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Adopted by Academic Policies and Curriculum Committee 5/26/20 
Adopted by Faculty Senate 5/21/20 
Adopted by President 5/27/20 

Creation of Academic Programs 

Academic degree and certificate programs may be proposed within the EGSC Office of Academic Affairs. A proposed program is to be supported by a needs assessment study and sponsored by the appropriate faculty and/or administrative staff members within Academic Affairs. The internal process for approving a new academic program consists of the following steps: 

        1. An academic program proposal that includes a needs assessment analysis, curriculum, proposed budget and enrollment forecast is prepared by the program sponsor(s) within Academic Affairs. 
        2. The new academic program proposal is submitted to the appropriate school dean. The dean may request a revision of the proposal, reject the proposal, or pass the proposal on to the Academic Policies and Curriculum Committee (APCC). 
        3. If recommended by the school dean, the new academic program proposal is presented to the APCC. Based on its review, the APCC may request a revision of the proposal or pass the proposal on to the Faculty Senate with its recommendation to accept or reject the proposal. 
        4. The new academic program proposal is presented next to the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate may request a revision to the program proposal, reject it, or submit it to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs and the Chief of Staff/Legal Counsel for routing to the President’s Cabinet and President for review. 
        5. The President reviews and decides on whether to approve the new academic program proposal. 
        6. Academic program proposals that are approved by the President of the College are submitted to the University System of Georgia (USG) Office of Academic Affairs. 

Suspension and Termination of Academic Programs 

A proposal to suspend and terminate an academic degree or certificate program may be made by the program’s coordinator (associate degrees and certificates) or director (bachelor degrees), the dean of the school to which the program is assigned or by the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. A proposal to suspend and terminate an academic program is presented to the Faculty Senate. Based on its review of the proposed program suspension and termination, the faculty Senate submits its recommendation to the APCC. Based on its review of the proposed program suspension and termination, the APCC submits its recommendation to the President’s Cabinet for an advisory vote. If the President of the College decides the academic program should be suspended and terminated, the President of the College will notify the USG Executive Chief Academic Officer at least two years prior to a formal request to terminate programs, degrees, or majors as outlined in the Academic and Student Affairs Handbook, including a teach-out plan in accordance with SACSCOC policies. An academic program may be suspended by the President of the College for a maximum of two years. By the end of the suspension period, the institution must notify the Office of Academic Programs whether the program will be reinstated or requested for termination by the USG Board of Regents. 

USG Policy on Academic Program Creation and Termination

USG BOR 3.6 Creation and Elimination of Academic Programs 

New degree programs to include nexus, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees shall not be added to curricula of a University System of Georgia (USG) institution unless recommended by the President of the institution and the Chancellor and approved by the Board of Regents. 

The termination of academic programs, degrees, or majors shall be submitted to the Chancellor for review and recommendation for action by the Board of Regents. Institutions must notify the USG Executive Chief Academic Officer at least two years prior to a formal request to terminate programs, degrees, or majors as outlined in the Academic and Student Affairs Handbook, including a teach-out plan in accordance with SACSCOC policies. 

USG BOR Academic and Student Affairs Handbook 

2.3.3 Deactivation and Termination of Academic Programs 

When applied to educational programs, the terms “termination” and “discontinuation” refer to the same action. Termination means that the institution is no longer authorized to offer the program. Termination requires Board approval, and subsequent reinstatement must be handled as submission of a proposal for a new program. 

When applied to educational programs, the terms “temporary suspension” and “deactivation,” refer to the same action. Presidents can temporarily suspend a program for a period not to exceed two academic years, without obtaining Board approval, and may subsequently reinstate the program within that period. 

However, the President of the institution should advise the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer of the USG or the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs of such actions. If the suspension has not been (or will not be) lifted (i.e., the program has not been reactivated) by the end of the second academic year, the president should take action to terminate the program. The institution’s Office of Academic Affairs will submit a request to terminate an academic program with the following information: 

            • Termination date to coincide with the a regularly scheduled Board meeting 
            • Confirmation that no students are currently matriculating through the program or confirmation that any remaining students in the program have been appropriately advised and counseled concerning degree program options 
            • Confirmation that termination of the program will not have an adverse impact on tenured and non-tenured faculty or students 
            • Rationale for terminating the program 
            • Length of time that the program was in a deactivated status, if at all, before requesting action to terminate 

A suspended program remains an authorized program at the institution, but new students are no longer permitted to enroll. Suspended programs should not be listed in the college catalog but will remain in the Degrees and Majors inventory of the Board with a notation that they are on a deactivated status. 

For details and forms related to the deactivation and termination process, see http://www.usg.edu/academic_programs/changes/.