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Guidelines for Graduate Course Approval

Before submitting a new course for approval, a course modification, or a course deletion, departments should first read this guide. The guidelines have been established to identify those characteristics fundamental to the quality and appropriateness of a graduate course. The guidelines are available below. The Course Approval Process consists of the following steps:

1. Become familiar with these guidelines, if new to the course approval process. Download a PDF of the Guidelines for Graduate Course Approval
2. Download and complete the Course Approval Request Form.
3. Obtain all necessary signatures: Department Chair, Chair(s) of cross-listed department(s), and School/College curriculum committee if required.
4. Make a copy of the completed form for your department.
5. Send the completed form to: Registrar’s Office, Course Approval, 1210 LSA Building, 500 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382, Phone (734) 763-2113, Fax: (734) 936-3148, E-mail: ro.curriculum@umich.edu
6. For Engineering, Contact Jeanne Murabito, 647-7098 or Judy Wolfe, 647-7111

These guidelines identify those characteristics fundamental to the quality and appropriateness of a graduate course. As such, they state the principles already followed in good practice. By their uniform application throughout the Graduate School, they help to ensure that graduate credit is justifiably and equitably awarded.

Recognizing the different needs and traditions of the various schools and colleges of The University of Michigan, the guidelines are designed to be flexible whenever possible. However, the Graduate School’s responsibility for degree programs in seventeen different schools and colleges constitutes the necessity for a certain degree of uniformity. The following principles have been established to promote such uniformity across all schools and colleges within the Graduate School.

The Graduate School recognizes that there could be exceptions to the following rules. Some courses not covered under the Guidelines, after consideration, could meet with approval.