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Academic program proposals are required to create new academic programs, revise existing
programs (e.g. new program tracks, title changes, or adding a distance education format),
deactivate or discontinue programs, and introduce new extension centers. Explore this
page for guidelines about the academic planning process, an overview of the types
of academic program proposals, and useful links and forms.
Per U.S. Department of Education Title IV regulations, certificate programs at public
universities require evaluation to determine whether a program is federal aid-eligible.
In addition to submitting an academic program proposal for a new or revised certificate, faculty must complete this form through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services. More information about
this process is available at https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/finaid/resources/titleiv.
SED regulations do not allow a campus to promote or enroll students in an academic
program until the program is registered. Before registration, the Board of Regents
must approve a Degree Authorization.
Process for Drafting an Academic Program Proposal
Campus Planning: During this phase, faculty and administrators develop ideas into a formal academic
program proposal. Authors of the proposal will consult with the proper stakeholders
as they formulate their plans.
Program Proposal Development: Faculty will identify the correct SUNY form on which to submit their proposal. Proposals
must be reviewed by the appropriate department(s), decanal unit(s), and shared governance
bodies before they are sent to the Provost’s Office for formal submission to SUNY.
Please see below for details on each type of proposal.
A Program Announcement (PA), for a new undergraduate degree program, or a Letter of
Intent (LI), for a new graduate degree program, must be submitted to SUNY prior to the development of a new academic program proposal. The PA/LI also proceeds through all levels of campus review (department, School/College,
shared governance, Provost’s Office) before submission to SUNY. Once SUNY has approved
the Program Announcement or the Letter of Intent, the campus may submit the full proposal.
SUNY Review and Approval: SUNY works with the campus until the program proposal is approved or withdrawn.
SUNY sends the approved program proposal to SED with a request for registration.
SED Review and Registration: SUNY liaises between SED and the campus until a new program is registered on the
Inventory of Registered Programs, or until the program is withdrawn or denied registration.
Proposals for new degree-granting programs require more components than other types
of proposals, including the submission of a Program Announcement or Letter of Intent
and an external evaluation.
Proposals for new certificate programs do not require these additional steps. Please
refer to SUNY Form 2C for instructions.
Step 1: Introduce the Idea
Generally, faculty and administrators develop a basic outline for a new program. Once
all parties are in agreement, they may draft a Program Announcement or Letter of Intent.
Step 2: Develop the Program Announcement or Letter of Intent
Program Announcements (for new undergraduate degree programs) and Letters of Intent (for new graduate degree programs) are used to secure the initial support of a new
program from the SUNY System.
The Program Announcement (PA) or the Letter of Intent (LI) consist of a brief description
of the program and a listing of the courses desired to be included in the degree. These forms should be completed by the faculty developing the new program.
The PA/LI is shared for consideration with the College Dean and the appropriate shared
governance body. Once endorsed, the PA/LI is transmitted to the Provost’s Office to
finalize submission to SUNY.
If the PA/LI is approved by the SUNY Reviewer, it is shared with all SUNY schools,
at which time a 30-day comment period opens for other institutions to express concern
or support for the University’s development of the new program.
When the comment period ends, any concerns from other campuses have been addressed,
and the SUNY Provost has approved the Program Announcement or Letter of Intent, the
campus may submit the full program proposal.
If approved, the department has one year for undergraduate programs and two years
for graduate programs from the end of the 30-day comment period to submit a proposal.
Step 3A: Draft the Proposal
Faculty and administrators will draft a full proposal on SUNY Form 2A (for new undergraduate degree programs) or SUNY Form 2B (for new graduate degree programs).
Faculty and administrators may collaborate with the appropriate designee at the decanal
level to assist with the proposal’s development. If the department’s School or College
does not have a designee and if the program is not a West Campus graduate program,
they may reach out to the Provost’s Office.
The appropriate shared governance committees will review and provide input on a near-complete
draft proposal.
Once all reviewers, including the Dean’s Office, the external reviewers (see Step
3B for details), the shared governance body, and the Provost’s Office, approve the
draft, the Provost’s Office submits the program proposal to SUNY for review.
Step 3B: Conduct the External Evaluation
Faculty, working with the department and School/College, must arrange for a site visit
of external reviewers. Faculty will prepare a list of five potential reviewers, approved
by the School/College The final two reviewers are chosen by SUNY. External reviewers are expected to:
possess significant expertise in the discipline of the proposed program;
not have personal or professional relationships with campus personnel that could be
a conflict of interest;
be employed by a peer academic or professional institution, generally from outside
New York State.
If the potential reviewer is associated with a SUNY institution (as a current and/or
former graduate/employee), faculty must provide a brief description to indicate how
this association does not pose a conflict of interest.
Site visits should take place once the proposal is a high-quality and near-final draft
that can receive feedback from the external reviewers.
The initiating department is considered the host for the site review and assumes financial
responsibility for the visit.
Each reviewer will be asked to submit SUNY Form 2D (External Evaluation Report), which will also be included in the final program proposal.
Upon receipt of each reviewer’s External Evaluation Report, the Dean and faculty craft
a response for inclusion in the final program proposal.
The proposal should be revised, as needed, based on the External Evaluation Report.
Step 4: Submit for SUNY Approval
SUNY reviews the program proposal in full detail. If there are questions or concerns,
they will contact the Provost’s Office for clarification and assistance. The Provost’s
Office works with the campus to resolve any issues.
Once SUNY approves the proposal, they will continue the submission process to SED.
Step 5: Submit for SED Approval
When SED receives the program proposal, they will contact SUNY if they have any questions.
SUNY communicates these queries to the campus.
Upon approval from SED, the campus will receive notice of the program being registered.
It is at this point that the campus may start to advertise, teach, and graduate students
in the program.
SUNY Form 3A is required for many substantive program revisions. Changes include:
Cumulative change from SED’s last approval of the registered program of one-third
or more of the minimum credits required for the award (e.g., 20 credits for associate
degree programs, 40 credits for bachelor’s degree programs)
Changes in a program’s focus or design
Adding or eliminating one or more options, concentrations, or tracks
Eliminating a requirement for program completion (such as an internship, clinical
placement, cooperative education, or other work or field-based experience).Adding such requirements must remain in compliance with SUNY credit cap limits.
Altering the liberal arts and science content in a way that changes the degree classification
of an undergraduate program, as defined in Section 3.47(c)(1-4) of Regents Rules
Change to program title or award
Change in mode of delivery
If the change in delivery enables students to complete 50% of more of the program
via distance education, submit SUNY Form 4as an addendum to SUNY Form 3A.
If the change involves adding an accelerated version of the program that impacts financial
aid eligibility or licensure qualification, SED may register the version as a separate
program.
Format change(s) (e.g., from full-time to part-time), based on SED definitions, for the entire program
A change in the total number of credits in a certificate or advanced certificate program
Any change to a registered licensure-qualifying program, or the addition of licensure
qualification to an existing program.
Exception:Small changes in the required number of credits in a licensure-qualifying program
that do not involve a course or courses that satisfy one of the required content areas in the profession.
SUNY Form 3B is used to create one or more new programs from existing, registered programs. The
three types of programs typically developed on this form are multi-award programs,
multi-institution programs, and new programs from options/concentrations/tracks in
an existing program. Form 3B cannot be used to create a new program from an option/concentration/track when:
the new program will be offered at a different location than the campuses identified
in Section 1,
a Master Plan Amendment is required for the new program,
one or more new courses will be added to the program at the same time,
there are changes to the program admissions,
there will be changes to the evaluation elements.
Minor changes to existing degree programs can be approved at the decanal level. However,
if a program's changes over time involve one-third or more of the minimum credits
required for the degree program, the department must submitSUNY Form 3A.
SUNY Form 4 must be completed when a new or existing program employs a distance education format.
This form may be submitted as an independent proposal when no other changes are being
made to an existing program. If the program is new or requires other revisions, Form
4 should be submitted as an addendum to a new program proposal form (SUNY Forms 2A,
2B, or 2C) or a revision proposal form (SUNY Forms 3A or 3B).
Any deactivation or discontinuance of an academic program must be formally submitted
on SUNY Form 5 and approved by SUNY.
Deactivation: A campus does not admit any new students to a program but wishes to maintain the
program’s registration within SUNY and SED. This action is internal to SUNY and limited
in duration to no more than three years.
Discontinuance: A campus stops offering a program and awarding a credential for its completion. After
SUNY’s review and approval, the program is removed from the SED’s Inventory of Registered
Programs once all continuing students have graduated.
The proposal should be reviewed by the appropriate local shared governance body and
approved by the College/School before submission to the Provost’s Office.
A campus must complete SUNY Form 6 to establish a new extension center. It must meet guidelines as defined by SED: no
complete programs and more than 15 courses for credit OR more than 350 course registrations in any academic
year.
Program-specific CIP and SED codes at Stony Brook. HEGIS and CIP codes are numerical
designators used to provide a taxonomic scheme that supports the tracking, assessment,
and reporting of fields of study. HEGIS codes are used by SUNY and SED. CIP codes
are used at the federal and international levels:
