Making significant changes to programs of study

Use the form linked below (the gold button labeled "Intake Form") to request significant curricular changes to CLAS undergraduate programs of study or structural changes to the academic units that support them. These types of changes include:

  • Creating a new major, minor, certificate, or non-degree/preparatory program
  • Renaming a major, minor, certificate, or non-degree/preparatory program
  • Discontinuing a major, minor, certificate, or non-degree/preparatory program
  • Changing the degree type of a degree program (for example, from BA to BS)
  • Changing a program of study's CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code
  • Adding or removing a learning center for a program of study (for example, by adding or discontinuing the ability to complete a program of study fully online)
  • Creating, renaming, restructuring, or discontinuing subprograms (also called tracks, emphasis areas, concentrations, etc.) within a major, minor, certificate, or non-degree/preparatory program
  • Suspending or reinstating admissions to a program of study
  • Creating, modifying, or discontinuing a U2G pairing or a combined degree pairing
  • Making significant changes to the requirements of a major, minor, certificate, or non-degree/preparatory program (more information on what constitutes a significant change can be found below)
  • Creating a new department or a new unit within a department
  • Renaming a department or unit within a department
  • Closing a department or unit within a department
  • Administratively restructuring a department or unit within a department (including moving a program of study into a different department)
  • Creating or discontinuing a course subject code (an acronym or abbreviation shared by a set of courses, such as SEES, JSTU, or SMC)

Most of these types of changes require meeting with the Undergraduate Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee (UEPCC). Some of these changes require approval from the Iowa Board of Regents, the Office of the Provost, or CLAS leadership. Most curricular changes go into effect in a summer or fall session, and most structural changes go into effect on July 1, at the start of a new fiscal year. 

For these reasons, and to align changes with each year's General Catalog publishing cycle, requests for curricular and structural changes must be received by October 1 each year to be considered for implementation in the following academic year (i.e., please request a change by October 1, 2025 to have it considered for an effective session of fall 2026. A request received on October 2, 2025 will be considered for an effective session of fall 2027).

The time required to approve and implement each request will vary based on the nature of the change. Many factors can influence the overall timeline, including the General Catalog cycle, the Iowa Board of Regents’ approval processes, and Admissions considerations. Someone from CLAS Undergraduate Programs will get in touch with you after receiving this form to discuss the specific approvals needed, process, and timing for the type of change you are requesting. 

Intake Form

Is it "significant?"

When determining whether a curricular change should be considered "significant" or not, it is helpful to ask whether it would feel like a significant change to a student enrolled in the program of study. Another factor to consider is whether any academic unit (the administrative home of the program of study or a department that offers cognate or service courses for that program of study) should adjust course offerings, communicate the change to advisors and students, or otherwise plan for a transition from the existing curriculum to the new one. Below are some examples of significant and insignificant changes. The CLAS UP curriculum team can also assist with determining whether a change is significant or not. 

Significant changes

The following are considered significant changes to the curriculum that require CLAS approval:

  • Revisions to a major, minor, or certificate that involve restructuring, such as adding, removing, or renaming a subprogram (track, concentration, emphasis area), or adding or removing cognate course clusters, for example.
  • Any change to the total semester hours of a major, minor, or certificate.
  • Any request to add or remove an application or another process that students must complete before acceptance into a program of study.
    • Note: CLAS ordinarily does not approve selective majors, minors, or certificates.
  • The addition of a grade attached to a cluster of prerequisite courses (such as C-) that functions as the gateway into a major and that limits access.

Insignificant changes

Changes considered insignificant do not require CLAS approval. These changes can be made directly in the General Catalog during its annual editing cycle. The College will review and approve (or deny) these changes during the catalog workflow process:

  • Revisions to a major, minor, or certificate that add or remove courses without changing the program of study's total semester hours (e.g., adding or changing course options for fulfilling existing requirements).
  • Changes to the titles of course groupings that do not appear on a transcript and are not formal tracks, subprograms, concentrations, or emphasis areas but are a way to organize the major into a sequence by course clusters (such as "foundational courses," "intermediate courses," "capstone," etc.).
  • Changes to the visual layout or sequencing of a major, minor, or certificate that do not change requirements or semester hours.
  • Updates to a program of study's learning outcomes.
  • Changes to sample plans of study, as long as the requirements on the sample plan are the same as those in the General Catalog.

A common next step after discussing your request with someone in CLAS UP is submitting a proposal for UEPCC consideration. The following UEPCC proposal template is intended as a guide. It can be customized to fit your specific request.

proposal template