Final Governance Approval of Program Modifications
The Institutional Quality Assurance Process outlines that "depending on the type of major modification, final authority for approval will be the Board of Undergraduate Studies/Board of Graduate Studies or Senate, based on the University’s quality assurance standards and in alignment with the QAF."
Curriculum change proposals should be evidence-based and are expected to demonstrate consultation, where applicable, with:
- Faculty, Staff, Students, Affected Academic Units, Office of Registrarial Services (including Admission Services) and/or Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Experiential Learning Hub (including the Co-op Program Coordinating Committee), School of Continuing Studies, etc.
Typical approval pathways for undergraduate, associate diploma, and graduate programs are outlined below.
Governance Approval Pathway
Description of a typical governance pathway.
Typical governance structure for Undergraduate/Associate Diploma Curriculum Changes:
- Curriculum Committee
- Department Chair / School Director
- Program Committee or AMAP (Guelph-Humber)
- College Associate Dean, Academic
- Calendar Review Committee
- Board of Undergraduate Studies*
- Senate*
*Final approval authority is noted below, along with exceptions/additional steps/consultations to the typical governance pathway.
Typical Governance structure for Graduate Curriculum Changes:
- Graduate Program Committee
- Department Chair / School Director
- College Associate Dean, Research & Graduate Studies
- Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
- Division Committee(s)**
- Graduate Programs and Faculty Committee
- Board of Graduate Studies*
- Senate*
*Final approval authority is noted below, along with exceptions/additional steps/consultations to the typical governance pathway.
**For consultation only; not an approval step.
Final Approval Authority
The table below guides the anticipated final authority depending on the type of proposal. In instances where multiple types of modifications are submitted within the same proposal, the most stringent requirements apply.
| Proposal Type | Final Approval Authority | Notes or Exceptions to the Approval Pathway |
|---|---|---|
| Program Deletion | Senate | See Program Deletion for further information. |
| Merger or Separation of Two or More Programs | Senate | |
| Additional Delivery Location | Senate | |
| New Collaborative Specialization | Senate | |
| New Graduate Diploma | Senate | If Type II or Type III. |
| Senate (consent agenda) | If Type I. | |
| Name Change | Senate | If the change is to an Associate Diploma, Major, Undergraduate Degree, Graduate Program, or Collaborative Specialization. For undergraduate changes, consultation with Admission Services is necessary before proceeding to BUGS for approval. |
| BGS | BUGS | If the change is to a Minor, Area of Emphasis, Graduate Field, or other secondary credential. | |
| Change to Degree Designation | Senate | If graduate OR If the change results in the creation or elimination of an undergraduate degree. For undergraduate changes, consultation with Admission Services is necessary before proceeding to BUGS for approval. |
| BUGS | If the change involves two pre-existing undergraduate degrees. Consultation with Admission Services is necessary before proceeding to BUGS for approval. | |
| Change to or Addition of Delivery Format | Senate | If changing delivery format, or with varying program learning outcomes, admission, program, or graduation requirements* |
| BGS | BUGS | If adding a delivery format to the existing format(s), while the program learning outcomes, admission, program, and graduation requirements remain the same | |
Introduction of Transfer Pathways (Undergraduate Programs only) | Senate | If the transfer pathway is with an international or domestic private partner institution. Consultation with Admission Services (and where applicable, Office of International Strategy and Partnerships) is necessary before proceeding to BUGS for approval. |
| BUGS | If the transfer pathway is with a publicly-funded, domestic institution. Consultation with Admission Services is necessary before proceeding to BUGS for approval. | |
| Significant Curriculum Change and/or Change to Program Learning Outcomes | Senate | Where resulting in differences in graduate capstone experiences (e.g., thesis-based to course-based; creation of course-based option, removal of one option, etc.). |
| BGS | BUGS | ||
| Addition or Deletion of Co-op, Work-Integrated Learning, or Significant Experiential Learning Change in a Program | Senate | If new or unprecedented experiential learning type. |
| BGS | BUGS | If addition or deletion of co-op (or other existing experiential learning type) to an existing program. For Co-op programs, operational approval from the Co-op Program Coordinating Committee (CPCC) is necessary before proceeding to BGS or BUGS. | |
| New Minor and/or Deletion of Minor | BUGS | |
| Admissions Change | BGS | BUGS | For undergraduate changes, consultation with Admission Services is necessary before proceeding to BUGS for approval. |
Addition or Deletion of an Area(s) of Emphasis to an Existing Program (Undergraduate or Associate Diploma Programs only) | BUGS | |
Changes to Program or Specialization Regulations (Undergraduate or Associate Diploma Programs only) | BUGS | |
| New Field, Field Change, and/or Field Deletion (Graduate Programs Only) | BGS | |
| Regular Curriculum Change | BGS | BUGS | |
Addition or Removal of Program to Collaborative Specialization (Graduate Program Only) | AVPGS | |
| Significant Change to Faculty Resources | Senate (for information only) | Changes to the faculty complement alone are operational and do not require Senate approval. |