completed
Concept Proposal for a New Course or Major Change form to the Concept Proposal Advisory
Committee (CPAC). See section 2 of the Course and Subject Approval and Review Policy.
2.2
The form must be submitted via email to provost-policies@unimelb.edu.au at least three
weeks prior to the CPAC meeting (see CPAC meeting schedule).
2.3
CPAC will consider whether:
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the course concept proposal is consistent with the strategic planning of the University and
the proposing faculty/graduate school;
there is evidence that it is likely to be financially successful, and
there is any potential overlap with other courses or discipline areas in the University.
2.4
The Secretary of CPAC will notify the faculty/graduate school/CSC on the outcome of
CPAC’s consideration of the concept proposal including:
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date of approval; or
required amendments or additional information; or
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that the concept proposal was not approved.
2.5
The Secretary of CPAC will provide a written report to the Academic Secretary on all
approved concept proposals following each CPAC meeting.
3.
New course proposals
3.1 Faculties/graduate schools must have submitted, and had approved, a Concept Proposal
before submitting a new course proposal to the Academic Secretary.
3.2 Faculties/graduate schools are strongly advised to consult with the relevant shepherd prior to
submitting their course proposal.
3.3 Faculties/graduate schools must submit the following forms (as required) electronically to the
Academic Secretary by the required submission date (see Academic Board and committees
meeting schedule)
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4.
Course Proposal form
Subject Proposal form, one for each new subject as required
Shared or jointly-badged programs
4.1
Faculties/graduate schools proposing shared or jointly-badged programs must follow the
procedure for submission and approval for new courses and the Joint Coursework Programs
Procedure.
5.
Major course change proposals
5.1
Faculties/graduate schools/CSCs are strongly advised to consult with the relevant
shepherd prior to submitting their course proposal.
5.2
Faculties/graduate schools/CSCs must submit the following forms (as required)
electronically to the Academic Secretary by the required submission date (see Academic Board
and committees meeting schedule). The forms must be signed and in Word format (PDF format
is not acceptable, except in addition to Word format):
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6.
Course Change Proposal form
Subject Proposal form for each new subject
Subject Change form for each amended subject
Subject Quota form (where required)
University Breadth Subject (UBS) form where the change is to a UBS subject
Breadth subjects and breadth tracks
6.1
Faculties must submit a UBS form electronically and in Word format to the Academic
Secretary at acad-sec@unimelb.edu.au by the required submission date (see Academic Board
and committees meeting schedule).
6.2
In proposing a UBS, the faculty will need to state:
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why an interdisciplinary perspective is valuable or necessary on this topic;
what disciplines will be integrated in the curriculum development, teaching and
assessment and in approximately what percentages;
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how each of the disciplines presents a distinctly different perspective on the topic,
representing a different “way of knowing”;
how the contribution of the different disciplines will be brought together coherently in the
curriculum and teaching; and
how the assessment will ensure coverage and/or integration of the different disciplinary
perspectives.
6.3
Faculties wishing to make subjects available as breadth should forward the subject form to
the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic ) at provost-policies@unimelb.edu.au for
referral to the Associate Deans Learning and Teaching Forum, where a decision on availability
will be made.
6.4
Faculties may approve new and revised breadth tracks under delegated authority. Any
new subjects created will go through the normal approval process.
7.
Academic Board committee roles
7.1
The Academic Secretary will refer new course or major change documentation to the
relevant Board committee(s) for consideration.
7.2
The relevant committee(s) will recommend approval of new course and major change
proposals to the Board
7.3
Academic Programs Committee (APC) will make recommendations on
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new course proposals where the courses consist primarily of course work (66% or more
coursework)
major change proposals where the courses consist primarily of course work (66% or
more coursework)
coursework components of research higher degrees
University Breadth Subjects
course discontinuations
course suspensions
Research Higher Degrees Committee (RHDC) will make recommendations
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new course proposals where the courses consist are primarily research (66% or more
research)
major change where the courses consist are primarily research (66% or more research)
entry requirements for research courses
research course discontinuations
research course suspensions
6.5
Selection Procedures Committee will make recommendations on entry requirements and
Resolutions on Selection for new and revised coursework programs.
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APC/RHDC consideration.
8.1
The APC/RHDC secretary will check that all relevant documentation has been submitted,
conforms to requirements the proposal and forward the proposal to the relevant Shepherd.
8.2
The Shepherd will
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consider the proposal,
consult with the faculty/graduate school as required, and
make a recommendation on the proposal to the APC/RHDC.
8.3
The APC/RHDC will consider the proposal, and the Shepherd’s recommendation, and will
either
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endorse the proposal conditionally, requesting changes from the proposing
faculty/graduate school
Endorse the proposal and forward it to the Board for approval; or
Reject the proposal
8.4
Where the APC/RHDC has conditionally endorsed a proposal the committee will either
request the full proposal come back to the committee or delegate authority to the shepherd to
endorse the requested changes on behalf of the committee for forwarding to the Board for
recommendation.
(d)
Following the APC/RHDC meeting the APC/RHDC secretary will provide a written report to
the Board listing all new course and major change proposals received that the committee
recommends for approval. The RHDC report will also contain any recommendations on entry
requirements for research programs.
9.
SPC consideration.
9.1
The SPC secretary will check that all relevant documentation has been submitted and
check that the wording of any proposed/amended resolution on Selection conforms to the
standard wording (see Resolutions on Selection Interpretation & Drafting)
9.2
The SPC secretary will consult with the faculty/graduate school and the Chair of the SPC
on the wording of the Resolution on Selection as required.
9.3
The SPC will consider the proposed Resolution on Selection and any other entry
requirements requested by the faculty/graduate school.
9.4
Following the SPC meeting the secretary will provide a written report to the Board listing all
new and changed Resolutions on Selection and any other entry requirements that the committee
recommends for approval.
9.5
Following the Board meeting, the SPC secretary will update the published lists of
resolutions on selection on the Board’s web pages.
10.
10.1
Academic Board consideration.
The Board will consider the reports from its committees at each meeting
10.2 Following each meeting the Academic Secretary, or nominee, will notify committee
secretaries of the Board’s decisions.
10.3 The Committee secretaries will notify the faculty/graduate school/CSC and student
administration of any approvals, forwarding the final approved documentation.
11.
Subject Quotas – setting and amending
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11.1 Faculties/graduates schools/CSCs must forward a subject quota form to the Office of the
Provost at provost-policies@unimelb.edu.au for review.
11.2 The Office of the Provost will make a recommendation to the President of Academic Board
after reviewing proposals that reflect
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resources allocations;
business processes; and
student load shifts predicted as a consequence of subject quotas.
11.3 The Provost’s office will forward the subject quota form and their recommendation to the
Academic Secretary for review and approval of the President, where recommended, or for noting,
where rejected.
11.5 The President of Academic Board will approve the imposition or decrease of a subject
quota:
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dependent on receipt of advice from the Office of the Provost;
after being satisfied that selection of students into quota-restricted subjects is to be
conducted in a fair and transparent manner as outlined in the principles for subject
quotas.
11.6 The President will report approval of subject quotas to the Board
11.7 Faculties/graduate schools/CSCs must ensure that subject quotas are made known to
students through entries in the Handbook, the VTAC guide (where appropriate) and any other
information provided to students.
11.8 Where students have a grievance related to a subject quota, the student may appeal to
Academic Board.
12.
Minor Changes - Delegated Authority
12.1
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Faculties/graduate schools/CSCs complete the relevant proposal(s) as follows:
Course Change Proposal form;
Subject Proposal form;
Subject Change form;
Delegated Authority form;
12.2 The completed forms must be submitted to Student Administration by an authorised
faculty/graduate school representative via the online Remedy system
13.
Late Changes
13.1 Late changes requiring approval of the Academic Board
13.1.1 Faculties/graduate schools/CSCs will complete the Subject Late Change form or the
Major Change form as required and forward the completed form to late-change@unimelb.edu.au
where the change is for a coursework program and to the RHDC Secretary where the request
related to a research program.
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13.1.2 The APC/RHDC Secretary will forward the form(s) to the appropriate APC/RHDC
shepherd with a request for the shepherd to make a recommendation to the President of the
Academic Board for approval out of session.
13.1.3 The APC/RHDC Secretary will forward notification of approved late changes to the
faculty/graduate/school/CSC and to Student Management Services – Systems for configuration
and inclusion in Handbook and timetable.
13.1.4 Approved late changes will be reported to the next meetings of APC/RHDC and the
Board.
13.2 Late changes made under delegated authority
13.2.1 Faculties/graduate schools/CSCs must complete the Late Change Proposal form. The
form must be submitted to Student Administration by an authorised faculty/graduate school
representative via the online Delegated Authority Course/Subject Change Request form.
13.2.2 These changes will be made by Student Administration and/or the Handbook Coordinator
and reported to the faculty/graduate school/CSC on completion.
14.
Subjects with low enrolments
14.1 Faculties/graduate schools/ CSCs will send their request for exemption from budget
penalties for low enrolments to the Academic Secretary in accordance with the outlining the
grounds on which they think the low enrolment exemption is justified.
14.2 The Academic Secretary will forward the request to the Shepherd who will make a
recommendation to the President of the Academic Board.
14.3 The President can approve exemptions for any subjects, including electives, from the low
enrolment penalty and each case will be considered on its merits with the following being the
usual grounds for exemption:
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preservation of quality and experience of programs being phased out.
numbers in the subject need to be limited because of the available facilities or for EHS
considerations (in these cases, a low quota should have been approved for the subject.);
The subject is judged to serve a “public good” by providing education in an area of
demonstrated local, national or international need;
The subject is in a new program within its first two years of offering;
The subject is one in which students receive individual supervision, and so there is no
economy of scale (e.g. negotiated projects, industry placements).
14.4 The Academic Secretary will notify the faculty/graduate school/CSC of the President’s
decision.
15. Compliance Monitoring of Coursework Subjects and Courses
15.1 The Academic Programs Committee (APC) will conduct an annual audit of coursework
subjects and courses to ensure that:
a. subjects comply with University policies
b. any changes that faculties/graduate schools have made to subjects and/or courses under
delegated authority from the Academic Board are compliant with University policies, and that
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these changes could be made under delegated authority from the Academic Board in accordance
with Schedule A.
15.2 Academic program managers, or nominees, must submit a report of all changes that have
been made to coursework courses and subjects during the calendar year to the Academic
Programs Committee Secretary, by no later than 30 November of that same year. The report will
include:
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all major changes to courses, and
all changes to subjects and courses made under delegated authority from the Academic
Board.
15.3 The APC Secretary will review 10% of the subjects and courses for compliance with the
University's policies and procedures. If a subject/course is found to be non-compliant with respect
to clause 15.1, the APC Secretary will refer the subject/course to an AC Shepherd for review.
Upon completion of the audit, if any non-compliant subjects/courses have been found, the Chair
of the Academic Programs Committee (or nominee) will meet with the relevant Associate Dean of
the Faculty/Graduate School to discuss measures that will be implemented to ensure future
compliance.
15.4 The Course Standing Committees will refer any matters of non-compliance to the APC at
any time for investigation.
15.5 The APC will investigate any matters of compliance brought to its attention at any time.
15.6 The APC will instruct Faculties/Graduate Schools to make any non-compliant subjects or
courses become compliant as the APC deems appropriate, at any time.
16.
Courses with Low Enrolments
16.1 Where a course has had low enrolments for one year it will be reviewed by the owning
faculty and, where a decision is made to review the structure or discontinue the course, the
owning faculty will do so in accordance with the relevant Board policies and procedures.
SCHEDULES
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Schedule A - Course and Subject Changes Classifications
RELATED DOCUMENTS
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Course, Program and Subject Approval and Review Policy
Joint Coursework Programs Policy
Joint Coursework Programs Procedure.
DEFINITIONS
Term
Accreditation
APC
Award/ award course
Definition
means approval of a course, program or subject by the Academic
Board.
Academic Programs Committee
A program of study formally approved/accredited by the University which
leads to an academic award granted by the University or which qualifies
a student to enter a course at a level higher than a bachelor's degree.
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Board
Breadth
means the Academic Board of the University of Melbourne.
compulsory component of a New Generation degree comprising
subjects drawn from areas of study outside those offered within the core
component of the degree, allowing students to gain an understanding of
one or more disciplines that are distinct from the field of their core
studies.
Breadth track
A coherent group of three or more subjects (including at least one
subject at level 2 or higher) that progressively develops knowledge and
skills relevant to a particular domain, theme, topic or issue. Breadth
tracks may be in a single discipline, or multi-disciplinary or interdisciplinary.
Course Approvals and a web page of the Academic Board which provides links to Course
Management
Proposal forms and general guidelines for the introduction of a new
Processes CAMP
research course/program and changes to an existing course/program.
Concept Proposal
A business and strategic plan developed by faculties/graduate schools
and assessed by an advisory committee to the Provost before the
development of the course proposal.
Course
an award or non-award course
Course requirements the set of academic requirements (the core subjects) which are
mandatory for the award associated with the course to be conferred.
Distance delivery
The offering of courses, programs or subjects in which there is no
requirement that students will attend on campus.
Handbook
The handbook is the consolidated statement of all course and subject
offerings of the University, produced annually and published on-line.
Late change
A change to a subject requiring amendment of information that has
been:
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Major change
Minor change
New Generation
bachelor degrees
Non-award course
Published in the University Handbook for the current or
forthcoming year; and/or,
 Reported by the University to the Department of Education,
Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (Depending
on the timing and nature of these changes they may require
approval from DEEWR and/or Ministerial approval before they
can be implemented.)
A change that involves particular changes to a course, stream, major,
specialisation, or a particular change to a University Breadth Subject
which requires approval of the Board.
A change that involves particular changes to a course, stream, major,
specialisation, or a particular change to a University Breadth Subject
which may be made by the custodial faculty/CSC under delegated
authority from the Board
The Melbourne Model's six bachelor degrees introduced in 2008;
Bachelor of Arts, Biomedicine, Commerce, Environments, Music,
Science
A program of study which does not lead to an award of the University
and which comprises a subject or subject(s) which:
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is from an award course or courses at the University; and
is able to be counted as credit towards an award course at the
University by students who successfully complete the subject or
subjects; or,
may be used to meet the entry requirements for a course at the
University by students who successfully complete the subject or
subjects.
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Professional
accreditation
Research degree
Research Higher
Degrees Committee
(RHDC)
Resolution on
Selection
accreditation of a course by a professional body which allows graduates
of the course to be admitted to practice and/or admission to membership
of, or association with, the professional body.
A degree in which the research element constitutes 66% or more of the
program.
A committee of the Board responsible, among other things, for reviewing
all research degree course and subject proposals on behalf of the
Board. RHD subject approval content is also reviewed by the APC.
A resolution of the Board that specifies the minimum entry requirements
for a course and defines selection instruments to be used by Selection
Committees to determine which of the applicants eligible for selection
will be selected.
Selection Procedures A committee of the Board responsible for, among other things, reviewing
Committee (SPC) course entry and selection requirements on behalf of the Board
Shepherd
A designated APC/RHDC academic staff member who provides advice
and guidance on:
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University Breadth
Subject (UBS)
the completion of the course approval or major change form,
including curriculum design;
 procedures for a new course or change to an existing course,
new subjects etc;
 recommendations to discontinue academic programs and the
associated phase-out plans;
 recommendations to the President of Academic Board on late
change requests.
interdisciplinary subject taught collaboratively by different teaching
departments and examining contemporary social issues from multiple
perspectives
RESPONSIBLE OFFICER
The President of the Academic Board is responsible for the development, compliance monitoring
and review of this procedure and any associated guidelines.
IMPLEMENTATION OFFICER
The Academic Secretary is responsible for the promulgation and implementation of this
procedure in accordance with the scope outlined above. Enquiries about interpretation of this
procedure should be directed to the implementation officer.
REVIEW
This procedure is to be reviewed by 30 June 2015
VERSION HISTORY
Version Authorised by
Approval Date Effective Date
1
President,
21 September
Academic Board 2012
2
Academic Board
27 February
2014
21 September
2012
27 February
2014
Sections modified
New version arising from the Policy
Simplification Project. Loaded into MPL
as Version 1.
Section 15 updated. Definitions section
updated.
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3
Academic
Secretary
11 May 2015
11 May 2015
Updates to hyperlinks in sections 3.3, 5.2
and 12.1.
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