New Programs and Changes to Existing Programs

Please keep in mind that program changes (including additions and discontinuations) are effective for a future catalog year, so students currently enrolled when program changes are made will continue to use their existing "catalog year" (set of catalog requirements). Students may consult with the college's Academic Advising office about updating their catalog year if they wish to follow requirements that take effect after their date of admission to that program. 

Academic Affairs Curriculum Office Program Proposal Deadlines

The following deadline dates are the dates proposals and changes are due to the Academic Affairs (AA) Curriculum Office ([email protected]). Proposal requests received after the deadline date will be reviewed for the following effective date as appropriate. Please note: changes to programs may only have a fall effective date. 

Please check with your department and college for internal deadline dates to ensure your collegiate approval process is completed in time to meet the campus deadlines. 

Undergraduate Program Design Guidance

Please apply the Undergraduate Program Design Guidance when developing new undergraduate programs or revising existing undergraduate programs. This guidance is provided to help ensure information submitted in program proposals facilitates an efficient process from proposal submission and catalog data entry through APAS programming, and to foster consistency between the catalog and APAS. The guidance includes best practices as informed by the UMN Coursedog Best Practices Workgroup and establishes common UMD practices to benefit students. The guidance was created by the UMD Curriculum Management Steering Committee, which endorsed the file on October 26, 2023. 

New Programs

UMD New Program Proposal Form (PDF preview version)
Resource: UMD New Program Proposal Forms Help Guide

New programs require completion of the New Program Proposal Form. New program proposals require the Dean's signature or documented approval. The Dean's office will submit the proposal form (with signatures) to the Academic Affairs (AA) Curriculum Office. The college Administrative Director must compile Section 5. If the program being proposed involves online delivery of program and/or courses, the information must be noted clearly, and questions related to online program criteria must be addressed in the proposal. 

Proposals are entered into the University's curriculum management system by the Academic Affairs Curriculum Office prior to being forwarded to and approved by the University of Minnesota Executive Vice President and Provost and the Board of Regents. After Board of Regents approval, new programs are programmed into APAS by the Office of the Registrar, and only then can they be marketed. 

Program Changes

All proposed changes to programs must follow the deadlines stated above. Following department and college approval, the Dean's office will submit the proposal form the Academic Affairs (AA) Curriculum Office. 

Please submit ALL changes for a program at one time.  Changes to existing programs are only made with a fall effective date. 

To clearly represent proposed catalog deletions and additions, proposals must follow this process:

1. Access the current text of your academic program in Column D of this document: Fall 2026 catalog track change docs and sample plans
2. Program faculty will use Suggesting mode to update the catalog “track changes” document, including the Description, Program Details, Requirements, Admission Details, and Contact Information.
3. Undergraduate degree programs: Sample plans in column E should be updated to align to program changes outlined on the “track change” document. Once the sample plan is updated, select “Updates done for F26” in column F.
4. Follow college curriculum procedures (varies by college) for approval at the college level.
5. Once program changes are approved at the college level by the dean/designee, the college curriculum representative will submit the changes to the Academic Affairs (AA) Curriculum Office

If a proposed change impacts any other department due to courses shared in other programs, the program change request must include a memo confirming that the department has notified and discussed the changes with any other departments directly affected; documentation is added to the curriculum management system. 

For additional details and guidance, please refer to Program Change Procedures. 

Discontinuing a Program

Discontinue Program Proposal Form (PDF preview version)

Discontinuing a program requires submission of the Discontinue Program Proposal form (including the Dean's signature) to the Academic Affairs (AA) Curriculum Office, following deadlines indicated above.