The process described below is the ideal version. In reality, any step of the review may result in edits, clarifications, or responses on the part of the campus.

There are two distinct Phases to the proposal process for a new degree program/major:

  • Phase I is the “Letter of Intent” (LOI phase)
  • Phase II is the full proposal phase

Phase I

Phase I: LOI

  • Step
    1

    LOI forms submitted to UMPO.

  • Step
    2

    UMPO review + campuses review (max 21 days).

  • Step
    3

    LOI forms submitted to BHE.

  • Step
    4

    Office review + 20 business days for public comments + BHE vote.*
     

  • Step
    5

    Approval for Phase II.

*Any agenda items for a vote by the Board of Higher Education must be added no later than 6 weeks before the scheduled meeting. In addition, the office requires a minimum of 1 week to preview the forms and 20 business days for public comment.

With a positive vote from the BHE, campus will be notified that it may begin Phase II.

Phase II

Phase II consists of two processes, which can be carried out in parallel:

  1. Organize and respond to an external review.
  2. Fill out BHE forms for Phase II and prepare all documents for approval routing.

A. Part i: Approval of External Reviewers

  • Step
    1

    List & CVs of proposed reviewers submitted to UMPO.

  • Step
    2

    UMPO office review.

  • Step
    3

    List & CVs submitted to BHE.

  • Step
    4

    BHE office review.

  • Step
    5

    Approval of or request change of reviewers.

A. Part ii: External Review

  • Step
    1

    Campus sends review questions to external reviewers.

  • Step
    2

    External reviewers send responses to campus.

  • Step
    3

    Campus prepares response to external reviews.

  • Step
    4

    External reviews and campus response become part of Phase II package.*

B. Routing of Proposal Documents

  • Step
    1

    Proposal package* submitted to UMPO.

  • Step
    2

    Office preview + add to next BoT agenda** + BoT vote.
     

  • Step
    3

    UMPO submits package to BHE.

  • Step
    4

    BHE office review.

  • Step
    5

    Approval or rejection of proposal.

*Full list of documents and downloadable forms for the Proposal Package can be found on the Phase II page.

** Any agenda items for a vote by the UMass Board of Trustees must be added no later than 6 weeks before the scheduled meeting. In addition, UMPO requires a minimum of 1 week to preview the package before adding to the agenda.

Planning and Scheduling

Campuses should plan for the dates of BHE and Board of Trustees meetings, in order to ensure the proposals are submitted well in advance of the scheduled meetings to ensure the review process can happen well within the time period the campus is aiming for.  BHE and BOT meeting schedules cannot be altered to accommodate academic program proposal review deadlines.

Meeting schedules can be found at: