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Proposing a State-Supported Master's-Only Degree Program

Consult Graduate Division Assistant Dean Diane Hill (dhill@berkeley.edu, 3-7412) for initial proposal guidance.  When a near draft proposal has been completed, send a non-PDF computer file to the Graduate Division (care of Assistant Dean Diane Hill) for preliminary review.  Following Graduate Division review, the proposal will be forwarded to the Graduate Council.  After its approval, the Committee on Educational Policy, the Budget and Interdepartmental Committee, Divisional Council, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty will be the other points of review, before submission to the systemwide Coordinating Committee on Graduate Affairs (CCGA), Academic Council, and the Office of the President for final approval. For more information, contact Diane Hill, 643-7412. 

Note: A Joint 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 program of graduate studies in (e.g., English, Computational Biology) for the (e.g., M.A., M.S.) degree(s).” OR  “A proposal for a program of graduate studies in the Master of (professional degree name).”

Date of writing

Contact person

Section 1. Introduction

  1. Aims and objectives of the program. Any distinctive features. Anticipated student enrollment.
  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. Relation 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).
  5. Interrelationship of the program with other University of California programs, if applicable. (Any possibility of cooperation or competition with other programs within the University should be discussed. Proposers should send copies of their proposal to all departments on other campuses offering similar degrees.  Review letters should be obtained from chairs of such departments and attached to the proposal.)
  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 academic unit(s) as well as campuswide. (How will the program, once established, be reviewed?)

Section 2. Program

  1. Undergraduate preparation for admission (include special requirements beyond minimum Graduate Division requirements).
  2. Program of study:
    1. Master's degree
      1. Concentrations (specific fields of emphasis).
      2. Plan(s) to be offered
        1. Plan I, thesis (Include information about thesis committee composition.)
        2. Plan II  (Include information about whether the degree will require a comprehensive exam or a project paper; explain exam or project format and how it will be evaluated.)
      3. Unit requirements (must be at least Academic Senate minimum for Plan I-20 units; Plan II-24 units).
      4. Foreign language requirement (if any)
      5. Required and recommended courses (basic configuration; course details should be included in Section 5).
      6. Sample programs: provide 2 sample programs for each degree offered and/or each field of emphasis.

3.  Relationship between this Master’s degree and the Ph.D. program.  (Complete if an M.A. or M.S. degree is being proposed and a standing Ph.D. program already exists.)

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.  (If other UC campuses already offer programs in the field, what are their placement records in recent years? What recent job listings, employer surveys, assessments of future job growth, etc., can be provided to demonstrate a strong market for graduates of this program, or for graduates of specialty areas that will be the focus of the program?)
  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.
(For graduate group administered programs only, a letter from each faculty that will be  a core member indicating his or her interest in the program  In addition, comments from chairs of academic units with graduate programs closely related to or affected by the proposed program should be included.)

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. The relationship of these courses to specific fields of emphasis and future plans should be stated. How will the courses be staffed given existing course loads?

Section 6. Resource Requirements
If applicable, state that no new resources will be required and explain how the program will be funded.  If it is to be funded by internal reallocation, explain how internal resources will be generated.

Otherwise, estimate for the first 5 years the additional cost of the program, by year, for each of the following categories, and indicate the intended method of funding these additional costs:

  1. FTE faculty. Provide a statement on faculty FTE requirements for the program and 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.
  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.

Note: State Resources to Support New Programs.  The resource plan to support the proposed program should be clearly related to campus enrollment plans and resource plans.  Proposers should provide detailed information on how resources will be provided to support the proposed program (e.g., from resources for approved graduate enrollment growth, reallocation, and other sources).  What will the effects of reallocation be on existing programs?  For interdisciplinary programs and programs growing out of concentrations within existing graduate programs: What will be the impact of the new program on the contributing program(s)?

Note: For a proposed Graduate Group.  Attach a MOU or letter(s) from dean of sponsoring school(s) or college(s) or department chairs regarding commitment of administrative and other resource support for the new program as an appendix.

Section 7.  Graduate Student Support
All new proposals should include detailed plans for providing sufficient graduate student support.  In fields that have depended on federal research grants, these plans should also discuss current availability of faculty grants that can support graduate students and funding trends in agencies expected to provide future research or training grants.  Are other extramural resources likely to provide graduate student support, or will internal fellowships and other institutional support be made available to the program?  Describe any campus fund-raising initiatives that will contribute to support of graduate students in the proposed program.

How many teaching assistantships will be available to the program?  Will resources for them be provided through approved enrollment growth, reallocation, or a combination?  How will reallocation affect support in existing programs?

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 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. California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) questionnaire (PDF). (CPEC does not receive the full proposal but only the CPEC questionnaire. CPEC reviewers are particularly interested in responses to items 7 and 16; include as much detailed information as in the proposal.)
  2. Employment prospects for graduates (sample want ads; articles about need for graduates with expertise in this area; letters from potential employers).
  3. Letters of support/evaluation from Berkeley faculty members in other departments.
  4. Letters of support/evaluation from faculty and academic administrators on other UC campuses.
  5. (If a graduate group is proposed) MOU or letter(s) from dean of sponsoring school(s) or college(s) or department chairs regarding commitment to administrative and other resource support for the new program.
  6. (If a graduate group is proposed) By-laws of the Graduate Group. (If adding a Master’s Degree to an existing Graduate Group-administered Ph.D. program, amend the Graduate Group’s by-laws to refer to the administration of both the Master’s and doctoral programs.)
  7. Letter from Graduate Dean concerning admission allotment.
  8. Syllabi of courses proposed to the Committee on Courses of Instruction for approved.
  9. Examples of current research projects of faculty in the proposed field.
  10. Short version of Curriculum Vitae of faculty members participating in new program.
  11. Documentation about comparable programs at other institutions.

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

Last Updated: August 16, 2012 10:07 AM