[Updated: November 23, 2014: Please read on to see the draft/proposed list of academic programs that will be included in the APP process for AY 2014-15.]
The final report of the previous ad hoc committee provided the following definition as a starting point:
an academic program is any collection of activities that consumes resources and either:
- contributes transcripted courses to a credential (i.e., UNST, Hons, IELP); or
- leads to a credential (e.g., B.A., B.S., Minor, certificate, masters, doctorate, ...).
One weakness here is that this definition does not deal with issues of granularity: it would not be too hard to argue, for example, that anything on the spectrum from a single course section to the collected activities of the university as a whole could be considered as an "academic program" according to this definition. To clarify this, we need to identify conditions under which two collections of activities should be treated either as distinct programs, or else combined as a single program.
To address this issue, we have developed the following guidelines:
- Two groups of activities that share substantially the same resources (i.e., it likely wouldn't make sense to do one without the other) should be combined. Typical examples include: B.A./B.S. (or M.A./M.S.) degrees that differ only in their general education requirements; multiple flavors of Ph.D. within a single department; minors or certificates that are awarded using a subset of the classes in a corresponding major; etc.
- Two groups of activities that differ significantly in the resources they use (including faculty, or courses, or facilities, or other factors) should be separated. Typical examples of programs that would be treated as distinct include: undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees; standalone minors; etc.
Note that these later guidelines are intended only to provide an initial default grouping. Final judgements regarding grouping in to programs should be made by the faculty and administration within individual units and departments. At the time of writing, a specific process for soliciting and receiving this feedback has yet to be determined.
We are aware of two types of educational programs that the proposals described above do not current identify:
- Online programs, in which a degree or other credential is taught with a substantial, perhaps even complete, online component. The data sources that we are currently working with do not always allow us to distinguish between students in traditional, primarily classroom-based programs and those who are engaged instead in online versions.
- Preparatory programs, are offered in some parts of the University to provide a course of training that involves paid instruction but does not lead or contribute to a credential. These courses are often offered as a way for incoming students, including those who are transitioning from a different discipline, to fill in missing background and gain the experience that they need, either to enter a regular academic program, or to prepare for employment. To the extent that these programs consume resources, including class room space and faculty/staff time for instruction and administration, these activities should be considered for inclusion as academic programs. The post-bac programs that are offered in some departments are examples of this, although they typically share the same courses as existing programs (e.g., an undergraduate program) and hence would not normally be separated out as a distinct program unless they involved special course developed and used exclusively for that preparatory program.
[UPDATED, November 23, 2014]
By applying the definitions and guidelines above to institutional
data about the numbers of students who have graduated with
specific academic credentials during the last six academic years,
2008-14, the APPC has drafted a proposed list
of all academic programs across the university. Note,
however, that the guidelines are intended only to provide an
initial default grouping. Final judgements regarding grouping in
to programs should be made, in response to this document, by the
faculty and administration within individual units and
departments.
APPC has also produced the following supplemental documents for
those interested in limiting their review of the lists of programs to smaller
sections of the University. These additional documents are
provided for convenience only and do not add or change any of the
entries in the main document:
- CLAS, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. There are also separate documents that break out the programs within different parts of CLAS:
- COTA, The College of the Arts.
- CUPA, The College of Urban and Public Affairs.
- GSE, The Graduate School of Education.
- Graduate Interdisciplary Studies, Honors, IELP, and University Studies.
- MCECS, the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science.
- SBA, The School of Business Administration.
- SSW, The School of Social Work.
