Of the listed types of changes, the one that most frequently occasions confusion is the first, according to which approval is necessary for “a change of 15 or more required (non-elective) credits in an undergraduate degree program (e.g., adding a track or option).” It may seem that this implies approval is not required for any change of fewer than 15 credits, but such is not the case. It is entirely possible to have a major change of fewer than 15 credit hours. This is particularly (but not exclusively) true of programs leading to professional licensure, which frequently must comply with statutory requirements governing the content even of individual courses. Indeed, minor changes that require information-only reporting to SUNY and SED tend to fall into the category of curriculum updates (e.g., shifting material within or among courses, addition or deletion of courses to stay current with the discipline) so long as the totality of changes apply to fewer than 15 credits of required coursework. Here is what we advise for proposed changes if they are not apparently major (according to the SED list) and involve fewer than 15 credit hours:

1) Check with your Academic Vice President’s office on the last time a revision for the particular program was submitted. (This information is available on the hard copy of the SED Inventory of Registered Programs; see the IRP column listing “1st reg/last reg”.) If you have made incremental changes to the program since the last registration date that are in their totality major (even if the current change is minor), submit a revision using our Appendix E form. Your cover letter might state that the revision is being submitted to update the registration of the program and that it represents several incremental changes over a period of time.

2) If you have any doubt whether the proposed change is major, submit the revision using our Appendix E.

While this inquiry relates directly to those State University campuses with graduate social work programs (Albany, Binghamton, UB, Stony Brook, and Brockport with Nazareth), it applies generally to any curricular change necessitated by amended statute and corresponding amended State regulation. In recent years campuses have invested considerable energy in revising curricula to comply with changes in licensure and certification, including for example, CPA accountancy, dental hygiene, licensure-qualifying psychology, classroom teacher preparation, now social work, and in the near future, mental health counseling.

The resulting program "revisions" require the approval (by the University) and the registration (by SED) of "new" programs, usually bearing new titles and requiring special licensure designations on the Inventory of Registered Programs. This is the case with the amended regulations for social work, which eliminate the title "certified social work" and create two new professions: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. SED’s instructions to campuses advise public institutions to use the “appropriate SUNY/CUNY proposal submission forms” and submit the proposals through the respective central administrations.

To submit a proposal for the revision of an existing MSW program, the appropriate SUNY form is the Guideline for Revision of Existing Academic Programs found in Appendix E of the 2003 Handbook, in addition to the required SED “Request to Register” form. (Appendix E works for undergraduate as well as graduate program changes.) For a new MSW program the campus should follow the SUNY guidelines for the Submission of Graduate Program Proposals, currently outlined in Memorandum to Presidents, 94-1.

For each MSW program revision we need two copies of the SUNY revision document and two copies of the SED form, including course syllabi as necessary. Where the information in the SUNY revision document duplicates information contained in the SED form, we welcome artful references to specific pages in the SED form. Remember to submit separate requests for each MSW program revision; combined or multiple-award or multiple-award-institution programs (e.g., BA/MSW, MBA/MSW, MSW/JD) require separate submissions. Use the SED Online Inventory of Registered Programs to ensure coverage of all MSW program combinations and permutations.

This SED policy memorandum describes the process for the implementation of then new Part 54 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. The purpose of these Regulations is to assure quality standards for all “degree-credit instruction in New York” and to integrate off-campus instruction into the Regents’ “system of comprehensive, statewide planning for postsecondary education.”

The Regulations describe the categories of off-campus instructional activity (e.g., site, center, branch campus). CEO 80-16 summarizes the categories by level of activity, including curricula offered at the extension locations.

For example, an extension center is defined as:

“No complete programs AND more than 15 courses for credit OR more than 350 course registrations for credit in any academic year.”

This means no curriculum, leading to a degree or a certificate, can be completed entirely at the remote location. The longstanding SED interpretation of this Regulation requires that for every program toward which courses are offered at the remote location a course or courses will be taken physically at the main campus. Or put another way, SED requires the identification of a course or courses – for each degree or certificate program – that will never be offered at the remote location. Course work offered by distance education from the main campus is judged as available at the extension location and therefore cannot be counted as taken physically at the home campus.

If a complete program – degree or certificate – can be taken at an extension location, it is determined to be a branch campus of the institution, and will require authorization by the Board of Trustees, the Board of Regents and the Governor in the form of a master plan amendment, as well as notification to and review by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

We encourage campuses to consult us at an early stage on plans involving off-campus programs. For more on extension activity, please also see the Ask Kate column in the April 23, 2001 Program Review & Planning Update.

In addition to the information requested in Appendix E, please also include for each program the following information:

1. The current teaching certificate and level.

2. Description of how the proposed change is consistent with the standards for registering teacher certification programs in §52.21(b) of the Commissioner’s Regulations.

3. Description of how the proposed change is consistent with the standards for the accreditation of the program by your chosen national accreditor, NCATE or TEAC.

4. Description of how the proposed change is consistent with SUNY’s New Vision in Teacher Education, implementation guidelines contained in Memorandum to Presidents, Vol. 03 No. 2.

You will note in the Rules of the Board of Regents §3.50(a)(2) that the BPS degree is automatically available to institutions authorized to award the BA or BS, which your campus is not at the present time. Authorization to award the BPS for an extant or a new program would require approval by the SUNY Board of Trustees and the Board of Regents as a degree authorization, not as a Master Plan amendment. Degree authorization is a relatively straightforward and apolitical process.

The BPS is offered at 26 institutions statewide, including 4 SUNY and 1 CUNY campuses, for 73 programs. The MPS is offered at 26 institutions statewide including 11 SUNY and 1 CUNY, for 84 programs. The DPS is offered at one independent institution for two programs. These awards appear to be more prevalent downstate.

In the April column (Program Review Update, vol. 04 no. 12) we made available the Revised Guidelines for the Submission of SUNY Teacher Education Transfer Template Programs. We also reported on the changes to the guidelines negotiated with SED and advised that proposals include course work aligned precisely with that available on the TETT website.

The SUNY Teacher Education Transfer Template website is important not only for advisement but also as guidance for campus academic professionals responsible for developing teacher education transfer AA/AS proposals. You will note that the website includes, by two-year college, a list and course descriptions of all TETT reconciled and approved courses, both pedagogical core and major/concentration courses. We would expect, therefore, that the coursework in a proposal for an AA in Liberal Arts & Sciences: Childhood Education (Teacher Education Transfer) will correspond precisely with that listed on the SUNY TETT website. Proposals that include courses that are not known to transfer to participating SUNY baccalaureate campuses with teacher education will be turned back for modification. This is in the best interest of the transferring student and all campuses. The TETT website is being updated daily. Campuses should feel free to use it as a basis for developing a proposal for a Template Transfer program.

With regard to advertising a Teacher Education Transfer curriculum, campuses are of course aware that the program must be registered by the State Education Department “before the institution may publicize its availability or recruit or enroll students in the curriculum,” Commissioner’s Regulations 52.1(h). We have developed, with the cooperation of the State Education Department, a description of the SUNY TETT for use by campuses as catalog copy. The text is included in the revised guidelines and recommended for use by campuses as their programs are approved by University and registered by the State Education Department.

If you want to advertise or admit students to a concentration, we need to seek its registration. For the revision of a doctoral program, follow Appendix E, Guideline for Revision of Existing Academic Program, in the 2003 Handbook.

Please be sure that the concentration represents a focused field or specialization within the parent Ph.D. program rather than a new field or major option that would be better represented as a new Ph.D.

The foundation of calendar-related policies and regulations is the Carnegie unit, which we covered in the October 22 and November 5, 2002 columns. I recommend you keep the following in mind, listed here from the smallest component regulation to the trumps-all regulation and SED policy:

Note: MP 81-3 allows for a semester of less than 15 weeks of instruction, inclusive of examination periods, which is in violation of – and overruled by – the following Regulation.

In January you will receive a hardcopy of SED’s Inventory of Registered Programs for the State University campuses. This year the routine cover memoranda (SED’s and ours) will draw your attention to the imminent expiration of programs under the old Regulations. You may want to review the current IRP for prov and prov/perm classroom teaching programs to be assured that any enrollees will have completed their courses of study this semester. (Hardcopy of the 2002 IRP should be in the office of your chief academic officer; it’s also available on-line at: http://www.nysed.gov/heds/irpsl1.html.) The scheduled expirations do not affect programs leading to school administrators, district administrators, or pupil personnel providers.

The procedures for submitting a revision are the same for curricula at all degree levels and can be found in Appendix E of the new undergraduate program guidelines, the 2003 Handbook for the Submission of Undergraduate Academic Program Proposal.

The Template, as you doubtless know by now, is a prescribed course of study to be universally recognized and accepted across the University to enable transfer to State University classroom teaching programs leading to NYS certification (i.e., birth to grade 2, grades 1-6, grades 7-12). Its design is intended to maximize general education and discipline content, minimize credit loss in transfer, and optimize graduation in just two more years of fulltime study in the baccalaureate certification program. Ideally, use of the Template will eliminate incompatibilities between the Associate transfer degree and the baccalaureate degree leading to initial certification. The ideal Associate degree will be lean and efficient in its design, just as the baccalaureate must be.

Why are we doing this? In the big picture we are honoring the University’s statutory mission “…to develop and maintain a balance of its human and physical resources that promotes appropriate program articulation between its state-operated institutions and its community colleges as well as encourages regional networks and cooperative arrangements with other educational and cultural institutions…” (Chapter 552, Laws of 1985)

We are also implementing Chancellor King’s 2001 policy, A New Vision in Teacher Education, which commits the University to address the State’s need for excellent teachers by developing a model two-year curriculum to be accepted by senior campuses as well as by negotiating jointly registered teacher education programs. In addition, we are implementing the Intra-SUNY Transfer Action Plan which is aimed at improving transfer and articulation between programs particularly to enhance retention and graduation rates.

SED defines accelerated format as “The program is offered in an accelerated curricular pattern which provides for early completion.”

To advertise or offer a fast-track or accelerated course of study the college would submit a revision of the existing program requesting the addition of or change to a new format. (Use Appendix E in the 2003 Handbook at the Program Review web page cited below.) Provide a description of the difference in the delivery (e.g., from traditional day to accelerated format), including sequencing of courses. This might be illustrated by a semester-by-semester curriculum outline which demonstrates that pre- and co-requisites are met. Identify existing and/or new faculty who will teach in the program. (The issues here are the rank/status and qualifications of faculty in the alternative format.) Provide a description of any issues related to student financial aid. Describe how student services (e.g., advisement, book store, computer services, tutoring, etc.) will be provided.

Revisions of existing programs involving format changes are announced in the Academic Program Developments report attached monthly to this Update. If you are concerned about competition from a neighboring State University campus advertising a fast-track or accelerated program, I suggest you contact its chief academic officer and inquire about the format and delivery of the program, or write me.

For more on the credit/contact hour relationship and the classical Carnegie definition of the semester credit hour, see the October 22, 2002 Ask Kate.

I consulted colleagues at the State Education Department and at three State University campuses, two doctoral and one comprehensive college with a significant graduate effort. We agreed that the statute of limitations on graduate programs, particularly for the master’s, is an academic tradition to ensure that the degree represents a corporate body of knowledge at the time of its receipt. At one doctoral campus the terms are 6 years for a master’s, 8 years for a doctorate, and 5 years for a graduate certificate; at the other, the terms are 4 years for the master’s, 7 for the doctorate, and none specified for the advanced certificate. At the comprehensive college, the term for a master’s degree and advanced certificate is 6 years.

These limits are evidently default criteria as faculty at the surveyed campuses regularly grant extensions provided course work meets contemporary standards and students demonstrate that they are still current with the material. (For example, how current is the required “Introduction to Computing” course taken x years ago?) I am told that this has been a topic of discussion for the last several months on the Council of Graduate Schools Website which perhaps inspired your inquiry or perhaps you might consult.

"I write with a purpose. A question actually. We have direction from your office to complete an SED form, 'Request to Register a Licensure-Qualifying Program in Public Accountancy'. At the bottom of the form, we are instructed to send it to:

"Professional Education Review Program
State Education Department
Cultural Education Center, Room 3055
Albany, New York 12230

"So, my question: Is the entire program proposal, along with these completed forms, to be sent to SED at the above address? Or do we simply send the completed forms to SED, with full proposal to be sent by System Administration (what happened to 'Central Central') after SUNY review? Or does everything — forms, charts, proposal — get sent to you folks and you haul it to SED?

"I live in fear, Kate, of not knowing the right magic. Help me out. ”

Why? The responsibility of the Provost of the University for all academic programs is delegated to us by the Chancellor based on the powers and duties of the State University Board of Trustees as outlined in New York State Education Law §355 and §6303. The more earthly reason is for us to know fully the courses of study at each campus as the collective makes the State University of New York and therefore the System.

You know from the periodic distribution of the “Accountability Matrix” in the Program Review Update that we hold ourselves to specific timelines for program submissions. We have done this since the 2001 guidelines were issued. In order to process within the established timelines the volume of the program requests – new curricula, revisions, deactivations, reactivations, discontinuances, extension activity – we need proposals to be succinct, forthcoming “one-read” documents. The 2003 Handbook clarifies definitions and expectations at a number of points. For example, the criteria for expedited review have been clarified; the result of this particular qualification, we believe, will be that only appropriate and selected documents are moved ahead in the review queue.

Just as important, the 2003 Handbook makes explicit the integration of two University initiatives--Assessment and Teacher Education--in the review of program proposals. We have for some time been incorporating, for example, the standards of A New Vision in Teacher Education into our review of new teacher certification programs and curricular revisions. The 2003 Handbook informs campuses up front that this is the case.

This advice updates and supersedes previous suggestions offered in this column.

For each program you are revising, provide the following:

I suggest that the campus develop a uniform model and method for submitting such changes and that it be used consistently across all departments. The cover letter from the president/provost should mention any time-sensitive issues, including revisions as a result of the implementation of the New Vision policy. Be succinct but forthcoming, not stingy.

It is not helpful to send proposed revisions directly to the State Education Department or to copy our colleagues in the SED Office of College & University Evaluation.

Staff working on the teacher education "template" project are very encouraged by the degree of compatibility of courses across the system, particularly considering the dynamic: most of the 35 two-year colleges and most of the 11 teacher preparation campuses have signed on to be a part of the inaugural effort covering multiple majors/concentrations at two certification levels. It is an enormous articulation agreement in the making.

It does not surprise me, however, that in negotiating a specific articulation agreement with your favorite senior or teacher preparation college that you would discover individual campus preferences on the fine points of a one-on-one agreement. We would suggest that if at all possible you ride the wake of the template negotiations and the course-to-course articulation information that will follow. It’s very possible that the campus individuals with whom you are discussing a specific articulation agreement are not the individuals working with us on system-wide model.

Our advice emphasizes the review and registration of Teaching Assistant programs and the relationship to baccalaureate programs, particularly those leading to NYS teacher certification. (This should be of interest, therefore, to the two-year colleges as well as senior campuses, especially those with teacher certification programs.)

If you are interested in developing a Teaching Assistant program, here’s our best advice:

1)	Familiarize yourselves with the Part 80 of the Commissioner’s Regulations, specifically § 80-5.6 on supplementary school personnel at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/part80.htm. Note the change in requirements for candidates who apply on or after February 2004. It is critical to the success of your proposal that the certificate program be designed to give students an educational path to a baccalaureate degree.
2)	Your Program Announcement and the eventual proposal should specify the Teaching Assistant level (I, II, III, pre-professional) the program seeks to cover.
3)	At the proposal stage, the SUNY review will look for evidence of need for the program. (This is the market documentation critical to the University’s focused review on “mission, market, quality.”) Here we would wish to see evidence of the college’s work with specific local school districts to identify their quantitative and qualitative needs. Identify the school districts and describe their needs.
4)	The program proposal for a Teaching Assistant certificate must demonstrate that all certificate course work is “acceptable toward meeting the requirements for a baccalaureate degree.” There are several ways of demonstrating this. The certificate might consist entirely of liberal arts courses that are part of your Liberal Arts and Sciences AA/AS, and/or it might consist entirely of general education requirements that transfer to a number of baccalaureates. Or, the certificate might consist entirely of course work offered in a jointly-registered associate/baccalaureate degree program. If the Teaching Assistant certificate contains non-liberal arts course work (e.g., pedagogy) and is not subsumed under a jointly registered program, the proposal should contain a letter from an appropriate academic officer at a senior campus stating that all the courses in the Teaching Assistant Level II or III program would be accepted toward meeting the requirements of a baccalaureate degree at that campus. (It is not sufficient to state that the courses in the certificate can be applied toward an associate degree program at the proposing campus.) For a pre-professional Teaching Assistant certificate, the entire 18 credit hours must be transferable to at least one baccalaureate teacher preparation program at a specifically identified senior campus.
5)	An associate degree program for Teaching Assistant/Paraprofessional will probably resemble closely the first two years in a jointly-registered teacher education program, that is, a liberal arts and sciences curriculum with a minimum of introductory work in professional education. In fact, the teacher education transfer “template” curriculum (about to be finalized) is the ideal curriculum for the NYS teaching assistant certificates and the NCLB paraprofessional.

If you have proposed a Teaching Assistant Certificate or associate degree, our review may require us to seek assurance or information on one or more of the above points.

I recommend that you continue your discussions with your neighboring college for a jointly registered program (particularly in the high need areas of math and science) and that you participate fully in the universal transfer template project.

The Student Data File and the Course and Section Analysis (CASA) are independent data collection processes for gathering System enrollment information and faculty workload, respectively. They are governed by the same set of policies and definitions in order that an instruction type or category (e.g., lecture, laboratory, tutorial) is defined consistently to allow the data collections to be linked.

For SDF/CASA reporting purposes there are nine instructional types to describe the primary mode of instruction for a course or section: lecture, seminar, recitation, laboratory or activity, tutorial, independent study, programmed instruction, supervised instruction, and distance learning. I am advised that a credit-bearing, self-paced mathematics course could be reported as independent study, programmed instruction or supervised instruction, depending on the particulars. Excerpts from OIR's definitions follow:

Independent study is "study where the student works with minimal faculty direction…a student receives advisement with respect to this type of study…independent study sections report no faculty member."

Programmed instruction "occurs through programmed materials and includes computer-assisted instruction, televised courses, and other instruction where materials is presented to students by preplanned automated procedures."

Supervised instruction includes any type of direct mentoring instruction that may occur in a variety of clinical settings.

The basis for the policy is the classical Carnegie definition of a semester credit hour. While there have been instructional modifications to the standard over time, such as varied academic calendars and instructional delivery methods, the policy stands.

An easy way to learn the degree titles currently authorized for your campus is to check the first page of the hardcopy of Inventory of Registered Programs, which is probably available in the office of the academic vice president. (This information is not contained in the on-line version.) For example, one of the University's more comprehensive colleges is listed as being authorized for the following: NC Cert, NC Dipl, Cert, Dipl, BA, BS, BPS, BSNurs, BFA, MA, MS, MPS, MAT, MST, MSEd, MFA, MPA, MSW, Adv Cert, Adv Dipl. Some of these would be considered terminal degrees depending, of course, on the discipline.

The Regulations governing teacher aide, a position noted for its non-teaching duties, have not changed. There is no requirement to revise your teacher aide program.

SED's Office of the Professions is notified by accrediting bodies, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), of upcoming visits, including programs/departments scheduled for review and the names of the visiting evaluators. If SED chose to accompany the team on a "combined" visit, it would notify the professional school and institution. SED might also elect to conduct a visit separate from the accreditation team. (Keep in mind that when SED accompanies an accreditation team or conducts a visit, it is acting in its role as the State's registration authority, not in its role as a federally recognized accreditation body. The resulting SED registration action is independent of the findings of the accrediting body.)

We are obligated to inform our SED colleagues on any conditions or issues stated in the registration letter (e.g., faculty vita, progress reports), on major changes, and on program elimination.

For more on teacher education transfer programs, see also the May 7, 2002, and the May 22, 2002 Ask Kate questions.

For your SUNY and SED colleagues who will review your proposal, remember there is a regulatory difference between the B.A. and the B.S. The information you provide-in graphic or narrative form-needs to assure that the minimum regulatory requirements for liberal arts and sciences are being met. See Section 3.50 "Registered Degrees" at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/rules.htm. Remember too that the amount of liberal arts and sciences is a fraction of the regulatory minimum total, that is, three-quarters (for the B.A.) or one-half (for the B.S.) of 120 credit hours. It is not, as many think, a fraction of the total for the particular curriculum which may well be greater than 120 credits.

Technical corrections are necessary when there is an oversight or mistake in the approval (by the college or by the University) and/or in the registration (by SED) of a program. Such technical corrections may involve a misspelling or erroneous title, a wrong award (e.g., A.S. rather than A.A.), or an errant or incorrect punctuation mark (e.g., a hyphen rather than the preferred colon). Yes, they are cosmetic but we want the programs to be registered correctly. We can handle a technical correction by letter or by email. This may result in the issuance of a corrected registration letter; it definitely will result in a correction on SED's Inventory of Registered Programs. (Watch http://www.nysed.gov/heds/irpsl1.html for the change.)

Strictly speaking, a review of the Commissioner’s Regulations would prompt one to suggest the registration of all certificate programs. (See the April 9, 2001 Ask Kate for the pertinent Regulations and general discussion) However, we know that some campuses offer a sequence of courses to already matriculated students and recognize the achievement with a "certificate." We also know that campuses offer non-credit or CEU certificate programs.

The Provost has recently approved and we have in process a number of jointly registered teacher education programs. As you know from Mission Review and your MOU, we have been encouraging joint teacher certification programs in the interest of improving transfer and articulation in general and in helping address the teacher shortage specifically.

The associate degree title, Liberal Arts & Sciences: Education, is in fact being reserved for curricula that meet the above qualifications in anticipation of the outcome of the teacher education transfer "template" project. It is our hope and expectation that the template effort will yield a model or generic two-year course of study which will transfer widely to teacher education institutions and to specific certification programs. The project necessarily involves a great deal of consultation between sectors and among faculty and institutions, as well as with the State Education Department. Many readers of this column, I know, are engaged in these on-going discussions.

At this time, therefore, in order to register an associate degree program with (teacher) "education" in the title, joint registration is necessary. However, in the future, if the template model is widely accepted as envisioned, joint registration may not be required.

If you are interested in developing a "teacher education transfer" program, I suggest that you identify a senior, perhaps neighboring, institution and plan on a curriculum that includes all 10 SUNY-GER silos plus an extra semester’s work in Foreign Language, a 3-9 credit professional component, and 12-15 credits in the major/concentration. Keep in mind the need for high school mathematics and science teachers, particularly if you have depth and breadth of course work in these areas.

For more on jointly-registered programs, see also the February 4, 2002, October 22, 2001, and the March 26, 2001 Ask Kate questions.

For example, the college’s program in Geography [ed.] has changed incrementally over time and transmogrified into Geographical Information Systems. You submit a change in title and/or program revision and ask that the Geography title remain registered until June 2005 [ed.] to allow current students (whom you’ve canvassed) to graduate from Geography. (This, of course, commits the college to continue to offer the major courses toward the Geography degree.) The new program, Geographical Information Systems, is added to the SED Inventory of Registered Programs and Geography gets a ‘TBT’ (to be terminated) footnote on the Inventory. The college for a brief time will be authorized to offer both programs. When the TBT date is reached, the program is automatically removed from the Inventory.

At this point it may be worthwhile to remind you of some of the recent history — and some important upcoming deadlines — relating to the re-registration of teacher education programs. As you know, the Board of Regents in 1998 adopted "New York’s Commitment: Teaching to Higher Standards" and the resulting Regulations require colleges to revise existing programs preparing classroom teachers to meet the new standards. April 1, 2000 and 2001 were the announced deadlines. Colleges that admitted candidates to their teacher preparation programs as freshmen were required to submit proposals for re-registration by April 1, 2000. The deadline for all other programs leading to the initial certificate, both undergraduate and graduate, was April 1, 2001. Graduate programs leading to the professional certificate only may be submitted at any time. Because of the volume of proposals, we agreed to a variance in the process, allowing campuses to send the applications for re-registration simultaneously to SED and to the University. (This variance is what is referred to in the first sentence of the "Question" above). In many cases, the revisions resulted in the registration of ‘new’ programs, on which we were consulted prior to SED taking registration action. (In 2000, SED re-registered 1,188 teacher certification programs; in 2001, another 1,657, and they are still arriving.)

Certificate means a credential issued by an institution in recognition of the completion of a curriculum other than one leading to a degree. §50.1(j).

Credit means a unit of academic award applicable towards a degree offered by the institution. §50.1(n).

Each course offered for credit by an institution shall be part of a registered curriculum offered by that institution, as a general education course, a major requirement, or an elective. §52.1(f).

The policy and working interpretation of the above Regulations prompts the one salient feature of a certificate: that each course involved must be applicable to a registered degree program at the institution, at least as an elective. Undergraduate certificates show a great variation in the number of credits required. Most lead to twenty-four credits or more for TAP eligibility. Most are designed and offered for a particular clientele and/or for a particular purpose. Most are offered by the two-year colleges to meet a local or immediate need; many are short-lived. Certificate programs currently offered by baccalaureate campuses are primarily advanced or graduate certificates, though several offer undergraduate certificates to serve a local need not being met by a two-year college.

This week’s question and answer are a reprise from 04/09/01.

The effect on you, as the Associate degree granter in the equation, is similar to the impact, for example, of EAC/ABET on your Engineering Science A.S. The Engineering Accreditation Commission/Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accredits the professional baccalaureate engineering programs to which your graduates successfully transfer.

In 1998 the Board of Regents adopted "New York’s Commitment: Teaching to Higher Standards." The resulting Regulations, adopted in 1999, require colleges to achieve accreditation of their registered programs that prepare candidates for New York State certification as classroom teachers by an "Acceptable Professional Accrediting Association." At present there are three options: NCATE, RATE, and TEAC. Programs registered before September 2001 must be accredited by December 2004; programs registered for the first time on or after September 1, 2001 must be accredited within five years of initial registration.

NCATE or the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education presently accredits the teacher preparation programs at the Colleges at Buffalo, Oneonta, and Oswego and has been selected by Stony Brook, Brockport, Cortland, Fredonia, Geneseo, New Paltz, Plattsburgh, and Potsdam.

New York State Regents Accreditation or the Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education (RATE) is currently under review by the Board of Regents. It is scheduled for discussion today at its March meeting and for action in April, with an effective date of May 16, 2002.

TEAC or the Teacher Education Accreditation Council is scheduled for consideration by the USDE’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity on June 3-5, 2002. Following USDE’s approval, TEAC will be considered by the Board of Regents. Five State University campuses have selected TEAC: Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Old Westbury, and the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.

1) The name of the program (by registered title), the award, and the SED program code number from the SED Inventory of Registered Programs. If the program leads to teacher certification, indicate the current certificate area and level. If the program leads to New York State licensure, please state.

2) The rationale or need for the change. The most compelling rationale is grounded academically, often arising from the results of ongoing assessment, changes in quality standards, or comparative market information.

3) Curriculum outline of the current program and of the proposed revised curriculum, with changes in program (e.g., courses added, deleted) clearly noted.

4) Course outlines for new courses. Indicate prerequisites, the frequency with which the course is offered, and the name, faculty rank, and status of the instructor(s). If none, please so state.

5) For new faculty teaching new courses, provide brief résumé(s). If no new faculty are required, please state.

6) Description of any additional costs. If none, please explain.

7) Effective date of the change in the program. If the current program needs to remain registered until students have graduated (or have been otherwise accommodated), please indicate the anticipated effective date of discontinuance by which time all matriculants will have cleared the program.

In a letter addressed to the Provost of the University, provide the following:

Here are some examples of single institution combined degree programs approved in recent years:

We offer common characteristics:

• The principal feature of combined programs is the close integration of undergraduate and graduate study. No credits are "wasted" through, for example, duplication in topics covered in course work.

• Admission to the program is carefully defined by the combined faculty and selective. Often there are thresholds of performance (e.g., gpa, grade in selected courses, test scores) throughout the course of study which must be met. There are always registered "fall-back" curricula for students who fail to meet the required performance objectives.

• The undergraduate component will require fewer than 120 credits and the total combined program may be less than 150. The graduate portion needs to be at least 30 credits, however. Often the total exceeds 150 credits as a result of all that must be accomplished.

• The pedagogy or professional component will be primarily at the graduate level but will likely begin in the undergraduate component, in order to meet fieldwork requirements, for example. (Any displacement of undergraduate course work is determined by the combined faculty.)

• The program leads to initial/professional certification, meaning that all educational requirements for the initial and the professional certificates would be met. The professional certificate would not be issued until the required satisfactory teaching experience has been accomplished. Neither degree could be awarded and no teaching certificate would be issued until the entire program was completed.

If your campus were to propose a program in the same discipline area in which you offer the M.A., no Master Plan amendment would be necessary. If, however, you propose an M.F.A in a discipline area in which you currently have no baccalaureate or master’s level programs, a master plan amendment or mission change would be involved. Example: Model College is authorized to offer the M.A., M.S., M.P.S., M.F.A., M.P.A. and has registered master’s programs in the liberal arts, fine arts, and business. Model College is proposing an M.B.A. in Health Administration and while it has graduate programs in management and in accounting, it does not have degree authorization at the level (graduate) and in the discipline (health professions), thus a Master Plan amendment is required.

Remember, your branch campus is a separately recognized legal entity. While to you it is an integrated component of the college, to me and your "Albany" colleagues, it is a different institution with different planning and disciplinary authorizations. For example, it is entirely possible that a certificate program you want to "copy" to the branch location represents a new field of study for that institution, thus triggering a change of mission for the branch location.

Keep in mind the following for new certificate programs at the branch: 1) the specific academic authorizations (e.g., disciplinary areas and HEGIS) at that location, and 2) that the course work in a certificate must be applicable to a registered degree program at the branch. (For more on this point, see the April 9 and 16 columns.)

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs in general at State University campuses follow the traditional format of a minimum of 30 academic credits (not counting the student teaching or fieldwork) of which about half is in the discipline and half in pedagogy. Your question implies an interest in seeking an MAT as a second degree by taking only the professional and fieldwork courses. This is a timely question given the State’s teacher shortage and the press for "alternate routes" to New York State teacher certification. Provided the requirements of your recently re-registered MAT programs are satisfied, the decision on the French 7-12 MAT as a second degree rests with the faculty.

Currently one of the most popular multiple-award programs under consideration across the University (and maybe the State) is the combining of a baccalaureate in the liberal arts with a master’s degree leading to New York State teacher certification. In the coming weeks, we’ll offer some advice and direction, with the cooperation of SED, on submitting these combined degree programs.

It is important that the faculty select a HEGIS number — and thereby the discipline are — a based on the content and intent of the program. Often it is difficult to ‘define’ a curriculum idea by a specific HEGIS number in the early stages of a program’s development which is, of course, when we see the Program Announcement or Letter of Intent. It may be that the disciplinary area of engineering is not the most appropriate descriptor of the final curriculum. It may be more aptly described, for example, by Biological Sciences, Other, (#0499) or by Physical Sciences, Other (#1999). In any case, the faculty should be able to defend the choice.

The required liberal arts core shall not be directed toward specialized study or specific occupational or professional objectives.

We find that the designation of a course as a liberal arts or science offering not only varies somewhat by campus but may even vary by program within the same campus. If you have questions about particular kinds of offerings, you may wish to confer with your campus’ assigned reviewer before submitting the program proposal.

"What are the criteria for offering the major for either B.A. or B.S.? In the past the major was B.A. only and required a second major. Now it doesn't require the second major and is still a B.A. We would like to have students choose the degree, a B.A. or a B.S. Isn’t it true that for a B.A. the credits in the major are limited to 45? What is it for the B.S.?

There is no State requirement or State University policy on credit hours in the major by degree type. You must be speaking of a campus requirement. (I can’t help you with that.)

If the College would like to offer the B.S. in addition to the B.A. for the Cultural Studies program, you should submit the request for the "new" program as a revision, following the steps outlined in the process described in the March 19 Ask Kate column.

§355 Powers and duties of trustees

1. The Signature Page for a jointly-registered (or a multiple-institution-and-award) program should be signed by the academic leadership of both campuses. You co-own the program.

2. We need to receive the Application as soon as possible. Remember that the registration of your existing joint ‘elementary education’ program, under the "old" Regulations, expires on February 2, 2004. Current matriculants - regardless of where they are in their course of study - must complete their programs before that date or be otherwise accommodated.

3. In the interest of time, the Application for re-registration may be submitted concurrently to the University and to SED’s Office of College & University Evaluation.

You are proposing deactivation and discontinuance of programs as well as title changes, some of which imply a change in the curriculum (e.g., changing a title from Advertising to Photography reveals perhaps a change in content). Your proposed changes should be submitted by the president or chief academic officer following due process there on campus, rather than filed as technical changes to SED’s list.

We advise campuses to seek the approval and registration of a concentration if:

I understand, however, that among some faculty there is a preference to attach the M.S. to the science disciplines and the M.A. to the arts and letters. It is a faculty and campus prerogative.

1. Use the procedure outlined in Memorandum to Presidents, Vol. 83 No. 11. Also read about 83-11 in the April 30 and May 7 Ask Kate columns.)
2. Make sure, as best you can, that the programs are indeed "dead" and/or establish a discontinuance effective date to accommodate stragglers. (I note that a number of your programs have no enrollment for an extended period but suddenly report several degrees awarded.) Should we establish a discontinuance effective date prematurely, we can always temporarily reinstate the discontinued program, on the faculty’s recommendation, should a qualified completer appear. This practice should be rare.
3. Bundle the deactivation/discontinuance requests by college (if you’re multi-campus) and be sure to provide the registered title, award, the SED program code number, and the effective dates of deactivation and/or discontinuance. It would be best if you could keep professional/licensure programs (e.g., engineering, nursing, accounting) separate as these will go to a different offices at the State Education Department for their information.
4. Submit them to the Provost of the University from yourself or the president. This assures appropriate tracking here.

We ask that you be especially careful in addressing the transfer and articulation items for the proposed A.S. and provide specific information and concrete assurances.

Under the 2001 Guidelines, a Program Announcement may be filed with us electronically or by surface mail. (We prefer electronically.) At the beginning of each week — via this medium — we notify all State University campuses of new Program Announcements received. We also remind campuses how to access the new announcements on the Document Retrieval System (DRS) and how to file substantive comments with the proposing campus and the University Provost. We too are finding that the Program Announcements under this process are engendering few responses from sister institutions.

The Academic Program Information System (APIS) site was updated and moved to its permanent address above just as we issued the hardcopy of the 2001 Guidelines for the Submission of Undergraduate Academic Program Proposals. The address has always been listed correctly on the forms at the Program Review Web Page.

Use the APIS database in conjunction with SED’s on-line Inventory of Registered Programs at http://www.nysed.gov/heds/irpsl1.html for planning and program purposes.

Your campus, I note, is using the ‘curriculum code’ from the "Application Viewbook" in submitting program revisions. While this is helpful, it does not fully identify the program. Let me describe the source of a ‘curriculum code.’

We cannot support your listing in the college catalog or in any promotional material academic programs that are not registered and not listed on SED’s Inventory of Registered Programs. The following citations from the Regulations of the Commissioner apply to all higher education and proprietary institutions in New York State. (Underscoring of text is for emphasis.)

Part 52 Registration of Curricula

§ 52.1(a)(1-3): Registration is required for every curriculum creditable toward a degree offered by institutions of higher education; every curriculum leading to licensure in a profession; every curriculum for which registration is required by statute, the Rules of the Board of Regents, or any other section of these regulations...

§52.1(g): Each curriculum for which registration is required shall be registered before the institution may publicize its availability or recruit or enroll students in the curriculum.

Part 53 Information for Students and Prospective Students

§ 53.3(d)(1-2): A list of degree, certificate and diploma programs shall be provided. The list shall be consistent with the inventory of registered degree and certificate programs maintained by the Education Department. The list shall contain at least the official approved program title, degree and HEGIS code number, and shall be preceded by a statement that enrollment in other than registered or otherwise approved programs may jeopardize a student’s eligibility for certain student aid awards. Each degree, certificate or diploma program shall be described in terms of both prerequisites and requirements or completion.

Subpart 145-2 Educational Requirements for Awards and Loans

§145-2.3(a): The commissioner shall periodically provide each approved institution of postsecondary education in the State with a list of registered programs approved by the commissioner for purposes of general and academic performance awards in that institution, and such institution shall certify as attending approved programs of study only those students enrolled in programs included in such list… Copies of all such lists of registered programs shall be provided to the president of the Higher Education Services Corporation for use in implementing the purposes of this section.

the program has leadership already in place on the faculty;

the program is situated in a department (or interdisciplinary center or inter-departmental group) with a minimum of four full-time faculty, including a department chairperson, experienced in teaching at the baccalaureate level; and

campus faculty governance includes a college/school curriculum committee, dean or director, and an all-campus educational policy committee."

Misimpression 2: While I understand that there is precious little time for tidying and record keeping, we believe there is an important advantage in formally discontinuing programs that are no longer viable. Let me first state that it is our impression that campus program development and devolution are the result of ongoing institutional self-study and planning aimed at increasing the institution’s effectiveness. The program deactivations and discontinuances we receive are often evidence of a college’s ability to plan, assess, and make difficult choices. If due process has determined that it is not in the best interest of the institution to continue to offer a Dance BFA (ed.) or Poultry Science AAS (ed.), there is no advantage to keeping its hollow authorization on the books. Conversely, there is strategic advantage in a solid record of on-going assessment, change, renewal, and continuous improvement.

First, there is the Part 54 of the Regulations of the Commissioner (www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/IndexRegs.html), based on the regulatory definition in Part 50.1. The implementation guidelines for Part 54 are contained in SED’s policy memo CEO 80-16, Implementation of New Regulations on Off-Campus Instruction, which "classifies all instruction offered for credit at a location other than the institution’s principal center into four categories:" extension site, extension center, branch campus, and exceptions. The extension site, extension center and branch campus categories are defined by the amount of instruction offered at the off-campus location; the extension center and branch campus categories need various approvals before beginning operation. You should know that offering a complete program leading to a degree or a certificate at the off-campus location is considered a branch campus and requires approval by the Board of Regents as a master plan amendment. (This does not mean that it’s a bad idea or impossible, and there are exceptions for certain programs.)

Is each course in the certificate program, in the determination of the faculty, credit worthy? (Yes.) Does the College in its registered degree programs have free, open, or general electives? (Yes.) Will the College accept the courses in the certificate as free, open or general electives in registered degree programs at the College? (Say yes.)

The Regulations do not preclude the development of credit-bearing certificate programs in any sequence, dimension, or discipline. SED relies significantly on the judgment of the faculty in determining the applicability of courses in a certificate to degree programs. We have all seen very specialized courses be applied to seemingly unrelated degree programs as free electives. I suggest that in a proposal for a stand-alone certificate program the College make every effort to identify several degree programs to which the certificate courses may be applied, even as free electives.

Certificate means a credential issued by an institution in recognition of the completion of a curriculum other than one leading to a degree. §50.1(j).

Credit means a unit of academic award applicable towards a degree offered by the institution. §50.1(n).

Each course offered for credit by an institution shall be part of a registered curriculum offered by that institution, as a general education course, a major requirement, or an elective. §52.1(f).

The policy and working interpretation of the above Regulations prompts the one salient feature of a certificate: that each course involved must be applicable to a registered degree program at the institution, at least as an elective. Undergraduate certificates show a great variation in the number of credits required. Most lead to twenty-four credits or more for TAP eligibility. Most are designed and offered for a particular clientele and/or for a particular purpose. Most are offered by the two-year colleges to meet a local or immediate need; many are short-lived. Certificate programs currently offered by baccalaureate campuses are primarily advanced or graduate certificates, though several offer undergraduate certificates to serve a local need not being met by a two-year college.

All program entries carry a status code indicating their place or stage in the review process, e.g., Program Announcement (PA) or Program Proposal (PP). Internally we use the term "expire" to indicate a program record on which there has been no activity for at least one year. In other words, we will expire a Program Announcement for Poultry Science A.A. if no Program Proposal is received within a year of the PA’s receipt. We also expire Program Proposals when a year has elapsed since we wrote the campus for further information and received no reply. This is consistent with the 2001 SUNY Guidelines, which state:

There are many models of jointly registered programs, though the term is most commonly used to describe the arrangement between a two-year and a four-year college collaborating in an associate/baccalaureate degree curriculum leading to New York State teacher certification. These are, in my view, exquisite programs. They are characterized by a high degree of interdependence between the two institutions, their faculty, and resources toward a mutually beneficial goal. They are co-developed, co-offered, and co-assessed. Thirteen State University community colleges are involved in joint teacher preparation programs with nine senior colleges, including three independent institutions.

Right now, as co-owner of a joint elementary education curriculum, you know that all teacher preparation programs are being revised to meet the new standards for preparing classroom teachers adopted by Board of Regents in 1999. These programs — including the joint curricula — are important to the University and to the State in addressing the current and projected teacher shortage. We depend on your continued commitment.

1) The name of the program (by registered title), the award, and the SED program code number from the SED Inventory of Registered Programs. If the program leads to teacher certification, indicate the current certificate area and level. If the program leads to New York State licensure, please state.

2) The rationale or need for the change. The most compelling rationale is grounded academically, often arising from the results of ongoing assessment, changes in quality standards, or comparative market information.

3) Curriculum outline of the current program and of the proposed revised curriculum, with changes in program (e.g., courses added, deleted) clearly noted.

4) Course outlines for new courses. Indicate prerequisites, the frequency with which the course is offered, and the name, faculty rank, and status of the instructor(s). If none, please so state.

5) For new faculty teaching new courses, provide brief résumé(s). If no new faculty are required, please state.

6) Description of any additional costs. If none, please explain.

7) Effective date of the change in the program. If the current program needs to remain registered until students have graduated (or have been otherwise accommodated), please indicate the anticipated effective date of discontinuance by which time all matriculants will have cleared the program.

This outline can be used for title changes as well as curricular content changes. It will satisfy the requirements of the State Education Department for programs registered as general purpose as well as those leading to teacher certification or professional licensure.

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education §52.1(h) state: "New registration shall be required for any existing curriculum in which major changes are made that affect its title, focus, design, requirements for completion, or mode of delivery." (If this language sounds familiar to you, it should. It is contained in every SED registration letter for a new program.)

State University of New York campuses, by prior agreement with State Education Department officials, use the State University procedures. Our new guidelines, outlined in Memorandum to Presidents, Vol. 01 No.1 (issued on January 3, 2001), were developed in cooperation with SED. A thoughtful preparation of materials under the SUNY 2001 Guidelines will meet SED’s revised requirements and will assure you of the same efficient, timely, and consistent response (if not better).

Go to HEGISCodes.pdf, which is keyword searchable.

Here’s more than you want to know about HEGIS: It stands for Higher Education General Information Survey, a federal education classification system developed in the late ‘60s and since, functionally replaced for IR purposes by Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes. However, in New York State, policies and protocols originating in the early ‘70s for triggering a master plan amendment or change in mission use HEGIS codes and are still in force.