Curriculum and Course Development Policy

Purpose

This policy establishes the shared governance framework and procedures for developing, evaluating, revising, and discontinuing academic programs and courses at McNeese State University. Faculty lead the creation, approval, and assessment of academic offerings to ensure programs include coursework that reflects current disciplinary knowledge and meet established student learning outcomes. Administrative approval ensures that academic programs align with the University’s mission, address student and workforce needs, and are supported by the resources necessary to maintain program quality.

Curriculum Requirements

The requirements below are guided by University policies, University of Louisiana (UL) System Board Rules, Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) academic affairs policies, and SACSCOC standards.

Approved Academic Terms

The BOR requires colleges, universities, and professional schools to use academic terms and degree designations that are consistent with the BOR’s Curriculum Inventory of Degree and Certificate Programs (CRIN).

For the purpose of identifying, advertising, and awarding of undergraduate and graduate credentials, the following terms shall be used for diplomas, transcripts, catalogs, and all publications by public campuses and systems:

• Degree or Certificate: An award conferred on a student upon completion of a unified program of study including a grouping of University-approved courses and requirements.
• Degree Title: The complete label of a degree program, consisting of a degree designation (e.g., Bachelor of Science) and the degree subject area (e.g., Chemistry).
• Degree Subject Area or Major: The primary discipline which constitutes the focus of a program of study (e.g., chemistry, history, sociology).
• Curriculum: A listing of requirements for a degree or certificate, such as required and elective courses, required program activities, and assessments.
• Major: That part of a degree program which consists of a specified group of courses in a particular discipline(s) or field(s), usually consisting of 25% or more of the total credit hours required in an undergraduate curriculum.
• Minor: That part of a degree program which consists of a specified group of courses in a particular discipline or field, usually consisting of 15% or more of the total credit hours required in an undergraduate curriculum.
• Concentration: An alternative track of courses within a major, accounting for at least 30% of the major requirements (e.g., a concentration in molecular biology within a biology major).

Degree Programs and Minors

• Associate Degrees:
  • Minimum of 60 credit hours (BOR Academic Affairs Policy 2.15)
  • At least 27 credit hours of designated General Education coursework (BOR Academic Affairs Policy 2.16)
  • At least 15 credit hours in the major
• Baccalaureate Degrees:
  • Minimum of 120 credit hours (BOR Academic Affairs Policy 2.15)
  • At least 39 credit hours of designated General Education coursework (BOR Academic Affairs Policy 2.16)
  • Minimum of 40 credit hours at the 300/400 level, including at least 12 hours in the major
  • At least 30 credit hours (or 25% of the total credit hours for the degree) in the major
  • Must include a designated capstone experience course to assess student learning outcomes at the program level
• Minors:
  • 18-27 credit hours
  • Minimum of 6 credit hours at the 300/400 level
• Master’s Degrees:
  • Minimum of 30 credit hours (SACSCOC Core Requirement 9.2)
  • At least 18 credit hours in the major, including thesis
  • At least 50% of the total credit hours (excluding thesis) must be at the 600 level
  • Must be more advanced in content than undergraduate programs and include (a) knowledge of the literature of the discipline and (b) engagement in research or appropriate professional practice (SACSCOC Standard 9.6)
• Doctoral Degrees:
  • Credit hours must exceed those required for a master’s degree and equal at least three years of graduate study beyond the baccalaureate (SACSCOC Core Requirement 9.2)
  • Must be more advanced in content than undergraduate programs and include (a) knowledge of the literature of the discipline and (b) engagement in research or appropriate professional practice (SACSCOC Standard 9.6)

Certificate Programs

• Undergraduate Certificates:
  • Minimum of 18 credit hours
  • At least 50% of the total credit hours must be at the 300/400 level
  • Must consist of undergraduate courses only
  • May only be pursued concurrently with a baccalaureate degree
• Post-Baccalaureate Certificates:
  • 12 to 33 credit hours
  • Must consist of undergraduate courses only
• Graduate and Post-Master’s Certificates:
  • Minimum of 12 credit hours
  • Must consist of graduate courses only
  • Must be more advanced in content than undergraduate programs and include (a) knowledge of the literature of the discipline and (b) engagement in research or appropriate professional practice (SACSCOC Standard 9.6)

Course Requirements

• General Requirements:
  • McNeese uses the following course numbering system:
    • 100-199: Freshman level (lower-level)
    • 200-299: Sophomore level (lower-level)
    • 300-399: Junior level (upper-level)
    • 400-499: Senior level (upper-level)
    • 500-699: Graduate level (master’s)
      • 500-level courses may be cross-listed with 400-level courses; however, syllabi for cross-listed courses must identify student learning outcomes (SLOs) and other course requirements for both undergraduate and graduate students. Courses that are cross-listed to allow both undergraduate and graduate enrollment must ensure that there is a clear distinction between the requirements of undergraduate students and graduate students; requirements for graduate-level credit must include content/assignments more advanced than that expected of undergraduate students and be graded accordingly. (SACSCOC Standard 9.6)
    • 700-899: Graduate level (doctoral)
  • Lecture courses: minimum 750 minutes of instruction per credit hour
  • Lab courses: minimum 1500 minutes of instruction per credit hour
  • Course numbers may not be reused for 10 years
  • Courses with similar content must include a “no duplicate credit” statement in the course description
  • Student learning outcomes (SLOs) must be consistent with the level of the course in terms of academic rigor and intellectual challenge (see Bloom’s Taxonomy)
  • All courses, regardless of instructional format, must adhere to the Credit Hour Policy and demonstrate equivalent student learning outcomes to traditional face-to-face formats
• Capstone Courses:
  • Must assess students’ mastery of content knowledge and/or skills in the major discipline in such a way that creates an artifact of student learning that demonstrates mastery of the academic program’s student learning outcomes
• General Education Courses:
  • Must be at the 100/200 level
  • Must be offered at least once per semester with an annual enrollment of 50 or more
  • Must be a broad, general introduction to concepts, methods, and skills associated with the disciplinary area
  • Must assess a General Education student learning outcome in such a way that creates an artifact of student learning that demonstrates student achievement in the appropriate General Education area and must address all requirements for General Education assessment as communicated by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
  • Must include the following statement on the course syllabus: “This course has been designated as a General Education course and, as such, addresses students’ achievement of this General Education student learning outcome: [state the General Education student learning outcome for the area of the General Education Curriculum in which the course is listed].”
• Internship Courses:
  • Require a minimum of 40 experiential work hours per credit hour
  • Course description must include a statement of required work hours

Academic Planning

The Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) requires institutions to submit a three-year academic plan that includes a comprehensive list of planned new academic programs. Planned new academic programs must demonstrate strong student demand and be designed to support the wellbeing of the state by meeting the needs of students, industry, and academia and must fall within the role, scope, and mission of the University.

The academic plan also requires updates on recently approved academic programs and a review of low-completer programs not meeting completer thresholds established by the BOR. To strategically prioritize institutional resources, departments with persistent low-completer programs may not propose new academic programs absent evidence of strong student and employer demand for a new program and a compelling, concrete plan to increase enrollment and completers in the low-completer programs.

Academic plans are first submitted by each academic dean to the provost and vice president for academic affairs, who is responsible for prioritizing planned new programs and reviewing low-completer programs in the context of the University’s mission, resources, and strategic goals. Once the academic plan is completed in July, the provost submits it to the University of Louisiana (UL) System for review and approval. After review and approval by the UL System, the academic plan is forwarded to the BOR. Statewide discussions with academic officers, economic development entities, and workforce representatives are held prior to BOR approval of each institution’s academic plan.

Full academic program proposals for planned new programs included in year one of the academic plan may be submitted to the BOR any time after the program concept has been approved through the academic planning process. If a full program proposal is not submitted by the end of the academic year, the program must be reviewed again for inclusion in the institution’s annual academic plan.

Academic Governance

Faculty are responsible for initiating curriculum and course additions, alterations, and inactivations. The process normally begins in a department, moves to the college, and then to the University before concluding, if necessary, with approval by the University of Louisiana System, the Louisiana Board of Regents, and/or SACSCOC.

The following matters bear special attention:

• Department or college-level curriculum committees, consisting of faculty, are responsible for recommending program and course additions, alterations, and/or inactivations before they advance to an institutional-level review.
• Faculty in relevant departments must review interdisciplinary programs or programs of broad scope as it relates to their discipline.
• Proposals modified during review must have the originating body’s concurrence regarding the revision(s).
• Proposals with a negative recommendation by an administrative body at any review level may not advance.
• New programs may not be advertised by any means until they have been approved by the BOR and, if necessary, SACSCOC (see SACSCOC Substantive Change Reporting Policy).

Detailed procedures and review steps for each type of academic program and course proposal are available on the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness website.

Communication

This policy is distributed via the Academic Advisory Council, General Education Council, Graduate Council, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, and the University Policies webpage.