At the graduate level, the faculty governance process starts with a review by the Graduate Curriculum Committee, which, in turn, submits approved proposals with its recommendation to the Graduate Council. Category I proposals also require approval by the Dean before the program is submitted to the Curriculum Committee. After Graduate Council, the potential next steps for any changes depend on the nature of the proposed change. The four categories Level I, II, III, and IV are summarized below from the Faculty Manual (see section 4.4.9 of the Faculty Manual for more information). This page provides information on master's curriculum changes.

If you have questions regarding the governance level that applies to the changes you are proposing, Chair of the Grad Curriculum (Associate Dean Heikki Topi) can help you understand the appropriate Category for the proposed change.

Graduate Curriculum Process

Below is an outline of the various steps of the governance processes. As noted, Category I and II proposals require more time; faculty can expect this process to take at minimum several months. Most proposals take around a year, and in isolated cases the process could last more than a year. Category III and IV changes are much simpler, and can take just a few days to weeks from start to finish.

1. Initial Formulation: This process includes discussions with departmental colleagues, the Department Chair, and, for Category I proposals, the Dean (or Deans, if interdisciplinary).  In addition, the conversations should involve other departments that could potentially be impacted by the program and campus partners (Admissions and Career Services). Following these fact-finding discussions, a draft proposal is needed. This step could take anywhere from a few weeks to months. 
2. Proposal Revision: Based upon the feedback from various stakeholders, you may wish to revise your original program proposal. This could take anywhere from a day or two, to several weeks if additional input and stakeholder information is appropriate. 
3. Dean's Approval (if necessary):This is the first step in the governance process for Category I proposals. At this point, the proposers should discuss the program and present a complete, polished draft proposal for discussion. The Dean (or Deans) must sign off on Category I proposals to begin the rest of the governance workflow process.
4. Graduate Curriculum Committee and Graduate Council: This is the beginning of the faculty governance process. Graduate Curriculum Committee typically meets once or twice monthly about a week before the month's Graduate Council meeting. This, in turn, allows approvals to potentially move ahead to the Senate agenda two weeks later (if necessary). 
5. Faculty Senate (if necessary): All new programs, most existing program changes, and new courses will be Category I or Category II and require Faculty Senate approval. Faculty Senate typically meets bi-weekly on Wednesdays during regular semesters.
6. General Faculty Vote (if necessary):  All new programs (Category I) will require a vote by the General Faculty. This body typically meets only twice per semester: In the fall once at the beginning, and once at the end of the semester, and in the spring mid-semester, and at the end of the semester. 

Graduate School governance meetings

There are several important considerations when planning the process of gaining a governance approval and considering the time the governance process may take. This matters as it could impact the availability of programs or courses to students.

• The governance bodies (Grad Curriculum, Grad Council, Senate or General Faculty) do not meet over summer (or other breaks), so any steps in the process that may overlap into these breaks can delay completion.
• Marketing to the external community (new prospective students, for instance) can only happen after full governance approval has taken place. For Graduate Admissions to market a new program to potential future students during a specific admission cycle, final governance must be done by the last General Faculty meeting of the Fall semester. 
• For courses to be available for an upcoming semester to students, keep in mind that scheduling for fall courses is finalized in March, and for spring courses is finalized in October. Thus, approvals for a new course (via Senate) must be done prior to those dates (see Dates and Deadlines above). 
• The sequencing of Grad Curriculum, Grad Council, Senate, and General Faculty meetings can create bottlenecks, particularly if there are periods of high-volume business. This means some business may need to be delayed to future meetings. This, in turn, means that target dates for deployment of programs/courses could be jeopardized. It is suggested faculty target an earlier approval date than needed to ensure a smooth and timely approval. 
• Doing full due-diligence pays dividends. Spending the time up front collaborating with faculty, discussing with departments and getting input a check-ins with your Dean (if Category I),  and other stakeholders and crafting a complete proposal document will help ensure a smooth governance process. It will also mitigate the possibility of delays for non-approvals in the governance chain.   

How do I Propose a New (Permanent) Course?

Overview

To propose a new permanent course, you will need to complete a CourseLeaf Course Form. It is strongly suggested that faculty create a comprehensive proposal narrative containing information on the course description for the Catalogue, the rationale for the proposed course, curriculum impact, and learning outcomes before attempting to complete the CourseLeaf form. This comprehensive narrative should also contain information required for the CourseLeaf form to ensure a successful and timely governance process. You also will need to attach a complete syllabus for the proposed course. Do not forget to consult with other departments for potential overlap with existing courses before you submit this form.

For a video demonstrating these processes, see the link at the bottom of this page.

How do I Submit a New Program or Concentration?

Creating a new program is exciting, but also takes the most time, due diligence, and work. In the process of getting your new concentration or program approved, it is highly advisable to create a narrative document outlining the structure of the program, motivation, and other relevant information needed both for the governance process, but also for others to understand the value of the proposed program.

As part of the narrative document, it is strongly advised to include information specifically requested in CourseLeaf as part of the governance submission process. Additionally, when submitting a new program proposal, it is important to include feedback from Admissions and Career Services. Some of the information that is particularly helpful to include in the proposal are the following:

• How might this program help attract more students, or different kinds of students to Bentley?
• What kinds of students might gravitate to this program?
• What is the job market that this program might serve?
• What specific feedback from Career Services supports the need/desire for this kind of program?
• What feedback did you receive from industry partners (either through Career Services, or independently) on the value of this program in the marketplace?

Having this information up-front when you start the process will make for a faster and smoother governance path, as you can easily cut and paste from the narrative document into CourseLeaf to start the governance process. The specific fields requested are linked here.

To start the process, choose the CourseLeaf Program Form, and choose the “Propose New Program” button, and fill out the Program Proposal form. Note that any items in red are required fields.

Once the required fields are completed and you are satisfied with the submission, hit ‘Save and Start Workflow’. This starts the governance process. At some point thereafter the Associate Dean of Business for Graduate Programs will contact you regarding the first step in the governance process.

For a video demonstrating these processes, see the link at the bottom of this page.

How do I Update or Change an Existing Course?

It is common for faculty and departments to update or change an existing course. For example, faculty may want to make a minor change to a course title, update the course description for the Catalogue, update learning outcomes for the course, add or revise the prerequisites, or add or remove the communications intensive designation.

To start this process, choose the CourseLeaf Course Form. Enter the Course Code (e. g., CS 602) in the Search field. After the course details appear, select Edit Course. This will open a pop-up window with the Course Inventory.

Changes and updates to existing courses are either Category III or Category IV changes. Category IV changes include changes to course titles, numbers, prerequisites, and minor changes to course content. Category III changes are substantial revisions to content of existing courses and must be approved by the Graduate Curriculum Committee. A brief explanation of the Courseleaf form fields can be found here.

Once the required fields are completed and you are satisfied with the submission, hit ‘Save and Start Workflow’. This starts the governance process. At some point thereafter the Chair of the Graduate Curriculum Committee will contact you regarding the first step in the governance process.

For a video demonstrating these processes, see the link at the bottom of this page.

How do I Update or Change an Existing Program or Concentration? 

As with new programs, when updating or changing an existing program it is highly advisable to create a narrative document outlining the changes in the structure of the program, motivation for change, and other relevant information. These will be needed in the governance process, but also help others to understand the value of the proposed program changes.

As part of the narrative document, it is strongly advised to include information specifically requested in CourseLeaf as part of the governance submission process that will change because the program changes. Having this information up front when you start the process will make for a faster and smoother governance path, as you can easily cut and paste from the narrative document into CourseLeaf to start the governance process. The specific fields requested are linked here.

To start the process, choose the CourseLeaf Program Form, and find the existing program in the listing (you can do this either by scrolling, or searching as noted on the page). Note that if you are proposing a new concentration in an existing program, you should use the New Program form process. Once you find the existing program to update, click on the green ‘Edit Program’ box, and fill out the change/update form. The very first prompt will ask what you are changing:

• Course Requirements
• Honors Requirements
• Learning Outcomes
• Major/Minor Exclusions
• Other (Please Explain)

The ‘Other’ reason for instance could be to update the Catalogue description, or the title of the program. Check all that apply.

Note that any items in red are required fields. Any fields that are not changing can be left as-is. In other words, only add or change information in the relevant fields that necessitate change.

Once the fields needing an update are completed and you are satisfied with the submission, hit ‘Save and Start Workflow’. This starts the governance process. At some point thereafter the Chair of the Graduate Curriculum will contact you regarding the first step in the governance process.

For a video demonstrating these processes, see the link at the bottom of this page.