Program Inventory

Program proposals must follow Curricular Processes 11.99.99.M0.01. The following resources serve to assist administrators, faculty and staff with this process and the procedures related to undergraduate, graduate and professional proposals submitted for approval/review.

Please reference our list of SACSCOC approved instructional locations when preparing program proposals for approval.

Refer to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) program inventory for the official list of degree programs Texas A&M University is authorized to offer.

The program inventory for Texas A&M University is listed in the catalog within the Degree Program Tables section and reflects the programs that were approved at the time of publishing.

Academic Program Definitions

New Proposal

Reference the information below to assist in creating a program proposal. In addition, when submitting program proposals, please refrain from using acronyms/abbreviations in program titles.

Degree Programs

All new degree program proposals will require both internal and external approval/review as defined by Curricular Processes 11.99.99.M0.01. Depending on the proposal type, the internal process may take at least one month at each level. The external approval timeline varies depending on the external due dates and deadlines so please take this into consideration when proposing the implementation date for your proposed new program.

Board of Regents Agenda Items Deadline

Please be sure to:

Include the approved/signed New Program Planning Memo for new degrees.
- New Program Planning Memo – Undergraduate Template
- New Program Planning Memo – Graduate Template
Include letters of support with your proposal if/as requested.
Resolve any concerns about your proposed program (within or outside your college) before submitting for review/approval.
Coordinate with the Office of the Provost, Academic Affairs (Dr. Alicia Dorsey) on the development of the New Degree Proposal Form (THECB document).
Attach the New Degree Proposal Form (provided by the Office of the Provost) in WORD format.

Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programs

Documents to submit through the Curricular Approval Request System (CARS):

New Degree Proposal Form: Bachelor’s or Master’s Programs
Program Funding Estimation Tool
- Please contact Dr. Alicia Dorsey to obtain the above forms
Degree Evaluation Template (UG Programs Only)

Doctoral Degree Programs

Documents to submit through the Curricular Approval Request System (CARS):

New Degree Proposal Form: Doctoral or Professional Programs
Program Funding Estimation Tool
- Please contact Dr. Alicia Dorsey to obtain the above forms

Minors

A minor is a concentration of courses that focus on a single area or an interdisciplinary perspective developed by the department or program that offers the minor. The department or program offering the minor is responsible for setting enrollment limits and deciding which courses are used to meet the minor. Coursework consists of 15-18 hours with a minimum of 6 in residence at the 300-400 level. (Texas A&M University Student Rule 14.16).

Reference the Instructions for New Program Proposals for an Undergraduate Minor document before starting a new minor request proposal via CARS. Ensure that information from the document is included in the CARS proposal.

Approved Minors

University Approved Minors

Certificate Programs

Certificate Program Procedures

Approved Certificate Programs

Approved Certificate Programs

Request for New Certificates

Documents to submit through the Curricular Approval Request System (CARS):

New Program Request Form for Academic Certificate Programs - Complete and submit

Reference the Preparing Distance Education Proposal section if you intend on submitting a new certificate program for distance education.

Interdisciplinary Programs

University Studies Degree Programs

Combination Programs

Departments requesting the combination of existing degree programs which allow students the opportunity to receive two degrees at the same time must submit a proposal through the Curricular Approval Request System (CARS).

Undergraduate Combination Programs:

Combination programs must be a minimum of 150 hours.
Even though the undergraduate and graduate programs are combined, students must satisfy the required hours of both programs. Hours in excess of 150 hours can be used to double count courses. For example, an undergraduate program with 120 hours and a graduate program with 48 hours can use up to 18 hours to double count.
The proposal for the undergraduate degree and graduate degree program requirements must show the plan of study grid/table (ex., First Year-Fall, Spring, Second Year-Fall, Spring,etc.) for both programs which should identify the courses that will be double counted.
Departments prepare and submit the combination proposal through the curricular approval process. The proposal must be approved by both the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (undergraduate program) and Graduate and Professional Council (graduate program) because this affects both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Graduate and Professional Combination Programs:

Guidelines for the Establishment of Combined Graduate and First Professional Doctoral Degree Programs (PDF).

The proposed degrees are existing TAMU degrees, therefore, require internal approval only.

Documents to Submit

Documents to submit through the Curricular Approval Request System (CARS):

Degree Evaluation Template (UG Program) (Word)

Approved Combination Programs

Approved Combination Programs

Distance Education Proposal

Distance Education Programs

Texas A&M University offers distance education (DE) degree and certificate programs. Visit our distance.tamu.edu website to learn more about distance education at Texas A&M University.

Students who are not enrolled in an approved distance education program cannot take more than 50% of their required courses online. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) rules that no more than 50% of courses can be taken online if the program is not approved to be offered online as a distance education program.

Please reference the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) for the new definitions regarding 100% online versus hybrid.

Degree Programs

Documents to submit through the Curricular Approval Request System (CARS):

Bachelor’s/Master’s and Doctoral degree programs seeking approval for distance education must complete one of the following Online Delivery Proposals:
- Electronic-to-Individual
- Electronic-to-Group
Other documentation will be completed in coordination and consultation with Dr. Alicia Dorsey after proposal is submitted in CARS.

Resources

Texas Administrative Code (TAC)
- Approval of Distance Education for Public Institutions
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
- Principles of Good Practice for Distance Education
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs

Proposal for Program Changes

Change in Curricula (degrees, minors, certificates)

Departments requesting changes to their program requirements (degrees, minors, certificates) must submit a proposal.

Documents to Submit

Documents to submit through the Curricular Approval Request System (CARS):

Copy of the current degree evaluation with edits (from Howdy)*
- In Howdy, you can use DEGEVAL (in all caps) for the student ID
- If you are creating a new concentration, use an existing degree evaluation with edits or use the Degree Evaluation Template.
- Letters of support (as needed)
- If degree program hours are increasing or decreasing, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Semester Credit Hour Change Form must also be submitted.

*NOTE: The degree evaluation edits and catalog edits must match. If they do not match, please make the appropriate changes to the proposed curriculum before submitting changes through CARS for approval. Master's and Doctoral programs will not have degree evaluation edits.

Program Changes

Includes program title changes, CIP code changes, semester credit hour changes.

Departments requesting a program title change must also indicate how the title change will impact current students on both the THECB required form and the CARS proposal.

Documents to Submit

Complete the THECB form for your required administrative change. Complete cover (page 2) and the requested change only; non-relevant pages can be deleted.

Program Discontinuation Proposal

Discontinuation of Program (degrees, minors, certificates)

Annual Degree Evaluation Review/Revision Period

Approved Programs in Howdy

The curriculum proposal will be added to Howdy after it has received full approval. Departments have the opportunity to review a program’s degree evaluation one time per year for accuracy. If updates are needed, departments can submit a Request for Corrections to Degree/Certificate Evaluations when they are made available. The revision period only applies to undergraduate, first professional and all certificate programs. Curricular Services aims to have all revision requests processed by the first summer new student conference.

Degree Evaluation Review Timeline

2024-2025 Catalog Edition (202431)

Date	Event
April 1, 2024	Degree Evaluations active in Howdy
April 1 - 29, 2024	College/Department review period
April 29, 2024	Revision forms due to Curricular Services
April 30 - May 20, 2024	Revision processing time
May 21 - 22, 2024	Freshman New Student Conference #1
May 23 - 24, 2024	Transfer New Student Conference #1

External Resources

New Proposal

Distance Education Proposal

Proposal for Program Changes

Program Discontinuation Proposal

Annual Degree Evaluation Review/Revision Period

RESOURCES

Program Inventory