New Program Approvals
New Program Approvals
All proposals for new for-credit programming, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, and diplomas must be submitted to the Ministry of Advanced Education for approval prior to being listed in the University Calendar. New degree level program and majors must also receive approval from Campus Alberta Quality Council before they receive ministerial approval. The University of Lethbridge holds delegated review status allowing an internal committee in the Provost's Office (the New Program Review Committee) to review and approved new programs on behalf of CAQC before they are submitted to the Ministry of Advanced Education for final approval.
New programs and majors follow the internal approval pathways through University Governance before submission to the Ministry of Advanced Education. A staff member in the Provost’s Office assists with the completion of required forms and submits them to the Ministry after all necessary University of Lethbridge internal approvals have been secured.
New Program Approval Workflow
New programs follow three parallel paths to reach ministerial approval and University implementation. The first path ensures that all internal approvals are met starting with conversations within the faculty around program ideation. The Dean's Office then works with the program proposal team to complete all internal approvals including faculty and school curriculum committees and councils before moving to the Curriculum Coordination Committee (CCC), Admissions Standards Committee (ASC), and finally the General Faculties Council (GFC).
While the internal approvals process is taking place the faculty begins work with their financial officer and the finance office to complete the internal budget process. The budget process includes a comprehensive survey of how new programming may impact other departments and faculties, helps identify ongoing administrative costs, and ensures that new programming will be sustainable into the future. The budget process is completed once the proposed budget is approved by the President's Executive. New tuition and fees must undergo approval via the tuition and fees processes and receive final approval from the Board of Governors.
All new degree programs including new majors, diplomas, and certificates must complete the appropriate ministry proposal templates. New degree program templates also require review by independent external reviewers who must endorse the program before the full proposal package is submitted to the New Program Review Committee and then the Ministry of Advanced Education.
