New Degree Program Screening Form | Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission

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New Degree Program Screening Form

Institutions should complete this form for any new degree program to determine if prior HLC approval is required. If the institution is planning a new certificate or diploma program, complete HLC's certificate program screening form. If it is planning changes to an existing program, complete the screening form for changes to existing academic programs.

Important: In order to complete this form, you will need your institution's General Stipulation from its Institutional Status and Requirements (ISR) Report. This stipulation provides information on the approved program levels for the institution and indicates whether any program limitations are in place. Institutions must receive approval from HLC to offer programs at a new credential level. The stipulation is not a complete listing of approved programs for the institution.

Questions?

Contact changerequest@hlcommission.org

First name:(*)

First name required

Last name:(*)

Last name required

Title:(*)

Title required

Email address:(*)

Email address required

Institution name:(*)

Select your institution from the list provided

Are you the Chief Executive Officer or Accreditation Liaison Officer of your institution?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Details of the Proposed Program

Full program name:(*)

Full program name required

2020 CIP code and program name:(*)

Selection required

Credential awarded: (*)
(e.g., A.A.S., A.A., A.S., B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., Ed.D., Ph.D., M.F.A., M.B.A., etc.)

Degree or nearest instructional level required

Major:(*)

Major required

Other (e.g., concentrations, specializations, track or emphasis):

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Credit Hours

Does the number of credit hours required to complete the proposed program conform to the following minimum program lengths specified in HLC’s Assumed Practices?

Associate’s degree: 60 semester credits
Bachelor’s degree: 120 semester credits
Master’s degree: 30 semester credits beyond the bachelor’s

Yes
No Selection required

Total number of credit hours required to complete the program: (*)
Provide the total required for the full program, not just those required for a specific major.

Total number of credits required

Please indicate the number of credit hours in each of the following categories. (Note: calculated total must equal the total number of credit hours required for the program.) (*)

Category	Number of Credit Hours	Percent of Total
Existing or repackaged curricula: Courses from existing inventory of courses at the institution	Number of credit hours required
Revised or redesigned curricula: Courses for which content has been revised for the new program	Number of credit hours required
New curricula: Courses developed for the new program that haven't been offered at the institution	Number of credit hours required
TOTAL: Must match the total number of credit hours required for the program		Total percent must equal 100.00%. Please confirm that the credit hours reported by category add up to the total number of credit hours required for the program.

Modality

Is the proposed program a competency-based education (CBE) program? (*)
This would include credit-based, direct assessment or hybrid CBE programs.

Yes
No Response required

Please select the type of CBE approach the program would use.

Direct assessment
Hybrid direct assessment
Credit-based Response required

Has HLC approved the institution to offer credit-based CBE programs without seeking prior approval from HLC?

This information can be found in the Institutional Status and Requirements Report. The institution's stipulation must be “Approved for credit-based competency-based education.”

Yes
No Response required

Modality(ies) in which the program will be offered (select all that apply):(*)
See HLC's Glossary for definitions of distance, correspondence and competency-based education.

Correspondence education
Distance education
On-site/in-person instruction
Other (please specify) Selection required

Please specify:(*)

Please specify the modality in which the program will be offered

Relation to the Institution's Approved Degree Programs

Is this the first degree program at a new credential level?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Is this the first non-Ph.D. doctoral level program at the institution?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Is this the first Ph.D. program at the institution?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Is this the first nursing program at the institution?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Will the proposed program replace a degree program currently offered with the same CIP code?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Name of program being replaced:

Invalid Input

Degree Programs at the Same Credential Level as the Proposed Program

Does the general stipulation on your institution's ISR Report have any program limitations at the same credential level as the proposed new program?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Compare the CIP codes of approved degree programs at the same credential level to the proposed program:

Do any of these degree programs have the same four-digit CIP code (XX.XX) as the proposed program?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Provide a list of the program(s) and CIP code(s):

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Do two or more of these degree programs have the same two-digit CIP code (XX.) as the proposed program?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Provide a list of the program(s) and CIP code(s):(*)

Programs and CIP codes required

Required Faculty and Financial Investment

Will new faculty expertise or new faculty members be needed to launch this program?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Please explain new needs:

Note: Indicate whether the institution will need to hire new faculty members for this program in order to secure appropriately credentialed people or to have enough faculty members to appropriately support the program.

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Please explain existing coverage:

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Will the proposed program require a large outlay of additional funds by the institution?(*)

Yes
No Selection required

Please explain institutional funding for proposed program:

Invalid Input

Prior HLC approval is required for this proposed degree program. Click "Submit" to complete this form. HLC will email you a link to the substantive change application for new degree programs.

Prior HLC approval is required for this proposed degree program. Click "Submit" to complete this form. HLC will email you a link to the substantive change application for new competency-based education programs.

HLC notification is required for this proposed degree program. Click "Submit" to complete this form. You will receive an email from HLC indicating that the institution has fulfilled its notification requirement for this program.

Variations from the minimum accepted program length must be explained and justified. Please contact your institution's HLC staff liaison.

Click below to verify you are not a robot:(*)

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Higher Learning Commission

About Us

HLC accredits colleges and universities in the United States.

Who We Are

Resources

HLC Online Systems

February 2024 Updates

Browse Policies

Publications

Higher Education Initiatives

Process Events

Elective Programs

Outreach to HLC

Accreditation Reviews

Questions?

Details of the Proposed Program

Credit Hours

Modality

Relation to the Institution's Approved Degree Programs

Degree Programs at the Same Credential Level as the Proposed Program

Required Faculty and Financial Investment