New Degree Program Approval

The Board of Regents approves all new degree programs offered by the University of Colorado. By statute, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) reviews new degree programs to ensure that they are consistent with the institution’s statutory role and mission, and for undergraduate programs, the CCHE also must agree to waive requirements if a program does not include the GT-Pathways curriculum or requires more than 120 credit hours.

Each campus must develop processes to implement this Administrative Policy Statement (APS).

1. New Degree Program Approval Process
   1. Campus Review Process
      1. A proposed degree program must be consistent with the applicable academic or campus strategic plan.
          
      2. A proposal must be developed by the faculty of any academic unit, through their shared governance process, and forwarded to the dean of the school/college for review and approval.
          
      3. Faculty within the college/school must be notified of the proposed program.
          
      4. Where interdisciplinary proposals involve more than one school or college, all participating units must participate in the review process. 
          
      5. Graduate degree programs may be subject to additional campus review and approval processes, as determined by the provost.
          
      6. The integrity of the campus processes for new degree programs must be periodically and independently audited relative to the requirements of this APS.
         
         Proposals approved by the dean(s) are forwarded to the provost and chancellor for further review, approval and submission to the system office. A record of campus reviews and approvals shall be included with the proposals.
   2. System Review Process
      
      The vice president for academic affairs must review the proposal and associated documents, including reviewing with the president, who shall approve forwarding the proposal to the Board of Regents.  The vice president must verify compliance with CCHE and regent policies.
   3. Review and Action by the Board of Regents
      
      Following Board of Regent meeting protocol, the vice president for academic affairs must, with the concurrence of the president, place the proposal on the agenda of the next appropriate meeting of the University Affairs committee.  The University Affairs committee will determine if, when, and in what form the proposal will be considered by the full Board of Regents.  The full Board of Regents may request changes to the proposal, approve it, or deny it.
      
      If the Board of Regents approves the proposed degree, the vice president for academic affairs must notify CCHE for appropriate review and action.
2. New Degree Program Implementation and Reporting
   1. Each year, the vice president for academic affairs must report to the Board of Regents on new degree programs that have completed their fifth year of operation (i.e., Year Five).  This report outlined below will act as the first program review for the new degree.  For the purposes of this report, the first year of operation is the year students first enrolled.
   2. The report will include:
      1. A data table that compares actual headcount enrollment (for residents and non-residents) and number of degrees awarded over the initial five years of the program to the projections from the original new degree proposal.
      2. An analysis of program performance relative to the projections in the proposal, which will provide the basis for the goals and plans for the next review period.
      3. A set of goals and plans for the degree program for the next review period, approved by the respective dean, provost, and chancellor. The degree goals set forth in the new degree program report will be used when the degree undergoes its next program review (see APS 1019 – Degree Program Review).
3. Guidelines for New Degree Program Proposals
   Expectations and guidance for proposals are located in Appendix A. Templates for enrollment and degree completion projections, and revenue and expenditure projections, are located in Appendix B.

• Adopted:  January 1, 2018; APS 1038 replaces regent policy 4.J, rescinded January 2018. Procedures for new degree program approval were formerly captured in regent policy 4.J.
• Revised:  February 22, 2022, updated section II.B.5 to include reference to CIP codes; January 1, 2026.
• Last Reviewed:  January 1, 2026.

New Degree Program Proposal Expectations and Guidance

1. Program Description
   1. Describe the basic design of the proposed degree program, including the degree level (baccalaureate, postbaccalaureate, masters, doctoral, professional), field of study, and whether it is an interdisciplinary degree program.
      1. If the degree program will subsume or supplant an existing degree program, the proposal for the new degree program must address the need for the discontinuance of the existing degree program.
   2. Explicitly state the outcomes for students of this degree program, i.e., what can a student expect to learn during the course of the degree program and what skills will a student have upon completion?
2. Workforce and Student Demand
   1. Workforce Demand: Supply evidence of the opportunities available to graduates of this degree program.
   2. Student Demand: Describe the target market and demonstrate evidence of student demand for this degree program.
      1. Provide realistic enrollment and degree completion projections for the degree program for the first five years (template provided in Appendix B of this APS).  These projections will be included in the new degree report described in section II.B of this APS.
         
         Explain the methodology and assumptions used to project enrollment and completion data.  Relevant information might include national or regional enrollment trends in similar degree programs and projected new demand from industry in the service area.
      2. If applicable, explain how the degree program design will address the needs of part-time, working students.
      3. Discuss plans or the potential for online delivery.
3. Role and Mission Criteria
   
   Describe how the degree program supports the mission and fits with the applicable strategic plan of the campus.  Identify particular institutional strengths in the proposed degree program area.
4. Duplication
   
   Address duplication issues with other institutions in the CU system or elsewhere in the state of Colorado.  Describe any unique characteristics or features of this degree program that are not duplicated elsewhere in the state that would justify the program.  Address the impact of duplication on student demand.
5. Statutory and CCHE Requirements
   1. Describe how the proposed degree program conforms to statutory requirements, such as the 120-credit hour limit for undergraduate degrees, GT Pathways and the Student Bill of Rights (C.R.S. § 23-1-125 (2022).
   2. Provide the anticipated Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code for the proposed degree program, which is required by CCHE for entry of program information into the Student Unit Record Data System (SURDS).
6. Curriculum Description
   1. Describe the degree program requirements, including total credit hours, credit hour distribution, methods of delivering the program, field experience, and other pertinent aspects of the curriculum.  Explain how this curriculum is like or unlike the usual curriculum in this field.
   2. Provide a sample curriculum for the degree program and explicitly identify all new courses being created for it.
7. Professional Requirements or Evaluations
   1. Where pertinent, describe any regional or professional accrediting association or licensing requirements that helped shape the curriculum of the proposed degree program.  Specify the effect of these requirements on the length of the degree program, restrictions on degree program content or mode of delivery, and any budgetary requirements, such as minimal staffing levels, and equipment needs.
   2. Identify timetables, if needed, that have been established to meet the professional requirements.
   3. Describe qualifications of the proposed degree program’s faculty.
8. Institutional Factors
   1. Explain how the implementation of this degree program will affect other instructional, research, or service programs on campus.  Describe the impact on existing resources, including libraries, educational spaces, and computer and laboratory resources.  Explain how the implementation will affect other CU campuses.
   2. When a new degree program fundamentally depends upon a department in a different school/college, include a letter of support from that school/college’s dean with the proposal.
   3. Describe formal relationships with other parties that are anticipated, such as inter-institutional arrangements, resource sharing, cooperative programs, clinical affiliations, etc.  Describe and explain the type and extent of the relationship and the resources that the affiliating institution will provide.  A copy of any draft contracts or agreements shall be included as appendices.
9. Physical Capacity and Needs
   1. Provide space and equipment estimates for degree program space and equipment requirements identifying additional space or equipment needs.  Base the projections on existing and five-year space planning assumptions and program size data from curriculum and student load projections and projected use of special or dedicated facilities, such as laboratories.
   2. When significant capital construction or equipment needs are identified in 9.a., provide additional information and explanations.
10. Cost Description and Source of Funds
    1. Project costs and revenues and describe other sources of funds beyond tuition for the degree program for five years, using the template provided in Appendix B of this APS, including the instructions provided with the template.  All cost and revenue projections for the five years must be given in constant dollars, i.e., do not include an inflation factor.  Include and clearly identify institutional overhead costs.  Specifically, when tuition is shown as a source of revenue, show any component of tuition returned to campus as an expense.
    2. Include operating, faculty start-up, and capital start-up needs in estimates of degree program costs.  Base estimates of operating costs on the delivery of the courses and services defined for the degree program.  Factor in administrative costs.  Calculate degree program budgets in a realistic manner.  For example, do not claim that additional work generated by the operation, management, and oversight of a new degree program will be absorbed into the workload of existing staff and faculty without an explanation of what other work will be reassigned or discontinued to make room for the new workload.
    3. Include a written statement from the dean verifying that the degree program’s cost description and source of funds are reasonable and adequate to support the new degree program.
11. Other Relevant Information
    
    Include any other information deemed relevant to support the degree program proposals or requested by the Board of Regents during their examination of the proposals.

New Degree Proposal Data Templates

Estimates provided in the tables should be explained in the degree proposal.

Estimated Enrollment and Degree Completions

Download Enrollment & Budget Excel Templates

Revenue/Expenditure Estimates