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University Academic Affairs
Rutgers logo
University Academic Affairs
Rutgers logo
University Academic Affairs
Rutgers logo
University Academic Affairs

Academic Program and Organizational Approvals FAQ

General Questions 

  • CLU Contacts

    Proposing units must follow the review and approval processes within individual CLUs before initiating the approval process at the university level. CLU contact information is provided below.

    • Camden 
    • Newark
      • John Gunkel, Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs and Strategic Partnerships
      • Bonita Veysey, Interim Provost and Executive Vice-Chancellor
    • New Brunswick
    • Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

  • The Academic Budget Template is required for all new program proposals. Individual faculty members or academic units developing program proposals are not expected to complete the Academic Budget Template independently. Please contact the individual in your department or school responsible for budget planning, or your chief budget officer (CBO) in the Chancellor's Office, for assistance with the completion of this template. A job aid is also available to assist with the completion of the Academic Budget Template.

    Prior to requesting Chancellor and/or Provost final approval and submitting the new program proposal to the Office of Academic Planning, the Academic Budget Template must be approved by the chief budget officer at each Chancellor-Led Unit as well as the Office of the Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer and University Treasurer.

    Therefore, please submit the Academic Budget Template to your CBO and once they have completed their review, they should submit it to J. Michael Gower, Executive Vice President - Chief Financial Officer & University Treasurer, and David Moore, Vice President for Financial Planning and Analytics – Chief Budget Officer.

  • Joint Degree Programs are a single degree offered by two cooperating Rutgers units or a Rutgers unit and another institution—both units appear on a single diploma. For example, the RU–Newark BA in Biology with NJIT and the AAS in Respiratory Therapy are offered by SHP and seven individual community colleges. 

  • Dual Degree Programs are two sequential or concurrent degrees cooperatively offered by two units at Rutgers or a Rutgers unit and another institution—with a minimal amount of shared coursework. When degrees are at two different levels, the last year of the lower degree program often coincides with the first year of the higher degree program. For example, JD/MBA, MD/PhD, MPP/MPH, BA/EdM. “Dual degrees” also include programs such as 4 + 1 programs and “accelerated” programs.

  • A domestic or international facility or location that is geographically separate from the main campus and at which the institution offers at least 50% of an educational program that is credit-bearing or Title IV eligible.

  • Any off-campus site, other than those meeting the definition of an additional location, at which the institution offers one or more credit-bearing or Title IV eligible courses.  

  • These are also commonly referred to as methods of instruction and/or learning/teaching modalities.

    In-person – A student will be required to complete all or some (i.e., some instructional content) of the program in a traditional, in-person format. 

          The following are all considered in-person:

    • 100% In-person – A student will be able to complete the entire program in a traditional, in-person format with no online coursework.
    • Hybrid Optional – A student will be able to complete the program via a combination of in-person and online courses.
    • Hybrid – A student will be required to complete the program via a combination of in-person and online coursework.

    Online – A student will be able to complete the entire program online, with no in-person coursework. All instructional content can be completed remotely, and any in-person requirements are non-instructional (e.g., orientation, testing, practicum, internship, etc.).

  • These are also commonly referred to as methods of instruction and/or learning/teaching modalities.

    • An in-person course offers all instructional content in a traditional classroom setting.
    • A fully online course delivers all instructional content exclusively online.
    • A hybrid course is a combination of in-person and online instruction that can come in a variety of forms. Some models offer in-person courses with online components while others have a mix of students who attend in-person or via video conference.

  • An MOU is required when a school is entering into a contractual agreement to provide certain aspects of an existing degree with another university, college, or organization. The following actions require a formal MOU as part of the approval process:

    • Joint degree programs with external entities (for existing programs)
    • Dual degree programs with external entities (for existing programs)
    • Add a new external partner(s) to a degree program (for existing program)
    • Add or remove an additional location

    To learn more about the MOU process and approval steps, please see the next question.

  • The key steps below apply when submitting a request for Dual Degree Programs, Joint Degree Programs, and Adding a New Partner to a Degree Program where a memorandum of understanding is required. Please note: The MOU review is independent of the program approval process.

    1. Prior to submitting a Notice of Intent (NOI), if applicable, for the proposed request (i.e., Dual Degree Program, Joint Degree Program, or Adding a New Partner to a Degree program) the academic unit must send the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to Michele Deegan, Associate Vice President for Academic Assessment & Accreditation for review by the appropriate offices. Please note: This step only applies to external agreements between Rutgers and another institution. An NOI is not required for a proposed dual degree program to be created from existing programs offered by two units at Rutgers.
    2. Following the review of the draft MOU by the appropriate offices, the academic unit submits an NOI (if applicable for the request) and includes a copy of the draft MOU with the NOI submission.
    3. At the conclusion of the comment period, the academic unit must complete and submit the appropriate request form and draft MOU to the Office of Academic Planning for review.  
    4. Following the university level approval process (i.e., approval by the EVPAA, President, Board of Governors Committee on Academic and Student Affairs, and Board of Governors) the academic unit will gather all the required signatures (except for the EVPAA) and send the signed MOU to Michele Deegan, Associate Vice President for Academic Assessment & Accreditation for the final signature.
    5. Academic units must send a copy of the fully executed MOU to the Office of Academic Planning (academicplanning@oq.rutgers.edu).

    Please contact the Office of Academic Planning (academicplanning@oq.rutgers.edu) with any questions.

    • Internal certificates are designed for students already admitted to and enrolled in a degree program. The certificate’s credits are earned toward the degree program, and the certificate is granted to those in the degree program. The Office of Academic Planning is not involved in the development or revision of internal certificates.
    • Stand-alone certificates admit both students enrolled in a degree program and students not enrolled in a degree program. New stand-alone certificates and revisions to existing stand-alone certificates are submitted to the Office of Academic Planning.  To learn more about this process, please visit the Develop a New Stand-Alone Certificate Program webpage and/or the Revise an Existing Certificate Program webpage(s).

  • The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code provides a taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate tracking and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provides an inventory of CIP codes. CIP codes are used in both the reporting and analysis of program related data.  Therefore, the accuracy of CIP codes play an important role in academic planning.

  • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides a STEM designated degree program list that includes the CIP codes for all STEM fields qualifying an F-1 student for a STEM OPT extension.  The DHS closely adheres to the STEM CIP code designation of an academic program when evaluating STEM-OPT extension requests.

    For a program to qualify as a STEM CIP code designated degree program, 50% percent or more of the required credits for the degree must be STEM. In making this determination, please keep the following in mind:

    • Program electives may be applied to the 50% threshold only if all choices are STEM so that there is no avenue for a student to complete the program without having taken at least 50% of their courses in STEM.
    • For a course to be considered STEM, the majority of the course content must be STEM.
    • Only one CIP code may be assigned to a program (CIP codes are not assigned to individual tracks, options, or concentrations).  Therefore, if the program is deemed ineligible for a STEM CIP, but a program track could be eligible, this track may be disaggregated to create a new standalone program with its own CIP code.  However, if this path is chosen, the unit must follow the process to develop a new degree program.

  • The 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code system is a statistical standard used by federal agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. The SOC codes can be connected to CIP codes, which represent academic programs, by utilizing the SOC/CIP crosswalk. This information can assist in academic planning and grant application, as it connects academic programs to specific occupations that may be in high demand.

Notice of Intent (NOI)