Submitting Graduate Committee Proposals

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How to Prepare and Submit Your Proposal

A complete proposal to the Graduate Committee includes a signed Proposal Form (saved as a .doc or .docx) and the catalog copy page. You must include all relevant information in the proposal form, extra documents may not be included with any proposal. If you are proposing a new program with new courses, you must provide separate proposal forms for the program and for each course. You can find guidelines for document preparation in Section 4.2 of the Graduate Committee Manual. Email the Committee Chair at graduatecommitteee@ric.edu to submit your proposal.

When to Submit Your Proposal

Proposals are due to the chair three weeks before the Graduate Committee meeting, and you must secure approval from your academic unit and dean before having your proposal considered by the full committee. Check with your dean’s office to find out the process within your school. You must obtain all required internal approval and acknowledgment signatures before your proposal can be considered by the executive committee. We will not review proposals missing signatures. A script font on the form accompanied by a confirmation of approval from the signatory is sufficient.

Understand the Review Process

Your proposal will be reviewed initially by the chair and the executive committee before being included in the agenda for the Graduate Committee meeting. Some internally approved proposals require additional approval by the Office of Post-Secondary Education (RIOPC) or the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) before they can be listed in the catalog. New degree programs require RIOPC approval and new certificate programs need to be announced to the RIOPC. Please allow plenty of time for this process. We recommend that complex proposals requiring approval outside of RIC be submitted by the February meeting. Proposals not approved at the May meeting will be reconsidered by Graduate Committee the following Fall.

Frequent Proposal Questions Addressed

The purpose of providing a catalog copy page is to show exactly how the information should look in the College Catalog. This is what the editor of the College Catalog uses when updating the catalog each year. To edit the information:

  1. Identify all catalog pages affected by your proposed change, program listings and course descriptions. Other departments or programs may also list course information. The proposal must include all relevant pages from the college catalog and must show how the catalog will be revised.
  2. Download all catalog sections relevant for this proposal, including course descriptions or other affected programs.
  3. Place all relevant catalog copy for a proposal into a single file. Put page breaks between sections and delete any catalog pages not relevant for the proposal.
  4. Using the “track changes” feature in Word, revise the catalog pages to demonstrate what the information should look like in next year’s catalog. You must use “track changes” to show the old and new information.
  5. Check the revised catalog pages against the proposal form, especially making sure that program totals are correct if adding or deleting course credits. Please check back later for updated documents.

Catalog Copy from 2024-2025

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Graduate Committee

The mission of the Graduate Committee is to oversee graduate curricula and programs, and to advance the interest of graduate programs and students at Rhode Island College.