Policy 9-8.14

Date 11/08/04

Proposal for Policy Governing the Creation of New Undergraduate Certificates

(Amended)

Subject: FACULTY REGULATIONS – Chapter VIII –Section 21 (9-8.14)

UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATES

POLICY

Undergraduate certificates are given in recognition of a pattern of courses, often drawn from several departments, which, when taken together, produce an emphasis that is not the same as an academic major or minor but that gives a student a competence worthy of some formal recognition. 

Undergraduate certificates shall require at least 20 semester hours of designated work. Minimum hours may be adjusted by the Undergraduate Council.

Proposals for new undergraduate certificate programs are created by departments and colleges and submitted for approval to the Undergraduate Council, which will send approved proposals on to the Academic Senate and the Board of Trustees for their review and approval.  Proposals for new undergraduate certificates requiring 20-29 semester hours of designated work do not need be considered  by the Board of Regents; they will be added to the annual list of certificates submitted to the Commissioner of Higher Education in December of each year.

Proposals for new undergraduate certificates requiring 30 or more semester hours of designated work need to be presented to the Board of Regents as an Information Item (see R401-4.1.1).

Students who fulfill the requirements of an undergraduate certificate that has been approved by the Board of Trustees will have the certificate recorded on their University of Utah transcript.

GUIDELINES

A.        DEVELOPMENT OF NEW UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

1.      Proposals for new undergraduate certificate programs are created by departments and colleges and submitted for approval to the Undergraduate Council providing the information outlined in Section B.  Proposals for undergraduate certificate programs that need to be presented to the Board of Regents as an Information Item shall be submitted using the template and providing the information in the Board of Regents Policy R401, Section 9.4.

2.      Proposals must be accompanied by endorsement from the department heads and deans of the college in which the contributing coursework is housed, as well as from those academic units whose students or programs could be affected by the creation of the new undergraduate certificate.

3.      Interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate programs are encouraged.

B.     CRITERIA FOR PROGRAM SUBMISSION

  Proposals for new undergraduate certificate programs shall include the following:

Need.  A statement of the need for the proposed certificate and the basis for such a need, supported by either externally or internally derived data;

 Educational Objectives.  A statement of the educational objectives of the certificate.

Impact on Existing Programs.  The certificate proposal will address the question of the impact of the program on any related programs.

 Courses.  A statement of the proposed course sequence associated with the certificate, including titles and course descriptions both for existing courses and any new courses that may be developed.  The proposal will address the possibility of program delivery using distance education approaches.

Student Advisement.  Identify the department/college office that will coordinate the certificate program, advise students, and communicate with administrative offices.

Budget.  Describe the costs of the certificate program and how the program will be funded.

Library Resources. Confirmation from the appropriate University library, or libraries, that current resources are sufficient to meet the research needs of the certificate program.

 Approved:   Academic Senate 11/01/04

                    Board of Trustees 11/08/04