Curriculum Committee

As a standing committee of the CBE College Council, the Curriculum Committee has been delegated responsibility for curricular review at the College level. This includes general oversight of courses and programs for the benefit of the College.

New courses and programs, and changes to existing courses and programs, must be approved by the CBE Curriculum Committee on behalf of the College Council before being submitted to the UW Curriculum Office. Consult the UW Curriculum Office for additional instructions on preparing course applications, Notice of Proposal applications for programs, instructions for the UW Curriculum Management program (Kuali), syllabus guidelines, and more.

The CBE Curriculum Committee is responsible for reviewing:

undergraduate and graduate courses (new and changes to existing)
BE courses (new and changes to existing)
undergraduate majors, minors, and degree programs (new and changes to existing)
graduate degree programs, certificates, program options, and concurrent degrees (new and changes to existing)*

*The Graduate School’s Office of Academic Affairs and Planning coordinates the review of proposals for new and modified graduate programs – Policy 1.7: Authorization of New Graduate Degree Programs. The CBE Curriculum Committee reviews proposals to create or change graduate programs within the college before final proposals are submitted to the Graduate School.

The CBE Curriculum Committee procedures and deadlines for submission and review are as follows.

Programs Proposals and Changes

For Program proposals and changes, see instructions and deadlines on the website of the UW Curriculum Office.

Submission Process: New and Existing Courses

This section describes the procedures and requirements the for CBE Curriculum Committee review of:

New and changes to existing undergraduate and graduate courses
New and changes to existing BE courses
Non-substantive departmental and BE course changes

All submissions are required to use the UW Curriculum Management (Kuali Curriculum Management) system. This system supports the submission of new course and course change applications. The Chair of the CBE Curriculum Committee and the College Council are given administrative roles in this system.

Course and Course Change Submission Deadlines

Course applications are reviewed by the CBE Curriculum Committee on a monthly basis. Course applications received at the College node in the UW Curriculum Management System (UW CM) by the first day of the month, will be reviewed that month. Applications submitted after the first day of the month will be deferred to the following month. Refer to the chart below for CBE Curriculum Deadlines to meet the UW Curriculum Office (UW CO) Priority Submission date.

Course applications are administratively reviewed and recorded at the university-level on a rolling basis throughout the calendar year. The UW CO has established Priority Submission Dates and Cut-off Dates for each quarter based on when registration begins for the quarter.

Submission BY Priority Submission Date: Course applications that are received at the UW Curriculum Office node in the workflow by the Priority Submission Date are given priority review, and all efforts are made to have them administratively recorded before the quarter’s Cut-off Date.
Submission AFTER Priority Submission Date: Course applications that are received at the UW Curriculum Office node in the workflow after the Priority Submission Date may or may not make it through the review process by the Cut-off Date. Any application submitted that has not been administratively recorded by the quarter Cut-off Date will have the effective quarter/year changed to the following quarter.

Dates for Review of Course Applications

CBE Curriculum Committee Deadline*	CBE Curriculum Committee Completes Review (approx. 2 weeks after the CBE Deadline)	UW CO Priority Submission Date	UW CO Cut-off Date	Effective Quarter
Sep 15	Sep 27	Oct 4, 2024	Oct 30, 2024	Winter 2025
Dec 1	Dec 15	Jan 17, 2025	Feb 12, 2025	Spring 2025
Feb 1	Feb 15	Mar 14, 2025	Apr 9, 2025	Summer 2025
Mar 1	Mar 15	April 11, 2025	May 5, 2025	Autumn 2025

* Your department chair (or other department representatives that have approval authority) will need to approve the course in Kuali before this deadline. The course application will only be received by the CBE Curriculum Committee after departmental approval.

For Program proposals and changes, see instructions and deadlines on the website of the UW Curriculum Office.

The Process for Departmental Courses and Course Changes

The process for proposing new courses or changes to existing courses from programs offered by departments is as follows:*

Create a proposal for a new course or to change an existing course in the UW Curriculum Management System (Kuali Curriculum Management).
Obtain review and approval from academic program directors and/or departmental curriculum committees representing programs likely to be affected by the new course or change to the existing course. Academic program directors and departmental curriculum committees retain the right to recommend that a proposed course be approved, approved with modifications, rejected, and/or rescinded. In the case of recommendations to reject or rescind approval, a written justification is required.
Obtain review and approval from Department chairs offering programs likely to be affected by the new course or change to the existing course. When approving a course or change to an existing course, Department chairs are required to attest to having secured all funding necessary to offer the course, and attach documentation of course funding sources and budget for all proposed expenditures (e.g., instructors, teaching assistants; honoraria, travel, lodging and/or meals for guest lecturers; field trip expenses; receptions).
Observe the UW Curriculum Management System for questions, required changes, and decisions from the Chair of the CBE Curriculum Committee. Once the CBE Curriculum Committee receives the proposal for a new course or change to an existing course in the UW Curriculum Management System, it will be reviewed according to the criteria and deadlines outlined below.
Either consensus or unanimous vote of the departmental representatives of the CBE Curriculum Committee is required to approve a new course or change to an existing course. The CBE Curriculum Committee reserves the right to reject a new course and reject changes to an existing course, and/or to refer a course proposal to the CBE College Council. All proposals that fail to obtain unanimous approval by the CBE Curriculum Committee are referred to the CBE College Council. Referrals may be approved by a unanimous vote of the department representatives of the CBE College Council, or rejected. All rejections will be accompanied by a rationale provided by the Chair of the CBE Curriculum Committee.
If approved by the CBE Curriculum Committee, the new course or change to the existing course will be sent to the Dean for approval.
After the Dean approves a new course or change to an existing course, it is sent to the University Curriculum Office, which reviews the proposal before being sent to the UW Curriculum Committee for final approval.

*The Doctoral program in Urban Design and Planning is administered by the Department of Urban Design and Planning and housed in the UW Graduate School, and therefore subject to submission by the Program Director through the Department and to the College.

Departments and departmental programs are strongly encouraged to use Special Topic course designations (298/498/598) in the first one to three years of offering a new course. The results can be used to measure and verify demand, the effects of the course on other programs and departments, costs, and curricular benefits. Beyond three years, departments are requested to either submit a new course proposal for existing Special Topics or cease the offering. CBE Curriculum Committee review is not required for departmental and departmental program Special Topics courses.

The Process for BE Courses and Course Changes

The process for proposing new courses or changes to existing courses using the BE prefix, including Special Topics (298/498/598) courses, is as follows:

Create a draft proposal using the BE Course Application. Provide the outline of the proposed course level, rationale, content, learning goals, and so on. In the “Justification” section of the application, include a statement about anticipated student demand and any information that supports estimated enrollment, and address the criteria for offering a college-wide course. Include a list of courses and programs likely to be affected and a list of key personnel to contact pursuant to this review process. Note: The CBE Curriculum Committee strongly suggests that instructors offer a pilot version of a new BE course first as a Special Topics course (298/498/598) before proceeding with the approval of the new permanent course number in order to refine course goals and structure, determine student demand, etc. The same form and process is required for BE Special Topics courses; Special Topics course review concludes at step 8 in this process.
Send the draft proposal to the Chair of the CBE College Council for initial review with the Chair of the CBE Curriculum Committee for completeness and check on appropriate list of contacts.
Obtain review, documentation, and signature from academic program directors and/or departmental curriculum committees and department chairs representing programs participating in the development and delivery of the course (Part 8). When approving a course or change to an existing course, Department chairs are required to attest to having secured all funding necessary to offer the course, and attach documentation of course funding sources and budget for all proposed expenditures (e.g., named instructors, teaching assistants; honoraria, travel, lodging and/or meals for guest lecturers; field trip expenses; receptions). Include a statement of staff support required and secured to manage logistics (events; receptions; assisting with establishing Writing Links, Freshman Interest Groups, or Service Learning, etc.). All funding must be secured before any new non-department specific (e.g. BE) course proposals are submitted to the College Curriculum Committee.
Obtain review, documentation, and signature from academic program directors and/or departmental curriculum committees representing programs likely to be affected by the new course or change to the existing course (Part 9). Academic program directors and departmental curriculum committees retain the right to recommend that a proposed course be approved, approved with modifications, rejected, and/or rescinded. In the case of recommendations to reject or rescind approval, a written justification is required.
Obtain review, documentation, and signature from Department chairs offering programs likely to be affected by the new course or change to the existing course (Part 9). Academic program directors and departmental curriculum committees retain the right to recommend that a proposed course be approved, approved with modifications, rejected, and/or rescinded. In the case of recommendations to reject or rescind approval, a written justification is required.
Submit the proposal (Parts 1 through 9) with all supporting documentation to the Chair of the submitting department for review and recommendation (Part 10).
Submit the proposal (Parts 1 through 9) with all supporting documentation to the Chair of the CBE College Council and CBE Curriculum Committee for review and recommendation (Part 10). Incomplete proposals will be returned to the Department Chair.
Submit the proposal (Parts 1 through 9) with all supporting documentation to the Chair of the CBE Curriculum Committee for review and recommendation (Part 10). Unanimous recommendations are required for a proposal to advance to formal review. If the proposal is in regard to a BE Special Topics course (298/498/598) this concludes the review process. If the proposal is for a permanent BE course with unanimous approval, advance to the next step.
Create a draft proposal for a new course or to change an existing course in the UW Curriculum Management System (Kuali Curriculum Management).
Obtain review and approval from academic program directors and/or departmental curriculum committees and department chairs representing programs participating in the development and delivery of the course.
Obtain review and approval from academic program directors and/or departmental curriculum committee chairs representing programs likely to be affected by the new course or change to the existing course.
Obtain review and approval from Department chairs offering programs likely to be affected by the new course or change to the existing course.
Observe the UW Curriculum Management System for questions, required changes, and decisions from the Chair of the CBE Curriculum Committee. Once the CBE Curriculum Committee receives the proposal for a new course or change to an existing course in the UW Curriculum Management System, it will be reviewed according to the criteria and deadlines outlined below.
Consensus or unanimous vote of the departmental representatives of the CBE Curriculum Committee is required to approve a new course or change to an existing course. The CBE Curriculum Committee reserves the right to reject a new course and reject changes to an existing course, and/or to refer a course proposal to the CBE College Council. All proposals that fail to obtain unanimous approval by the CBE Curriculum Committee are referred to the CBE College Council. Referrals may be approved by a unanimous vote of the department representatives of the CBE College Council, or rejected. All rejections will be accompanied by a rationale provided by the Chair of the CBE Curriculum Committee.
If approved by the CBE Curriculum Committee, the new course or change to the existing course will be sent to the Dean for approval.
After the Dean approves a new course or change to an existing course, it is sent to the University Curriculum Office, which reviews the proposal before being sent to the UW Curriculum Committee for final approval.

The Criteria for Departmental Courses and Course Changes

In general, proposed new courses and changes to courses will be reviewed for general ‘standards’ as established by Article VIII, Section 3 (College of Built Environment Bylaws as revised 8 June 2017) which states:

In exercising the authority granted in Article VIII, Section 2, individual Departments may not set standards lower than those established by the College, nor may a unit take action when it is contrary to academic or research policies adopted by the College through its governing body. The College faculty reserves the right to reject or modify any departmental action taken under Article VIII, Section 2.

The CBE Curriculum Committee retains the right to require modifications and reject proposed courses. The following questions should be considered in the process of developing proposals for new courses and course changes:

Is the course duplicative?

Were all affected units consulted and approvals and acknowledgments of chairs/directors of affected units secured?
Does the course justification discuss how the course is distinct from and related to others?

Does the course require new resources or additional space/facilities?

Does this course (and associated program) have a demonstrated demand of sufficient enrollment, distinct from existing courses (and associated programs)?

Is the course appropriate to the Academic Program, Department, College, and University curriculum?

Are the learning outcomes clear? Does the design of the course fit the learning outcomes?

Do the title and catalog course description accurately reflect course content? Do those descriptions accurately distinguish this course content from existing courses, in this department and across other departments, colleges, and schools?

Is the number of course credits appropriate for the amount of work required? Is the level of the course appropriate for the content? Should this course have both an undergraduate and graduate number? If graduate and undergraduate, there must be two separate course proposals filed.

Is the syllabus clear and complete? Does it include the following:

detailed schedule (with readings) of lectures, labs, and discussion sections
explanation of how the labs and discussion sections are related to the lectures
key student projects, assignments, and other required activities (quizzes, exams, papers)
how students will be evaluated (note that in classes with both 400 and 500 level listings, there should be a clear distinction between the undergraduate and graduate evaluation criteria)
required syllabus statement on religious accommodation and recommended syllabus statements on accommodation, conduct, safety and diversity.

Are the modalities for the course clearly articulated and appropriate to meet student needs? (e.g., in-person, hybrid, synchronous, and asynchronous online; for lecture, all discussion sections, individual discussion sections, labs, office hours)

Additional Criteria for BE Courses and Course Changes

In addition to the above, BE courses should meet the following criteria:

Feature significant breadth and multidisciplinary content such that it serves a larger student audience than the students within a single department.
Include content spanning more than two units within the college.

Adding the Diversity (DIV) Designation to Courses

The UW Curriculum Committee does not assess courses for DIV (to meet the UW 3-credit Diversity General Education requirement), but instead defers to college/school curriculum committees to ensure that the spirit of the requirement is followed.

To ensure consistency across the College’s DIV offerings, the College requires that courses fulfill the University DIV requirements:

NOTE: These are the current UW requirements, and cannot be amended by our College.

Be at least three credits;
Have diversity, as defined in the legislation, as central and explicit in the course;
Have the relevant aspect(s) of diversity explicit in the course title and course description that appear in the University course catalog;
Have the relevant aspect(s) of diversity explicit in the learning goals and activities detailed in course syllabus;
Retain the central emphasis on diversity regardless of the instructor;
Encourage critical thinking about race, ethnicity, sex and gender, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, religion, creed, age, and/or socioeconomic status, especially in relation to power, inequality, marginality, and social movements, and communication across cultural differences.

Refer to additional requirements for one-time course offerings, study abroad courses, and independent study in the Diversity Requirement Course Approval Guidelines published by the Office of the Provost (2014).

Non-Substantive Course Changes

The CBE Curriculum Committee has the option to fast track non-substantive program and course changes. The CBE Curriculum Committee Chair has the option to review non-substantive changes and move the proposed course or program change forward without review by the entire CBE Curriculum Committee. Submission deadlines must still be followed.

Non-substantive course changes do not significantly alter the course content. Examples include:

Change in title, but not content
Change in abbreviated title
Change in number at same or lower level
Decrease or increase in credits
Retirement of a course
Change CR/NC to graded or vice versa
Minor change in prerequisites

CBE Curriculum Committee Members

2024-2025 Academic Year

Architecture: Ann Huppert

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: Ann Marie Borys, Ex officio

Construction Management: Yong-Woo Kim (co-chair)

Landscape Architecture: Julie Johnson

Real Estate: Sofia Dermisi (co-chair)

Urban Design and Planning: Rachel Berney

Contact

If you have questions about the process for creating or modifying programs or courses, please contact the CBE Curriculum Committee co-Chairs.