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Proposing a Self-Supported Professional Master's Degree Program

Consult with Graduate Division Assistant Dean Diane Hill (dhill@berkeley.edu, 3-7412) for initial proposal guidance and, simultaneously, with Budget Office Senior Budget Coordinator Marcia Kai-Kee (marcia@berkeley.edu, 2-1652) regarding completion of the requisite spreadsheets that are to demonstrate the proposed program is self-supporting.  When a near final draft is completed, send a non-PDF electronic file of the draft proposal with completed budget spreadsheet to the Graduate Division (care of Assistant Dean Diane Hill, dhill@berkeley.edu) for preliminary review.

Note:  Self-supporting degrees at Berkeley must be part-time programs and accord with Berkeley guidelines stated in the Final Report of the Task Force on Self-Supporting Degree Programs, November 6, 2010.

If proposing an online or hybrid degree program, additional guidelines pertain. Please see the section, Online Degree considerations, under "Additional self-supporting degree information," posted on the "Proposal Guidelines: New Self-Supporting Higher Degrees" portal webpage.

Note:  A Joint Self-Supporting Master’s Degree program is offered by two campuses (either between UCB and another UC campus or between UCB and another institution).  Faculty, courses, and resources are shared in order to offer a broader-based program. Examination and/or thesis committees must be composed of appropriate members from each campus.  Contact Assistant Dean Diane Hill for further information.

Coordinating Committee of Graduate Affairs Proposal Format and Requirements1


Provide a title page with the proposed degree name, date, and proposing faculty

Table of Contents (all pages must be numbered)


Proposal Document:

Title: A proposal for a self-supporting program of graduate studies for the (Master of [name]) degree.

Date of writing

Proposers-Administrating Department/School (contact information)

Section 1. Introduction

  1. Aims and objectives of the program. Any distinctive features.
  2. Historical development of the field and historical development of departmental/campus strength in the field.
  3. Timetable for development of the program including enrollment projections. Consistency of these projections with the campus enrollment plan.
  4. Relationship of the proposed program to existing programs on campus and to the Campus Academic Plan. If program is not in the Campus Academic Plan, why is it important that it be begun now? Evidence of high campus priority. Effect of the proposed program on undergraduate programs offered by the sponsoring department(s).  (Any possibility of cooperation or competition with other programs on campus should be discussed. Proposers should send copies of their proposal to all campus departments offering or considering similar degrees.  Review letters should be obtained from chairs of such departments and attached to the proposal as an appendix.)
  5. Interrelationship of the program with other University of California programs. Differences from other similar programs within the University system and in other California institutions, if applicable. (Any possibility of cooperation or competition with other programs on campus should be discussed. Proposers should send copies of their proposal to other UC campus departments offering or considering similar degrees.  Review letters should be obtained from chairs of such departments and attached to the proposal as an appendix.)
  6. Department, graduate group, or school which will administer the program. (If an existing graduate group, include amended by-laws in Appendices.) (CCGA repeats this question in Section 8.  State “see Section 8-Governance” here if the administering unit is one that does not/has not offer(ed) graduate degrees, and supply the requested information in that section.),
  7. Evaluation of the program within the offering department(s) and campuswide. (How will the program, once established, be reviewed?)

Section 2. Program

  1. Undergraduate preparation for admission.
  2. Program of study:
    1. Master's degree
      1. Concentrations (specific fields of emphasis).
      2. Plans offered
        1. Plan I, thesis: include information about thesis committee composition.
        2. Plan II, comprehensive exam or master’s project (if the latter, thoroughly explain the nature of the project and how it is to be evaluated).
      3. Unit requirements (must be in accord with Academic Senate legislation for Plan I or II).
      4. Required and recommended courses (provide basic outline; course details should be included in Section 5).
      5. Sample programs: provide 2 sample programs or 1 program for each program concentration.
  3. Student financial support, if any.  Include information concerning diversity recruitment.
  4. Advising system: explain procedures for assigning graduate advisers for students
  5. Depth and breadth of the program: describe the new program's position regarding disciplinary or interdisciplinary approaches to the field and whether students will be encouraged or required to take courses outside the new major.

Section 3. Projected Need
Explain each of the following needs and provide statistics or other detailed documentation as appropriate:

  1. Enrollment, including steady-state target; three-year plan for reaching the target; floor (sufficient to sustain the program); and ceiling (based on market study).
  2. Volume and quality of student demand for the program.
  3. Opportunities for placement of graduates.
  4. Importance to the discipline.
  5. Ways in which the program will meet the needs of society.
  6. Relationship of the program to research and/or professional interests of the faculty.
  7. Program Differentiation.  How will the proposed program distinguish itself from existing UC programs and those at other institutions in California or from similar programs proposed by other UC campuses?

Section 4. Faculty
Provide a statement on present faculty and immediately pending appointments. This should include a list of faculty, their ranks, their highest degree and other professional qualifications, and a citation of no more than 5 recent publications; data concerning faculty should be limited to only that information pertinent to the evaluation of faculty qualifications.

Section 5. Courses
Provide a list of present and proposed courses including instructors and supporting courses in related fields. The catalog description of all proposed courses should be appended. Describe the relationship of these courses to specific fields of emphasis and future plans. How will the courses be staffed given existing course loads?

Section 6. Resource Requirements
Estimate for the first 3 years or until program is expected to be self-supporting the additional cost of the program, by year, for each of the following categories:

  1. Budget spreadsheet (xls) (proposers must consult with Senior Budget Coordinator Marcia Kai-Kee)
      1. provide narrative detail concerning how the program is to support itself and how program fees were derived.
  1. FTE faculty.  Provide a statement on faculty FTE requirements for the program and describe the normative workload measures and policies of the regular school or college program used to determine FTE needs. State how the program's curricular requirements will be met (e.g., from existing faculty in the same way as are regular teaching obligations, or through overload teaching, or through temporary academic staff). Certain practice-oriented degree programs may warrant a higher proportion of non-regular faculty (e.g., clinical/adjunct faculty, lecturers, visitors) but that proportion must be acceptable to the campus' Divisional committees which review the proposal. Courses offered in these programs should be taught by a mix of faculty members that parallels the mix of faculty in regular programs. When regular programs employ some combination of Senate faculty and visiting faculty, courses for part-time programs may use a similar combination.
  2. Library acquisitions.
  3. Computing requirements and cost estimates.
  4. Equipment.
  5. Space and other capital facilities. State whether the program will be offered in whole or in part on-campus during what time periods and how classroom and other facility requirements will be met. Explain if the program will be offered in whole or in part at off-campus sites or by distance learning technologies.
  6. Other operating costs. Indicate the intended method of funding these additional costs.  If it is to be funded by internal reallocation, explain how internal resources will be generated.

Section 7.  Graduate Student Support-Diversity
Describe any fund-raising initiatives by the proposed program that may contribute to the support of its graduate students who would contribute to the university’s diversity.

Section 8. Governance
If the new program is being offered by a unit that does not/has not offer(ed) graduate degrees, describe the proposed governance structure for the program. (If the program is to be administered by an interdisciplinary graduate group, graduate group by-laws are required for inclusion as an Appendix.)

Section 9. Changes in Senate Regulations
State clearly whether or not any changes in Senate Regulations at the Divisional level or in the Academic Assembly will be required. If changes are necessary (e.g., for all proposals for new degrees), the complete text of the proposed amendments or new regulations should be provided.

Appendices

  1. (for online or hybrid degrees only; contact Assistant VP Cynthia Schrager, 643-7856, schrager@berkeley.edu) WASC Substantive Change Report.
  2. California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) questionnaire (PDF). CPEC does not receive the full proposal but only the CPEC questionnaire. CPEC reviewers are interested in (i) program uniqueness (lack of duplication with existing programs) and (ii) job market prospects for potential students. Therefore, Items 7 and 16 in the CPEC questionnaire should include as much detailed information about these areas as is included in Section 1 (D)-(E) and Section 3 (B) above.
  3. Employment prospects for graduates (sample want ads; articles about need for graduates with expertise in this area; letters from potential employers).
  4. Letters of support/evaluation from Berkeley faculty members in other departments.
  5. Letters of support/evaluation from faculty and academic administrators on other UC campuses.
  6. Draft of informational brochure for students interested in the program.
  7. Letter from Graduate Dean concerning admission allotment.
  8. Syllabi of courses proposed to the Committee on Courses of Instruction for approved.
  9. (If a graduate group is proposed) By-laws of the Graduate Group.
  10. Examples of current research projects of faculty in the proposed field.
  11. Letter from dean of sponsoring school or college regarding administrative support for the new program.
  12. Curriculum vitae of faculty members participating in new program.
  13. Documentation about comparable programs at other institutions.

1From CCGA 2009-10 Handbook (PDF), Appendix B, with some simplifications.

Last Updated: August 16, 2012 11:43 AM