Certificate Program Approval Guidelines

 

1. Introduction

a) All certificate programs must be reported to and approved by the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) in accordance with their "Policy for Review of Academic Programs."

b) Under the guidelines single semester certificates must be reported to MDHE using their Program Change Form. The Commissioner will review the proposal and determine whether it can be approved using this abbreviated process. The Commissioner has the discretion to require the certificate program be submitted as a new program which requires submission of all the forms for a new degree program.

c) One-Year Certificate Programs that are developed from an approved degree program that consist predominately of courses included in the approved parent degree program may be reported to MDHE using their Program Change Form. The Commissioner has the discretion to require the certificate program be submitted as a new program which requires submission of all the forms for a new degree program.

d) Certificate programs not meeting the criteria described in b and c above must be submitted as a new program.

e) The following UCM guidelines are in accordance with MDHE policies for certificate program approval.

 

2. Certificate Programs That May be Reported to MDHE as a Program Change

a) Proposed programs that are single semester certificates or are one year certificates derived from an approved degree program consisting predominately of courses in the parent degree program may be approved without being routed through the full university curriculum process. Single semester programs consist of those requiring between 12 and 15 credit hours. One-year programs are those between 16 and 21 hours.

b) Single semester and one year certificate programs must be approved by the sponsoring department and respective college dean. If it is to be co-sponsored across departments or colleges the respective departments and college deans shall also approve the program. Co-sponsored programs will be listed in the catalog under the primary department and college.

c) College deans may at their option request certificate proposals be reviewed by their college curriculum committee before approval.

d) Each certificate proposal must be submitted using UCM's "Certificate Proposal Form" and MDHE's Program Change Form.

e) Changes to approved certificate programs must be submitted using UCM's "Certificate Change Form." If it is a co-sponsored program across departments or colleges the respective departments and college deans shall also approve the changes.

 

 3. Graduate Certificate Programs

a) All graduate certificates programs must comply with the General Policies (located in the Graduate Catalog) established by the Graduate Council.

b) Upon approval of a new certificate program by the college dean, the Certificate Proposal Form and MDHE Program Change Form shall be forwarded to the Graduate Council.

c) The Graduate Council will review the form for any inconsistencies with Graduate Council guidelines and forward to the Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Services.

d) The Vice Provost will submit the required forms to MDHE.

e) When changes are made to an existing certificate program the college dean will forward the UCM Certificate Change Form to the Graduate Council so appropriate changes can be made in the catalog. The Graduate Council will forward the form to the Vice Provost who will determine if the changes require reporting to the UCM Board of Governors and MDHE.

 

 4. Undergraduate Certificate Programs

A) All undergraduate certificate programs must comply with established undergraduate guidelines.

b) Upon approval of a new certificate program by the college dean, the UCM Certificate Proposal Form, UCM Board of Governors Briefing Paper and MDHE Program Change Form shall be forwarded to the Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Services who will submit the required forms to the UCM Board of Governors and MDHE.

c) When changes are made to an existing certificate program the college dean will forward the UCM Certificate Change Form to the Vice Provost who will determine if the changes require reporting to the UCM Board of Governors and MDHE.

 

 5. Certificate Programs That Must be Reported to MDHE as a New Program

a) Certificate programs requiring 16 or more hours that are not associated with a parent degree program must be submitted through the full university curriculum process for review as a new program.

b)If a program is originally reported to MDHE as a program change (under the above section) and the Commissioner of Higher Education determines it must be submitted as a new program, the proposal must be re-submitted through the full university curriculum process for a new program prior to resubmission to MDHE.

 

6. General Requirements

a) All certificate programs must require students to complete at least 50 percent of the required credit hours for the program through UCM.

b) Certificate programs require a minimum of 12 hours and are limited to a maximum of 21 hours. Exceptions may be granted if necessary to meet the guidelines of a state or accrediting body.

c) Certificate programs that require creation of new courses or additional resources require approval from the Provost.

d) Departments may begin advertising and offering certificate programs upon approval by MDHE.

e) Changes in certificate programs become effective with the next catalog year.

f) Certificate programs will undergo review as part of the normal five year internal review process.

 

Revision History:

Approved 2005

Approved by the Provost November 29, 2007.

Revised by the Provost January 11, 2008.

Edited for web links, formatting and plain language. Approved December 2015.

Edited for plain language by the Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Services January 11, 2016.

Previously annotated as VII.22. Certified Programs Approval Guidelines. Renamed Certified Programs Approval Guidelines for alphabetical listing, grammar and spell check, and transitioned into policy library April 2017