New Self-Supporting Higher Degrees

Update for new degree proposals

Due to increasing interest in developing new degree programs, the Graduate Division is implementing the following procedure to help us review proposals in a fair and transparent manner.

  1. When departments are certain that they are ready to proceed with proposal development and review, they are asked to complete this Intent to Propose a New Degree Survey (opens in a new tab). We are currently receiving multiple requests, and we need to prioritize them. It is therefore of paramount importance that proposers fill out this survey carefully.
  2. For SSGPDP proposals only: Assistant Dean Linda Song will then follow up with proposers to assess readiness to prepare a 1-2 page summary for your Dean to present to the Council of Deans (COD). Graduate Division will work with proposers on their summary to COD.
  3. Graduate Division will then make every attempt to conduct timely and comprehensive reviews of proposals before they are forwarded to the Graduate Council for consideration. This is a labor-intensive process that typically takes several rounds, and a timely and successful review is strongly dependent on proposers. The omission of required information or careless presentation could result in delayed review of a proposal. Given the increased workload of Graduate Division and Graduate Council at this time, proposers should be both diligent and patient, and have a back-up timeline in place for launching the program.

Please contact Assistant Dean Song (lhsong@berkeley.edu (opens in a new tab)) if you have any questions, including questions about degree proposal requirements and/or the process. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

How to Propose a New Self-Supporting Higher Degree

Additional self-supporting degree information

Approval Process (following preliminary review by Graduate Division and the Budget Office):

Campus: (completed before transmission for Systemwide review):

  • Graduate Council (in consultation with Committee on Academic Planning & Resource Allocation)
  • Committee on Budget and Interdepartmental Relations
  • Divisional Council
  • Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Planning

Systemwide:

  • Coordinating Committee on Graduate Affairs
  • Academic Council
  • UCOP

In addition, the WASC Senior College and University Commission requires that a new academic program must complete a brief WSCUC program screening form (opens in a new tab) before it is launched. WSCUC will review the form to determine if the program represents a change significant enough to warrant a lengthier “substantive change review”. Please contact the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (vpue@berkeley.edu (opens in a new tab)) for assistance with the form.