Curriculum Review Process

This website provides information to assist University of South Alabama faculty and staff in the creation and submission of curriculum proposals and revisions. The information presented here applies only to courses and programs administered by Academic Affairs. It includes information on procedures and deadlines for the following types of proposals at all academic levels:

• New academic programs such as majors, minors, concentrations, and certificates
• Revision or removal of existing academic programs
• New course proposals
• Revision or removal of existing courses
• Requests for courses to be included in the general education curriculum
• Course fee requests

Curriculum Review

Typically, all curriculum proposals require at least departmental, college and university-level approval. Some proposals may require additional approval from one or more outside agencies such as the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Council on Colleges (SACS-COC), and in rare cases the Department of Education. Note that some proposals may also be subject to review by an accrediting body in the program's discipline. 

The USA Faculty Handbook section 6.9 specifies the committees and administrative offices charged with curriculum review at the university level, as well as providing additional guidance for the development of new academic programs. Review committees include the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, which reviews all new undergraduate course and program proposals as well as curricular changes to existing programs, the Graduate Curriculum Committee of the Graduate Council, which reviews all graduate courses and program proposals, the Honors College, which reviews proposals with an Honors ("HON") designation, and the Writing Committee, which recommends and monitors Writing ("W") credit courses. Each academic department and college should have its own curriculum review committees as well. 

Reviewers take into account a number of considerations in assessing a proposed change. These may include the rationale for the change, the impact on current students if it is implemented, and for new courses and programs, expected student demand, learning outcomes and academic content, whether the course or program duplicates existing offerings, and expected cost.