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GUIDELINES  FOR NEW OR CHANGED COURSES OR CURRICULUM

All changes or additions to the curriculum at Valdosta State University follow the campus process outlined below. Other curriculum and course changes may also require notification of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), VSU’s accrediting agency; the Board of Regents; or the University System of Georgia’s General Education Council. This process can be time-consuming; depending on the change being proposed, official approval from VSU and any outside approvals may require up to 12 months or more. If programs have questions about whether their proposed changes will need to move beyond the VSU campus, they should consult VSU’s SACS Liaison or the Office of Academic Affairs.

If a department or a program wants a change to appear in the catalogue for the beginning of the academic year in August, the entire process must generally be completed by February of that year.

PROCESS:

1. Course or curriculum change or addition originates with a faculty member in the Academic Program. (Complete required forms—Links to forms below).

2. Course or curriculum change or addition must be approved by academic program’s department or division.

3. Course or curriculum change or addition must be approved by academic program’s college.

4. Graduate course or curriculum change or addition must be approved by the Graduate Executive Committee. (Schedule for Graduate Executive Committee).

5. Course or curriculum change or addition must be approved by the University Academic Committee. (Schedule for Academic Committee).

6. Course or curriculum change or addition must be approved by the VSU Faculty Senate.

7. Substantive changes must be submitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools through VSU’s SACS Liaison ; new academic degrees, majors, or changes to the name of degree programs must be submitted to the Board of Regents for approval ; and additions to VSU’s core curriculum must be submitted to the University System of Georgia General Education Council.

The academic forms below are available in Word 2007; users should be able to save copies of these forms to their computers, title them appropriately, type in the required information, print forms, and then subsequently revise the forms as needed. Signed hard copies of the forms should be submitted for all required meetings; after the Academic Committee has approved a form, programs should also submit electronic copies of the form to the catalogue editor.