New Programs

In accordance with the University of Guelph's Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP), the Office of Quality Assurance, on behalf of the Provost and Associate Vice-President Academic, oversees the submissions of proposals for new undergraduate degrees and specializations.

At the undergraduate level, "new program" is understood as a degree program, specialization (major, minor or area of concentration), for-credit degree-level certificate or degree-level diploma. New undergraduate programs are subject to institutional approval by the Board of Undergraduate Studies and Senate, and may be subject to external approval by the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. For questions regarding new undergraduate programs, contact oqa@uoguelph.ca.

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies oversees the submissions of proposals for all new graduate programs. For questions regarding new graduate programs, contact gradcurr@uoguelph.ca

A visual overview of the New Program Proposal process is outlined below and detailed protocols for new program proposals are available in the Institutional Quality Assurance Process, Section 2: New Program Proposals.

The unit(s) proposing a new program must first submit a Notice of Intent (NOI), a high-level summary of the envisioned program that includes rationale, anticipated demand and enrolment, and identifies anticipated resources. The NOI is reviewed by Institutional Research and Planning and by the Associate Vice-President, Academic who, on behalf of the Provost, review to ensure new programming is consistent with the strategic plans and directions for growth of the university.

Questions?

To discuss a proposal for a new undergraduate program, please contact the Office of Quality Assurance.