AAC: New Minor Approval Guidelines

According to the faculty handbook, the Academic Affairs Committee “approves and disapproves new courses and new minor programs, as well as reviewing and making recommendations to the faculty on new majors or other alterations in the curriculum.” Upon reviewing a new minor proposal, the Committee will provide feedback to the department explaining why the new minor was or was not approved.

Proposals for new minors should include:

• Name(s) of the department(s), program(s), and/or faculty proposing the minor.
• Title of the proposed minor.
• An explanation of the intellectual content of the new minor.
• A list of learning goals for the minor, including a discussion of how these learning goals meet university learning goals.
• A rationale for why a new minor should exist, including why existing minor options would not suffice and discussions of similar programs at peer institutions. Where relevant, this rationale should also explain the relationship of the proposed minor to developments in the field.
• A demonstration of the recent student interest, or demand, for a minor in this area, including information about how many students have completed ILCs in the area(s) in the past few years and about whether the new minor is likely to attract new applicants.
• A plan for the assessment of student learning; the plan should be reviewed by the assessment committee.
• A plan for defining and evaluating the success of this minor.
• A list of course requirements for the proposed minor and a justification for inclusion of these courses that addresses how each course contributes substantively to the minor and distinguishes between core requirements and electives. Please list all possible courses and faculty who teach them.        
• An explanation of how the minor would affect staffing in the home department(s) and/or program(s). Because AAC assumes that all new minors have effects on staffing, please explain how course enrollments will change, who will develop and teach required new courses, whether courses included in the proposed minor can be taught by existing faculty or will require new hires, and how faculty leaves might affect course offerings, especially in the core courses required for the minor.
• A list of other resources needed to support the proposed minor (e.g. office or lab space, academic support staff, capital items, library resources, etc.).
• A list of the offices, committees, and/or campus groups that were consulted during the preparation of the proposal (e.g. ISAC, Advising, Admissions, AAC, Faculty Council, departments with recently-passed new minors, etc.).