Academic Programs Committee Reports
AGENDA ITEM NO: 8.2
UNIVERSITY COUNCIL
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS COMMITTEE
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
PRESENTED BY: Jim Merriam, Chair, Academic Programs Committee
DATE OF MEETING: June 15, 2006
SUBJECT: Items for Information:
Revision to the Master of Public Health program
Change of name to Biological Psychiatry graduate program
Committee Annual Report for 2005-06
COUNCIL ACTION: For information only
1. Revision to the Master of Public Health program
At its June 2, 2006 meeting, the Academic Programs Committee approved a request from the College of Graduate Studies & Research to increase the number of credit units required in the new Master of Public Health program from 39 to 42 credit units. The memo of request from CGSR is attached.
2. Change of name to Biological Psychiatry graduate program
At its June 2, 2006 meeting, the Academic Programs Committee approved a request from the College of Graduate Studies & Research to change the name of the graduate programs in the Department of Psychiatry from "Psychiatry" to "Biological Psychiatry." This change was recommended as a result of Systematic Program Review, noting that it was a more accurate name for the program being followed by graduate students in this department in the Neuropsychiatric Research Unit.
3. Annual Report of the Committee 2005-06
The Academic Programs Committee is responsible for:
1. Recommending to Council policies and procedures related to academic programs.
2. Undertaking the academic review of proposals for revision of existing programs, for new programs, and for deletion of programs.
3. Undertaking the academic review of proposals for the establishment, disestablishment or amalgamation of any college, school, department or any unit responsible for the administration of an academic program.
4. Undertaking the academic review of the proposed or continuing affiliation or federation of other institutions with the University.
5. Considering the academic implications of quotas and admission standards.
6. Approving minor program changes, including additions of new courses and revisions to or deletions of existing courses and reporting them to Council.
7. Approving the annual academic schedule and reporting the schedule to Council for information and recommending to Council substantive changes in policy governing dates for the academic sessions.
8. Approving minor changes (such as wording and renumbering) to rules governing examinations and reviewing and recommending to Council substantive changes.
9. Recommending to Council classifications and conventions for instructional Programs.
The Academic Programs Committee of Council held 15 meetings this year. The Committee dealt with nine new programs and major program revisions this year, compared to eleven the previous year. This workload continues to demonstrate college implementation of SPR recommendations and Integrated Planning initiatives.
Council's curricular approval process. As indicated in the Terms of Reference, the Academic Programs Committee has responsibility for oversight of curricular changes at the University of Saskatchewan. Before 1995, the U of S system required that every change, even so much as a course title, had to be approved by a university-level committee. The resulting complexity and gridlock were disincentives for curricular renewal. Approval authority has been devolved so that colleges are now in substantial control of their own curriculum.
University-level approval procedures now focus on major curricular changes or changes which may affect the students or programs in other colleges. Many curricular changes can be approved quickly and, for the most part, automatically through the Course Challenge. This allows the Academic Programs Committee to focus on the major curricular innovations and improvements which colleges propose. The Committee also deals with wider academic and curricular policy issues, and acts as a reference and approval body for various academic policies and policy exemptions for the Student and Enrolment Services Division .
New Programs and major program revisions. The Academic Programs Committee reviews major curricular innovations and improvements, and makes recommendations to the Planning Committee regarding their approval. This year, the following new programs were considered:
College of Agriculture
BSc in Agribusiness
Certificate in Indigenous Peoples Resource Management
College of Arts & Science
BA Three-year, Four-year and Honours, and Minor, in Northern Studies
College of Engineering:
Computer Engineering major
College of Graduate Studies & Research
Master of Public Health
Master of Physical Therapy
The Academic Programs Committee has also been delegated the authority to approve several types of program changes from colleges. This improves Council's ability to handle these types of program changes more quickly and efficiently, while still maintaining a university-level review of the changes to maintain quality and resolve any conflicts with other colleges. Information about the following changes was reported to Council:
College of Commerce:
Renamed majors, revised content: Operations Management (formerly Production and Operations Management); Management (formerly General Business)
College of Engineering:
Revisions to majors responding to changes in accreditation requirements
College of Graduate Studies & Research:
Project Option in the Master of Arts in English
Course Challenge. Course challenges are now posted on the Course Challenge website [www.usask.ca/university_council/acad_prog/challenges.shtml ] which allows for easier reference and review by departments and colleges. Since May 2005, a total of 12 Course Challenge documents have been posted on this website (compared to 17 the previous year.) A number of these changes were made in response to SPR recommendation.:
New courses, prerequisite changes, and course deletions:
Agriculture, Arts & Science, Commerce, Dentistry, Graduate Studies & Research, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy & Nutrition, Veterinary Medicine.
New minors:
Arts and Science: Indigenous Peoples and Justice
Engineering: Petroleum option within the Chemical Engineering major;
Program changes:
Commerce: changes to Commerce core requirements and to Commerce major requirements (Marketing, Finance)
Arts & Science: Archaeology electives, Biochemistry & Biotechnology major, Biology electives; Geophysics major; History major; Philosophy major; Public Administration major; Native Studies major; Sociology (ABJC and IPJ) major and electives.
Engineering: Geological Engineering electives; Mechanical Engineering electives
CGSR: Applied Social Psychology PhD requirements
Challenges to items posted in the Course Challenge are infrequent, because issues are often resolved informally through revision of the intended curricular change. If a challenge cannot be resolved by the departments involved, it is decided by the Academic Programs Committee.
Review of changes to graduate programs.
With the goal of reducing unnecessary duplication of effort, the Academic Programs Committee has now developed two agreements with the College of Graduate Studies and Research.
The first, approved by Council in 1999, delegates to CGSR the authority to approve revisions to graduate programs which streamline these programs by reducing the course requirements. CGSR reports to APC when reductions are implemented. Attached is a report from CGSR showing reductions in credit units required for graduate programs, which they have approved under this policy.
The second, initiated in June, 2004, is an agreement between APC and CGSR which defines roles and responsibilities in reviewing new program proposals. This agreement was reviewed this year and extended indefinitely. A copy of the agreement was attached to the Committee's March report to Council.
Policies and Procedures
Implementation of the Enrolment Plan.
APC reported to Council last year regarding revisions to administrative policies for implementation of the Enrolment Plan.
At its June 2, 2006 meeting, the Committee received a report from the Recruitment and Admissions Office of Student & Enrolment Services regarding a number of admission initiatives which are being implemented over the next several months. The Office noted that universities across Canada are now in a strongly competitive environment to attract and retain students, so this makes it more important that university admission procedures provide positive, informative and timely responses to students. To streamline admission processes and make U of S admissions competitive with other universities, the Recruitment and Admissions Office is implementing the following procedural changes:
- conditional admissions based on Grade 11 marks
- conditional admissions based on self-reported grades for early admission and for transfer students
- streamlined procedures for home-schooled students
Any recommended changes in university admission policies will be submitted to Council for approval in the fall.
Examination Regulations.
The Academic Programs Committee is responsible for revisions to the University examination regulations. In November, Council approved APC's recommendation for implementation of a five-day rule for reporting of final grades and in January, APC reported to Council regarding how the designation of W (for Withdrawal) would be described.
At this meeting, several additional clarifications for the final examination policy are being discussed, and Council is also being asked to approve a policy changes to allow Colleges to determine whether their students will automatically fail a class if they do not write the final examination or do not complete course work.
Academic schedule.
The Committee approved the 2006-07 Academic Schedule, including a change in the scheduling of Spring Convocation to accommodate the Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Policy exemptions.
The Committee was not asked to deal with any exemptions to academic policies this year.
Other
Discussions.
The Committee discussed the Schools discussion paper from the Changing Structures Task Force, and the Outreach and Engagement Foundational Document draft.
Subcommittees.
The Committee was represented on the Program Termination Subcommittee and on the Viable Enrolments Subcommittee by Jim Merriam.
Advice for the VP Academic.
Certificate programs are approved by the VP Academic, who can seek advice from APC or from other colleges or committees. This year, the VP Academic asked for the Committee's advice on a proposal from the University Language Centre that the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program be recognized as a Certificate of Successful Completion. This recognition of the EAP program would allow the students in the program to be considered as University of Saskatchewan students who would be eligible to receive various services from the Student & Enrolment Services Division. The VP Academic also asked that Council procedures be used to approve the Indigenous Peoples Resource Management Certificate. He has also discussed the Labour Studies Certificate program admissions with APC.
I wish to thank Committee members for their willingness to undertake detailed and comprehensive reviews of program proposals. Their commitment to excellence and high standards resulted in improved programs for the University of Saskatchewan.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Committee,
J. Merriam, Chair
Members:
Muyiwa Adaramola GSA (term ended April 30, 2006)
Alec Aitken (January, 2006) Geography
Hilary Clark English
Ron Cooley (term ended December, 2005) English
Trever Crowe Agricultural & Bioresource Engineering
Michel Desautels Physiology
David Hannah Associate Vice-President, Student & Enrolment Services
Elaine Hulse Sessional Lecturer
Chad Klippenstein USSU (term ended April 30, 32006)
Peggy MacLeod Nursing
Kelly McInnis Director, Student Record Services and Registrar
Francois Messier Biology
Chary Rangacharyulu Physics & Engineering Physics
George Tannous Finance
Pauline Melis Director of Institutional Planning
Cathie Fornssler, secretary Office of the University Secretary
Muriel Miller, May, 2006
| Academic Unit |
Degrees Affected | Program Modification: Minimum Credit Unit Requirement |
Date of Approval | Comments |
| Physics & Engineering Physics | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 12 c.u. Ph.D. 9 c.u. |
2000/10 | |
| Psychology- Basic Behavioural Science | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 15 c.u. Ph.D. 6 c.u. Ph.D. (transfer from M.Sc.) 21 c.u. |
2000/10 | No change in Ph.D. requirement |
| Biology | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 9 c.u. Ph.D. no additional if 9 c.u. from M.Sc. Ph.D. (transfer from M.Sc.) 9 c.u. |
2001/10 | |
| Microbiology & Immunology | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 9 c.u. Ph.D. 6 c.u. Ph.D. (transfer from M.Sc.) 15 c.u. |
2001/10 | No change in Ph.D. requirement |
| Chemistry | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 12 c.u. Ph.D. 6 c.u. Ph.D. (transfer from M.Sc.) 18 c.u. |
2001/04 | No change in Ph.D. requirement |
| Psychology- Clinical | Ph.D. | Ph.D. (transfer from M.A.) 45 c.u. | 2002/04 | Time in Program: 7 years allowed (total for transfer from M.A. to Ph.D.) |
| Anatomy & Cell Biology | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 9 c.u. Ph.D. 6 c.u. |
2002/10 | No change in Ph.D. requirement |
| Biochemistry | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 9 c.u. Ph.D. no additional if 9 c.u. from M.Sc. Ph.D. (transfer from M.Sc.) 9 c.u. |
2002/10 | |
| Educational Administration | M.Ed. |
M.Ed. (project) 33 c.u. M.Ed. (thesis) 21 c.u. |
2002/10 | |
| Adult & Continuing Education, Educational Foundations, Indian & Northern Education | M.Ed. | M.Ed. (project) 30 c.u. M.Ed. (thesis) 18 c.u. |
2003/05 | |
| Anatomy & Cell Biology | Ph.D. | Ph.D. (transfer from M.Sc.) 15 c.u. | 2003/05 | |
| Animal & Poultry Science | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 9 c.u. Ph.D. 6 c.u. Ph.D. (transfer from M.Sc.) 15 c.u. |
2003/05 | No change in Ph.D. requirement |
| Geological Sciences | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 9 c.u. Ph.D. no additional if 9 c.u. from M.Sc. Ph.D. (transfer from M.Sc.) 9 c.u. |
2003/05 | Ph.D. may require additional c.u. at discretion of academic unit |
| History | M.A. PhD |
M.A. 9 cu ( was12 = 3 cu reduction) PhD 12 cu PhD (transfer from M.A.) 21 cu |
2005/03 | Ph.D. may require 3 additional cu of Historiography |
| English | M.A. Ph.D. |
M.A. Thesis 15 cu ( was 18 = 3 cu reduction) PhD 18 cu PhD (transfer from M.A.) 33 |
2005/05 |
No change to PhD |
| Toxicology |
M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc 9 cu ( was 15 = 6 cu reduction) Ph.D. 6 cu Ph.D. transfer from MSc 15 cu |
2005/05 |
No change to PhD |
| Psychology - Applied Social | M.A. Ph.D. |
M.A. 24 cu Ph.D. 15 cu ( was 21 = 6 cu reduction) Ph.D. transfer from M.A. 39 cu ( was 45 cu) |
2005/05 |
No change to Masters |
| Geography | M.A. M.Sc. Ph.D |
M.A. 12 cu M.Sc. 12 cu Ph.D 6 cu ( was 9 cu = 3 cu reduction) |
2005/10 |
No change to Masters No transfer program |
| Financial and Management Science | M.Sc. | 15 cu ( was 18 cu = 3 cu reduction) | 2005/10 |
No PhD program |
| Pharmacy | M.Sc. Ph.D. |
M.Sc. 9 cu ( was 15 cu = 6 cu reduction) Ph.D. 6 cu Ph.D. transfer from M.Sc. 15 cu |
2005/10 |
No change to PhD |
| Archaeology | M.A. | M.A. 12 cu ( was 15 cu = 3 cu reduction) | 2005/12 |
No PhD program |
ASSOCIATE DEAN
MEMORANDUM
TO: Planning Committee of Council
FROM: Trevor Gambell, Associate Dean, College of Graduate Studies and Research
DATE: May 18, 2006
RE: Credit unit increase from 39 to 42 for the already-approved Master's of Public Health graduate program
____________________________________________________________________________________
The MPH program was approved by University Council on March 16, 2006. That approval was for a program of 39 credit units. Since then, Dr Bruce Reeder brought forward to CGSR a proposal to increase the credit units from 39 to 42, as a result of a professional accreditation requirement of the Council on Education for Public Health in its newly-revised requirements of July, 2005. (The program proposal had been based on the earlier requirement of 2002).
At its meeting of May 10, 2006, the Graduate Faculty of the College of Graduate Studies and Research approved the following motion:
"That the credit unit requirements for the Master of Public Health be increased from 39 to 42 credits, with the additional credit units being acquired either through an increase in the credit units of the practicum from 6 credits to 9 credits or through an additional 3 credits of elective coursework, with the former option being the preferred one, as recommended by Graduate Council's Master's and Executive Committees."
I have since spoken with Dr Bruce Reeder, chair of the MPH program committee. The Council on Education for Public Health is supportive of an increase in the U of S practicum from 6 to 9 credit units in view of its duration and structure.
In previous correspondence with Cathie Fornssler, it was put forward that there might be a special amendment possible to the motion of University Council on March 16, 2006 that the credit units for the program be amended to 42 from 39. This will allow the program to admit students for September, 2006; there are now applications for admission to the program awaiting processing, and students need to be aware of the credit unit requirement when admitted. Because the program has yet to be offered, there are no retroactive effects of the increase to 42 credits. There are no implications for increased program fees or for extended time in program for the increase of 3 credit units, regardless of whether the practicum increase from 6 to 9 or the additional elective course of 3 credits is necessary.
