Proposals can be submitted by faculty to make a modifications to curricula including things such as title changes, course descriptions, credit values edits and rubric changes.
There are two types of Curriculum Proposals:
Minor modifications are curriculum proposals dealing with courses or less substantive changes to existing degree programs or certificates.
New Course Proposal (NCP)
- Propose or offer a new course
- Offer a new credit version of an existing course
- Propose a new Gen-ed course
Note: General Education Courses
The LA&PS General Education Sub-committee was reconvened in 2021 and is actively accepting curricular proposals for general education. New proposals will be vetted for completeness and accuracy; once complete, proposals will be scheduled for review by the committee according to the order of submission.
Course Expiries
- Reactivate the retired or inactive course
- Request to expire or inactivate the course
Change to Existing Course
- Title change
- Pre-/co-requisite
- Credit exclusion
- Course number/year level
- Course description
- Mode of delivery
- Credit value
- Cross-listing
Minor change to Existing Program or Certificate
- Minor changes to degree or admission requirements
- Rubric change
- Adding a course/courses to the Major requirements
- Adding a course/courses to the existing course list
- Removing a course/courses from the existing course list
- Revising/cleaning up the calendar copy following major or minor changes
- The establishment of micro-credentials
- The laddering or stacking of credentials or similar options
- Changes to the delivery mode in courses, which affect the program structure
- Substitutions or edits to course lists or requirements
If you are unsure whether a change you want to propose is a major or minor modification, please consult the LA&PS curriculum office for additional clarification. The York University Quality Assurance Protocol stipulates that, in ambiguous cases, the Office of the Vice-Provost Academic decides which proposal type and process proponents should follow.
Proposal Requirements
Major modifications involve substantial changes to existing programs due to curricular renewal, program restructuring, program mergers and proposals for new programs.
New Degree Program Approval
- New undergraduate degrees
- New undergraduate honours specializations and majors (for which a similar specialization is not already approved)
- Graduate degrees
- Combined degrees (when a new parent program at the University is being proposed in conjunction with combined degree).
Please visit New Program Proposals page for detailed guidelines.
Undergraduate New Degrees with Expedited Approvals
In some cases, new program proposals can be expedited when the Quality Council does not require an external review of the proposed program. Ultimately, the Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic- in consultation with the Quality Council- determines which process a program brief will follow.
Please visit the New Programs with Expedited Approvals page for further details.
Program Closure
- The closure of degrees and degree programs
- Closure of credit diplomas and certificates.
Examples of reasons for program closures include:
- low enrolment
- changes in academic programs
- poor program quality whether articulated in cyclical reviews or determined solely by the institution.
Please visit Program Closure page for detailed guidelines.
New Undergraduate Certificate Approval
- Creation of a new disciplinary certificate
- Creation of a new cross-disciplinary certificate
- Creation of a certificate of Proficiency
- Creation of a Professional Certificate
Please visit Undergraduate Certificate Proposals for detailed guidelines.
Major Modifications to Existing Programs
Typically involve at least one of the following:
Undergraduate
- Significant changes to program requirements
- Addition of a new major or specialization where a similar one exists at the undergraduate level.
- Creation of undergraduate certificates
- Creation of bridging programs for college students or IEPs
- Merger of two or more programs.
- Significant changes to the learning outcomes and/or approve requirements that comprise up to approximately one-third of the existing program.
- Major changes to courses comprising a significant proportion of the program and making an important contribution to meeting program learning outcomes (approximately one-third of courses)
- Significant changes to the faculty complement delivering an existing program
- Change to the essential resources of a program that impair its delivery.
- Change in program name and/or degree nomenclature when this results in a change in learning outcomes.
- Addition or deletion of streams.
- The creation of combined degrees (existing programs), either undergraduate, graduate, or undergraduate/graduate.
- Establishment of a minor program or option
- The addition of new options or significant changes to a program’s delivery, including to the program’s faculty and/or to the essential physical resources as may occur, for example, where there have been changes to the existing mode(s) of deliver (e.g., different campus and/or online/hybrid delivery)
Graduate
- At the master’s level, the introduction or deletion of a major research paper or thesis, course-only, co-op placement, internship, or practicum option.
- A new specialization at the graduate level.
- The introduction or deletion of a field in a graduate program
- The creation of a collaborative specialization at the graduate level
- Significant change to graduate degree requirements, including comprehensive exams and thesis requirements, that result in a significant change to the learning outcomes (see above)
Please visit Major Modification Protocol for detailed guidelines and find all major modification forms.