Proposals to Create or Change Academic Programs (PCCAP)

The Proposals to Create or Change Academic Programs (PCCAP) process has been developed by the Office of Academic Program Review, Assessment, and Accreditation (OAPRAA) in response to a provostial initiative to standardize and, where possible, streamline the process of creating, changing, or closing for-credit academic programs. (The linked document is a full description of the process).

• OAPRAA facilitates the administrative activity related to three types of institutional offerings: 1) PCCAP process for credit-bearing academic programs; 2) PCCAP process for sub-specialties, such as minors, specializations, emphases, tracks, etc.; and 3) non-credit offerings.

Such activity includes the proposal of new programs or offerings, the modification of existing programs or offerings, or the termination of existing programs or offerings. Institutional review and approval of credit-bearing programs does not replace school-level curriculum committees authority; rather it assures that new programs align with Vanderbilt’s mission, that new offerings are not duplicative of other initiatives across colleges and schools, and that new programs adhere to Federal Financial Aid, Department of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, Institutional Accreditation, and other external regulations. Institutional review and approval of non-credit offerings ensures quality standards and expectations, as well as appropriateness for inclusion in Vanderbilt’s academic portfolio.

The PCCAP process is designed to continue Vanderbilt’s tradition of supporting faculty-driven initiatives to continuously innovate program offerings and to be responsive to changes in student characteristics, disciplinary content, and instructional methods, while also ensuring both coordination with affected university departments or schools and appropriate university oversight. PCCAP proposals are submitted through online adaptive webforms housed in Kuali. The webpage sections below provide details for each of the three types of institutional offerings at Vanderbilt.

Faculty interested in submitting proposals for a change described below will be given a link to the online Proposal Concept form after a consultation with OAPRAA staff. Please email oapraa@vanderbilt.edu to schedule a consultation.

Faculty should plan for the approvals process for new credit-bearing programs (majors, degrees) to take a year to complete.

1) PCCAP for Credit-Bearing Programs

Step 1: THE PCCAP PROPOSAL CONCEPT

The adaptive online form will guide submitters in documenting the necessary information to activate the approval process. Information regarding the three primary proposal types for credit-bearing programs is below.

• The Proposal Concept is required for new program proposals prior to accessing the Full Proposal.
• Closing a program, which is the point at which no new students are admitted (not when the last student completes), requires only the Proposal Concept
• Proposing substantive changes to programs requires only the Proposal Concept (please reach out to OAPRAA staff for help determining if a change is “substantive”).
• Faculty submitting a proposal for new Certificates, Programs, and/or Degree Types must have a Proposal Concept approved before submitting a proposal to their school’s or college’s curriculum committee(s) for consideration. Closing or proposing new minors and other specialties earned while enrolled in a program (sub-specialties) follow an expedited process described below.

Please use this PCCAP Proposal Concept (Guide) to become familiar with the contents of the official form (which is housed in Kuali). Please note that the Guides posted here are only to inform a submitter of the material that will be needed to complete a formal submission.

• PROGRAMS THAT REQUIRE I-20 STUDENT VISAS MUST BE APPROVED BY U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT’S STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM, WHICH TAKES UP TO 12 MONTHS. Please contact Vanderbilt’s ISSS for guidance.

Step 2: THE PCCAP FULL PROPOSAL (for NEW Programs & Degree Types only)

• After a PCCAP Proposal Concept has been reviewed and approved, individuals proposing a new program will be provided a link to the PCCAP Full Proposal Form (note: changes to or terminations of existing programs will not need a Full Proposal).
• Please use this PCCAP Full Proposal (Guide) to become familiar with the contents of the official form (which is housed in Kuali).
• Additionally, the PCCAP Full Proposal will require a full educational programs assessment plan. Please use this template to document the necessary information requested in the PCCAP Full Proposal form and upload the document directly into the Kuali form.

THE PCCAP APPROVALS PROCESS

There are differing levels of approval required, depending on the proposal type; they are described in the PCCAP process document linked at the top of this page. For a diagram of PCCAP approvals, please see this resource.

Note: The PCCAP process is not required for course-level changes (e.g., changing course descriptions, modifications to course content), or certain curriculum changes (e.g. changing the list of courses required in a program core, or updating program elective course options). To submit these types of change, please contact your college’s or school’s curriculum coordinator. Please contact OAPRAA if you are uncertain if a curriculum change will require PCCAP review.

2) PCCAP for Sub-Specialties

A sub-specialty at Vanderbilt is defined as a coherent set of for-credit coursework that may be completed along with a degree or major. These include minors, micro-credentials, concentrations, areas of focus, emphases, specializations, tracks, etc. Proposals to introduce a new sub-specialty or cease enrollment in an existing sub-specialty are captured in the PCCAP sub-specialties form, which has an expedited review and approval workflow.

To begin the process, please reach out to OAPRAA to schedule a brief consultation.

3) PCCAP for Non-Credit Offerings

A non-credit offering at Vanderbilt is defined as any certification, microcredential, or course that does not lead to credit-bearing activity on a transcript, and does not leverage any of Vanderbilt’s credit-bearing courses, programs, or sub-specialties. These non-credit offerings are designed to be flexible and responsive to the training needs of employers, emerging in-demand skills within the workforce, and new steppingstones towards academic pathways. The process for non-credit offerings is expedited and functions more as an administrative tracking mechanism to create an institutional list of all available non-credit offerings. Please visit the Vanderbilt Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education webpage regarding non-credit offerings for more information.