Program planning involves the work of planning for, implementing, and maintaining quality academic programs within the university’s program array. Academic programs include degree/majors, named options, certificate programs, and minors.
Degree/Majors
Degree/majors are the primary academic credential awarded at UW-Madison. The university is authorized to offer new degree/major programs by the UW System Board of Regents.
Named Options
Named options are subplans of existing degree/majors. They serve as a convenient way to distinguish a distinct curriculum or delivery format within a major.
Certificates
Credit-bearing certificate programs include undergraduate certificates, graduate/professional certificates, and capstone certificates.
Departments and Centers/Institutes
Program planning work can include planning related to academic departments and centers/institutes, in some cases.
Support with Program Planning
When a new program or a change to an existing program is being considered, the first consultation should be with the program’s home school or college dean’s office. Refer to the school/college academic planner contact list for help in identifying the correct individual(s). Once an initial conversation occurs at the school/college level, the next step is to consult with Karen Mittelstadt in Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research. Karen will review the plans, discuss relevant guidelines or policies, and help shepherd the program through the approval process.
Academic Structure
The UW-Madison’s academic structure depicts the university’s full representation of the various academic units and programs offered on campus.
Program Planning Routing/Approval Flow
The UW-Madison Array Management and Program Planning Process (pdf) document details all possible academic program planning actions and the required routing/approval flow for each.
Governance
The University Academic Planning Council (UAPC) advises the chancellor and provost on major program decisions and long-term academic plans, assures appropriate review and consideration is given to requests for new programs and changes to existing programs, and oversees academic program review and evaluation, among other functions. The committee meets monthly during the academic year.