Curriculum Management

The Council on Science and Technology (CST) grants the SEL and SEN designation to science and engineering courses that are appropriate for students concentrating in the humanities and social sciences. Please visit CST's website for instructions on how to submit a proposal. Questions should be directed to Dr. Sami Kahn.

Departments will submit approved courses in the PeopleSoft Curriculum Management system with the appropriate SE general education designation during the regular fall or spring CAP/CUP submissions process deadline.

New one-time-only courses are submitted for dean's review and approval through the Course Approval Process (CAP) tool in the PeopleSoft Curriculum Management System (CMS). New term topics are submitted through the Course Update Process (CUP).

Detailed information for the course approval process are found in the course procedures and guidelines memo. Deadlines for fall and spring CAP and CUP course submissions are set by the Registrar's office.

Resources for the CAP/CUP processes are found on the Registrar's website here.

This brief video provides an overview of the course component options and how they can be used.

Course attributes are an optional characteristic that can be added to an undergraduate course listing to let students know a range of things: that the course is application only, limited to concentrators, or requires certain skills or assignments, such as statistical programming or multimedia projects. This is also the appropriate place to note whether or not a course will have required off-campus travel, either to a location within the United States or abroad.

 Course attributes also signify whether or not a course has international content or involves community-engaged learning. For more information on when and how to add these course attributes, please see this presentation [link here] from January of 2022. International courses should be highlighted so that they are available to students planning for a significant international experience, and community-engaged courses are listed on the Registrar’s website.

The 2008 Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (see page 32) requires colleges and universities to publish the cost of required course materials for students. To ensure compliance, faculty should submit their course reading lists through the “Books” tab in the main navigation bar Canvas. For additional guidance on submitting course requests please visit Labyrinth Bookstore’s FAQ page for submitting book orders. Faculty are encouraged to consider the cost of required materials when establishing course reading lists, and to set aside both physical and electronic reserve copies through Firestone Library when possible. Extra copies of Pequod readers may also be placed on reserve at Firestone. E-reserves of book chapters and articles can also be provided through course Canvas sites, provided that the use of these materials is consistent with all applicable copyright laws.

A memo addressed to the Committee on the Course of Study from the relevant chair, program director or director of undergraduate studies should include the course title, old course number, proposed new course number and rationale for the change. The memo should be emailed to Vicky Glosson.

Proposals to convert an existing OTO course into a permanent course are reviewed periodically during the academic year, first by the Committee on the Course of Study (COCS), and then the full Faculty. Normally an OTO course is offered a minimum of three times before the COCS will accept the course conversion proposal. Proposal materials should include a memo from the chair, director of undergraduate studies or program director, a recent course offerings proof and the syllabus. All materials should be submitted by email to Vicky Glosson. The final deadline for course conversions is posted on the online calendar. Departments and programs will be notified by email when their conversion proposal is approved. Permanent courses will appear in the Undergraduate Announcement.

A memo from the department chair, director of undergraduate studies, or program director should be addressed to the Committee on the Course of Study, and should include the course number, course title and rationale. All materials should be submitted by email to Vicky Glosson.

Changes to existing requirements such as the plan of study, prerequisites or changes in tracks within a concentration should be submitted in SharePoint as part of the Undergraduate Announcement update process. Submission dates and deadlines for the UA update process are posted on the online calendar.

Proposals for a new minor in a department or the conversion of a program's existing certificate to a minor should be submitted the Faculty Committee on the Course of Study (COCS) by March 15, 2023. (Note: Proposals to establish an entirely new minor must be submitted to COCS by February 1, 2023). Any minor fully approved by COCS and then by the University's faculty by May 15, 2023 will be available to first-year, sophomores, and juniors in AY 2023-24. 

A memo detailing the process to propose a minor and a template for listing a minor in the 2023-24 Undergraduate Announcement is found here.

The Undergraduate Announcement (UA) update process happens once each academic year during the summer and the new edition is available at the beginning of August. Departments update their program description through Drupal. Faculty lists and course listings are updated through PeopleSoft. In addition to the programs of study, the UA also presents academic policies, procedures and regulations, as well as A.B. and B.S.E. degree requirements, general education requirements, advising resources and special features of the undergraduate program.

In order to ensure timely review of a proposal to change the SEN/SEL designation for a course listing in the Undergraduate Announcement, departments and programs should submit all proposal materials to the Council on Science and Technology.