Article 4 PDF

Part A: Academic Units

The Board of Regents shall approve the formation or discontinuance of academic units.  For the purposes of regent laws and policies, academic units are considered to be schools, colleges, and departments that roster tenured and/or tenure-track faculty and offer at least one degree program.

A school or college shall be administered by a dean, who, except in extraordinary circumstances and with the recommendation of the provost and approval of the chancellor, shall be a tenured full professor.

Part B: Degree Programs and Other Credentials

The Board of Regents shall approve the creation and discontinuance of degree programs.  A degree program is a course of study leading to a degree at the bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral level and may only be offered by an academic unit or a program within an academic unit. A complete record of the academic degrees approved by the Board of Regents shall be maintained in the CU System Office of Academic Affairs.

External entities may require the Board of Regents’ approval to create and/or discontinue non-degree credentials. When allowed by the external entity, the Board of Regents delegates non-degree credential approval authority to the chancellors. The Board of Regents shall be informed of any such non-degree credential created or discontinued on a chancellor’s approval. See the corresponding Administrative Policy Statement 1040: Board of Regent Approval for Non-Degree Credentials for further details.

Upon the recommendation of the faculty of a school or college, the Board of Regents shall award the appropriate academic degrees to students who have successfully completed an approved course of study.  Only the Board of Regents has the right to revoke a degree.

History:

  • Adopted:
  • Revised:   May 20, 1993; October 20, 1994; December 16, 1993; February 19, 1998; August 3, 2000; September 5, 2002; June 22, 2009; June 4, 2025.
  • Adopted as Article 4: Academic Organization and Program Planning, June 15, 2017, was not effective until related administrative policy statements were approved on January 1, 2018.
  • Last Reviewed:  June 4, 2025.