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Program & Curricular Changes

The Graduate School (TGS) oversees the curricula of advanced degree programs in more than 70 disciplines. Review TGS programs.

The Graduate Curriculum Review Chart at the bottom of this page summarizes which kinds of proposals require approval by: school/college curriculum committees; TGS; the Graduate Faculty; TGS's Administrative Board; and/or the Office of the Provost. In all cases, review by school/college curriculum committees or TGS is the first step in the process.

Timeline

In many cases, review by school/college curriculum committees should precede review by TGS. Please check with your school’s committee regarding its timeline for review. TGS’s Administrative Board reviews proposals at fall, winter, and spring meetings. If implementation of your proposal is time-sensitive, consult with TGS’s Academic Affairs as soon as possible about the necessary lead time for implementation.

Proposals should be submitted to TGS Academic Affairs by the following deadlines for the 2024-25 academic year:

Changes to existing clusters and certificates, as well as the introduction of new clusters and certificates, may be implemented as soon as the quarter following the term in which approval is granted. Proposals for new courses should be reviewed at least two quarters prior to the first term in which the course will be offered.

New degree programs must also be approved by the Office of the Provost before program set-up can begin, requiring a lead time of up to 18 months. For additional information on this process, please refer to the New Program Development page on the Office of the Provost’s website.

New degrees, clusters, and certificates

Proposals for new or revised degrees, clusters, and certificates must be submitted to TGS using the appropriate template. These include:

Course additions, deletions, or modifications

The procedure to add, modify or delete courses for graduate credit varies by the school/college in which the program is housed. In most cases, these proposals should be submitted to school/college curriculum committees. Programs should consult TGS Academic Affairs if any course addition, deletion or modification impacts degree requirements, as the change may require the approval of TGS’s Administrative Board.

Programs in the following schools should work directly with their curriculum committees in order to propose new program-specific courses or changes to existing courses meant to count toward the degree:

The Office of the Registrar provides a quarterly class schedule proof to programs. Programs are responsible for reflecting the graduate curriculum on their own program websites, graduate program handbooks, and in The Graduate School's online catalog.


This table contains procedures to add, modify or delete courses for graduate credit.
Hyperlinks to TGS templates are included Sequence for Review
School/
College
Process		 TGS Review Graduate Faculty

TGS Administrative
Board Approval

 Office of Provost Approval
Degrees New master's or doctoral program ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Curricular modification for existing TGS master's and doctoral programs (number of courses, type  of offerings, requirements, etc.) ✓ ✓ ✓* ✓ N/A
Clusters and Certificates New graduate cluster or certificate N/A ✓ ✓ ✓ N/A
Curricular modification (number of courses, type of offerings, requirements, etc.) N/A ✓ ✓* ✓ N/A
Courses New required course (program-specific, SoC, Music, SESP, Kellogg, McC) ✓ ✓ N/A ✓ N/A
New required course (Feinberg, TGS-exclusive, cross-school, and dual degree programs) N/A ✓ N/A ✓ N/A
New required course (WCAS) ✓ ✓ N/A N/A N/A
New elective course (program-specific, SoC, Music, SESP, Kellogg, McC) ✓ N/A N/A N/A N/A
New elective course (Feinberg, TGS-exclusive, cross-school, and dual degree programs) N/A ✓ N/A ✓ N/A

N/A: not applicable
* Only if the change represents a significant curricular overhaul (consult with TGS Academic Affairs for advice)