Develop an Undergraduate Degree Program

RIT Policy D01.0 (Policies for Curriculum Development), Section IV (Academic Programs) provides guidance for developing a new academic program at RIT. 

Contact the Office of the Vice Provost as early in the process as possible to discuss the following:

• Whether the proposed new program requires a Master Plan Amendment and/or a Charter Amendment 
• Whether an External Review is required, and (if so) the requirements and process for selection of external reviewers
• Whether the proposed program will lead to licensure or professional certification

The development of a new degree program begins with a market analysis and the submission of a New Degree Program Intent Document, which ensures that the potential new program is vetted within the proposing college and across the university before a full proposal is developed. The submission deadlines for new Intent Documents for bachelor’s and master’s degree programs are February 15 and October 15, after a market analysis has been completed. Learn more about the market analysis requirement and Intent Document process.

An institution’s approved academic mission is stated in the master plan. The academic mission includes the levels of study the institution offers and the set of disciplinary areas in which it can offer degree programs at each level of study. The master plan can be modified by amendment as the institution evolves. 

If the proposed new program expands RIT’s academic mission by offering a degree at a new level of study or in a new disciplinary area, a Master Plan Amendment supplement must be submitted to NYSED with the program proposal. Contact the Office of the Vice Provost to determine if a Master Plan Amendment is required. If it is determined that a Master Plan Amendment is required:

• Download the NYSED Master Plan Amendment Supplement
• View additional Master Plan guidance from NYSED.

The New York State Board of Regents requires that degrees registered with NYSED meet specific standards (which vary depending on the award type) related to:

• Minimum credit hours, coursework 
• Faculty credentials

Following is a summary of the NYSED requirements (from the above pages) for minimum credit hours and faculty credentials in undergraduate degree programs:

• Associate Degree Programs
  • Shall normally be capable of completion in two academic years of full-time study, or their equivalent of part-time study, with an accumulation of not less than 60 credit hours.
  • Faculty members teaching at the associate degree level hold at least a master's degree in an appropriate field and have the background for in-depth teaching, curriculum development, and program evaluation responsibilities.
    • Certain occupational specializations may merit demonstration of competence alternative to a master’s degree.  In all institutions, faculty with master degrees and beyond, and with substantial collective experience in college teaching and academic administration should be strongly predominant.
• Bachelor’s Degree Programs
  • Shall normally be capable of completion in four academic years of full-time study, or their equivalent in part-time study, with an accumulation of not less than 120 credit hours.
  • Credit toward an undergraduate degree shall be earned for college level work.
  • Enrollment of secondary school students in undergraduate courses, of undergraduates in graduate courses and of graduate students in undergraduate courses shall be strictly controlled by the institution.
  • Faculty members teaching at the bachelor’s degree level hold at least a master's degree in an appropriate field and have the background for in-depth teaching, curriculum development, and program evaluation responsibilities.
    • Certain occupational specializations may merit demonstration of competence alternative to a master’s degree.  In all institutions, faculty with master degrees and beyond, and with substantial collective experience in college teaching and academic administration should be strongly predominant.
  • A least one faculty member teaching in each curriculum at the baccalaureate level must hold an earned doctorate in the discipline of the major of the proposed program.

If the proposed new program will be jointly administered with another RIT college or degree-granting unit, refer to RIT Guidelines for Jointly Administered Academic Programs.

If new courses will be created for the proposed program, refer to RIT guidance for creating a new course.

Degree programs must comply with all requirements from RIT’s institutional accreditor, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, including Transfer of Credit, Prior Learning, and Articulation Agreements.

Review the following additional RIT requirements for undergraduate degree programs:

• Degree programs must comply with RIT’s Five Essential Program Outcomes and RIT’s Academic Portfolio Blueprint
• RIT requires all new bachelor’s degree programs to be 120 credit hours. Exceptions can be considered for professional programs that lead to licensure or have specialized program accreditation standards. To request an exception from the Office of the Vice Provost based on accreditation requirements, prepare a memo that explains what the specialized accrediting body requires in terms of course content, how you are responding to these requirements, and why you are not able to meet the required content and learning outcomes within the 120 credit hour framework. The possible exception would be between the minimum of 120 to a maximum of 128 required credit hours. A request does not mean an automatic approval of the exception.
• NYSED regulations indicate that full-time status is 12 credit hours per semester, for both undergraduate and graduate programs. When preparing NYSED applications for new or changed programs, be sure to include a curriculum table that shows how a student could complete the program with at least 12 credit hours in every semester. If a 12+ credit hour table is not provided, NYSED will request that the program be registered as part-time. Note: “Extended” terms (i.e., summer) can have 6 credits. Undergraduate programs must demonstrate that students can complete the program of study in no more than four years.
• An expected semester load is 15 to 16 credit hours with the understanding that some programs may need to occasionally extend this upper limit to 17 credit hours.
• Students who choose to complete a double major or multiple minors may need to add credits above the maximum of 128 credits needed for graduation. Undergraduate programs must consist of a minimum of 40 courses, as follows:
  • Minimum of 32 courses that are 3 credit hours
  • Maximum of 8 courses that are 4 credit hours
  • Up to 4 semester credit hours can be split into 1 and 2 credit hour courses. Combinations of 1 and/or 2 credit hour courses cannot be considered as part of the 32 courses that are 3 credit hours. New programs that intend to include more than 3 credits of 1 or 2 credit hour courses must seek approval from the Office of the Vice Provost. In making this exception request, the department chair or program director must submit a short statement that explains the number and need for 1 and/or 2 credit hour courses in the curriculum and whether the programs meets the minimum requirement of 32 courses that are 3 credit hours. Before submission, this statement should first be reviewed and validated by the department and college curriculum committees. Department chairs and program directors are encouraged to carefully examine the consequences of adding 1 and 2 credit hour courses to their curricula as it may impact student credit loads, faculty teaching loads, scheduling of facilities, etc.
    • Please note that undergraduate programs are neither expected nor required to include 1 or 2 credit hour courses. 
  • If a 3 credit hour course is co-required with a 1 credit hour lab, the combination should be counted as a part of the 8 courses that are 4 credit hours.
• RIT will support associate degrees in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and existing associate degrees in the other colleges. Additional associate degrees outside of NTID are not being considered at this time.
• Undergraduate degree programs must comply with RIT Policy D01.5 (University Writing Policy), Section II (Writing Across the Curriculum Program Requirement for Undergraduate Programs).
• Every undergraduate degree program is required to have a Program Level Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan (PLOAP). Guidance for developing a PLOAP is available from the RIT Office of Educational Effectiveness Assessment (EEA Office). The PLOAP will need to be approved by the EEA Office prior to beginning a governance review. 
• If the proposed program will include cross-listed courses, review the cross-listing guidance in RIT Policy D03.0 (Registration), Section III (Graduate Registration).
• The university remains committed to and supportive of career-oriented education and programs with required co-op experiences. For programs that require a co-op or other experiential learning component, students must be able to complete the program of study in no more than five years. In particular, students should be able to complete any required co-op or experiential learning experience in no more than 52 weeks.
• The zero credit course “RIT 365: RIT Connections” must be part of year one, fall semester for all undergraduate degree programs.
• A bachelor’s degree program can include a list of graduate electives that students have the option of taking to fulfill an elective.
• All undergraduate bachelor’s degree programs must contain at least 12 credit hours of entirely open electives. These credits can be used to take any course at RIT for which the student qualifies. The purpose of these 12 credit hours of open electives in a bachelor’s degree is to provide students with flexibility for breadth and depth to achieve their educational goals while at RIT. 
• General Education Requirements: Undergraduate degree programs must comply with RIT’s General Education (GE) framework that incorporates NYSED’s Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) requirements for each undergraduate degree type. Review the required number of GE credits for all undergraduate degree types.
  • To accommodate courses with substantial components and year-long math and science sequences, only math, science, language, and some social sciences lab-based courses in the GE curriculum can be offered as 4 credit hour courses. All other GE courses must be 3 credit hours.
  • To ensure that students are achieving the General Education Student Learning Outcomes, RIT engages in ongoing General Education Assessment of all 16 GE outcomes on a rotating basis. 
  • Review NYSED’s list of course types that are (or are not) generally considered within Liberal Arts and Sciences.
  • NYSED regulations specify that AOS degrees will not include any Liberal Arts and Sciences courses. AOS degrees should not include any LAS courses in the curriculum table.

External review of a new program proposal by a recognized expert in the field is required by NYSED for certain types of proposals, including:

• Any program that requires a master plan amendment
• Programs in a new/emerging field or allied health/health sciences area

Prior approval of proposed external reviewers by NYSED is required for new professional licensure programs. This approval is coordinated by the Office of the Vice Provost.

Review the process for selecting external reviewers, applicable NYSED forms, and preparing an institutional response.

Prepare a proposal using the RIT Template for New Undergraduate and Graduate Program Proposals.

To expedite RIT’s internal review process and ensure alignment with NYSED regulations for degree programs, the applicable NYSED registration application must be prepared along with the full program proposal. All of the information on the NYSED application is included in the RIT proposal template. The NYSED registration application varies based on the type of program that is being proposed. Choose the applicable application based on the program type:

1. Programs to prepare candidates for teacher, educational leader, or pupil personnel services certification (these are professional programs)
2. Programs to prepare candidates for a professional license such as architecture, dietetics/nutrition, engineering, interior design, physician assistant, certified public accountants, and public accountants (these are professional programs)
3. All other programs (these are general academic programs)

Prior to scheduling a review with ICC, the NYSED Registration Application must be submitted to the Office of the Vice Provost for review and feedback.

Review examples of successful proposals.

If a major portion (i.e., 50% or more) of the program requirements can be completed through study delivered by distance education, a NYSED Distance Education application must be submitted along with the new program application. Learn more about this requirement.

• The proposal must be reviewed and approved by the department and college curriculum committees, ICC and Faculty Senate.
• After ICC approval has been secured, send the completed, approved proposal to the Office of the Vice Provost via email. 
• The Office of the Vice Provost will review the final proposal, obtain approval from the Provost, and submit the application to NYSED.

The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is a national taxonomy of academic programs developed by the US Department of Education to assist in the classification of academic programs for federal surveys and reporting of institutional data. Universities assign CIP codes to their academic programs. At RIT, each program of study has a 6-digit CIP code which can be viewed in the RIT Program Library.

The new program will need a CIP code assignment. This is an internal process that occurs after the program is approved internally but before NYSED submission. Learn more about the CIP code assignment process.

The proposed new degree program MAY NOT be advertised or admit students until a formal approval has been received from NYSED.

Once the proposed new degree program has been approved by NYSED, the following actions will occur:

• The Office of the Vice Provost will work with the college(s) and Enrollment Management to determine a first admit term and request a plan code from the Registrar’s Office.
• The Office of the Vice Provost will send an official campus notification to the applicable campus departments and the applicable Dean/Associate Dean.
• The new degree program will be added to the undergraduate bulletin and RIT Programs of Study website during the annual bulletin process.

Refer to the following document for instructions regarding promotion of the new program: Marketing, Recruitment and Communication Guidelines for RIT’s New or Changed Academic Programs.