91ÉçÇø

Below is our guide for developing new programs (undergraduate and graduate). Click here if you are looking for information on how to use the Curriculum software or here for information on other types of program proposals. 

Expectations for Implementation of a New Program

From the time of proposal development and submission, it can take up to and sometimes over two years for a program to be fully approved and ready to enroll students.

Depending on the timing of approval, it may be advantageous to wait an additional admissions cycle to ensure proper promotion and advertising to prospective students. Enrollment projections are taken seriously and the program will be held accountable to meet the projections included in their proposal.

In order to enroll students, a program must (1) be approved by NYSED and added to the Inventory of Registered Programs (IRP) AND (2) appear in the Academic Guide for the academic year in which students are to be enrolled. The Academic Guide editing window for the upcoming year typically closes in March, so if program approval is received after March it is not likely that the program can enroll students the following academic year.

Resources for Implementation of a New Program

You will use the to submit your proposal (MC How-To).

If you have questions about your submission you may contact Courtney Ignarri for graduate level proposals or Paul Gorelik for undergraduate level proposals.

Steps to be completed ahead of proposal development and submission:

Develope New Program Idea

Dept/Programs and College representatives work together to develop the basic idea for a new degree program, which includes:

Curriculum

• # of credits and general outline of course requirements.
• Will this require new course development or use existing resources?
• Will courses offered by other departments/programs be involved? If yes, early consultation with these campus stakeholders on the new program idea is essential.
• What are the unique strengths this program would offer relative to other similar offerings?

Resources Needed

• Will the new program require additional faculty or personnel? Additional equipment or other resources?
• What department/program and college resources can be used for this purpose? What additional resources are needed from the campus

Market Demand and Enrollment Projection

• Is there interest in and need for the proposed new degree amongst prospective students and employers?
• Use our

Assess Rationale for Program and Broader Placement and Impact to 91ÉçÇø Degree Offerings

Dept/Program and College representatives should  meet with: 

• If Graduate:
  • Josh Reno, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Graduate School
  • Courtney Ignarri, Assistant Dean for Program Review, Graduate School
• If Undergraduate:
  • Don Loewen, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education 
  • Paul Gorelik, Associate Director for Undergraduate Education

Discuss:

• Basic Program Purpose and Outline
• How is this unique from other 91ÉçÇø programs? 
• Is there any potential impact to existing 91ÉçÇø programs?
• How is this unique from other programs of its kind?
• Market demand and enrollment projections
• Verify appropriate forms, process and program viability

*May require multiple meetings/inquiries.

Meet with Online Education (if any online component)

Meet with: James Pitarresi, Vice Provost for Online and Innovation Education

Review the .

Discuss:

• Will the program be exclusively online? The answer to this will impact how admissions for the program will be handled. 
• How will courses be deployed?
• What is the market viability of an online program in the proposed discipline?

Consider Recruiting/Marketing Needs

If graduate, meet with Communications and Marketing and the Office of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions

Meet with: 

• Allen Wengert, Director of Marketing (Communications and Marketing)
• Rebecca Kahn, Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Marketing (Communications and Marketing)

Discuss:

• Development of website, communication and marketing assets for use once SED approval is granted
• Development of marketing plan to launch program for use once SED approval is granted
• The marketing plan should include the types of marketing/recruitment strategies to be deployed, channels/platforms to be used, what departments will lead and/or participate the effort, and a realistic cost to execute the plan respective to achieving targeted enrollment

Meet with:

• Madhusudhan Govindaraju, Vice Provost for International Education and Global Affairs (IEGA)
• April St. John, Director of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions (OGRA)
• Carrie Feyerabend, Assistant Director of Graduate Recruitment (OGRA)

Discuss:

• Recruitment strategy and resource needs
• Inquiry, Application Starter/Applicant and Deposit program communications planning
• Inquiry form development
• Web-lead capture development (in collaboration with C&M)
• Timeline and components for building application in slate

If undergraduate, notify Enrollment Management/Admissions

Notify: Krista Medionte-Phillips, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management

Submission Components and Timeline

This section will outline the components and process involved in proposal development, submission and review. All materials should be submitted together in the MC system for campus approval.

Timeline

• Prepare submission materials
  • 
    
    • Additional Uploads (found within proposal template link above)
      • Curriculum Table
      • Program Schedule
  • Academic Program Financial Planning Template
    
    • See instructions tab to ensure accurate completion. You will need to collaborate with the Assistant Dean of Finance in your Dean’s Office.
      • The Assistant Dean of Finance is expected to ensure that:
        • all financial data is presented accurately and completely,
        • projections are reasonable and aligned with actual expectations,
        • all formulas/calculations are correct, and
        • the program is solvent and can stand on its own in steady state.
  • Diversity Statement
    • The department, in conjunction with the dean's office, should prepare a statement that addresses the concerns laid out in the Faculty Senate Diversity Rubric and Guidelines found on our Additional Forms website and attach it to this proposal. This rubric is provided as a guideline in reviewing and evaluating diversity statements in new program proposals. This may be submitted at the shared governance review stage.
• Upload to Modern Campus Curriculum
• Approvers
  
  • On-Campus Review
    
    • Originator
      
      • By submitting this on MC system, the proposal originator is indicating that all department/program faculty have reviewed and approved the proposal. 
    • Assistant Dean for Finance in the new program’s school or college
    • College Level Committees (CCPA, Harpur, Watson)
    • Graduate School and/or Undergraduate Education
    • Online Education, if program will be exclusively online
    • Internal Comment Period
      
      • Your proposal will be shared with the other School/College Dean’s offices for a 2 week comment period. Comments will be shared with you and the proposal may need to be revised to proceed in the approval process. 
    • Budget Review
      
      • Budget Office
      • Faculty Senate Budget Review Committee
    • Graduate School and/or Undergraduate Education
    • Shared Governance Review
      
      • Originator
        
        • At this point the originator may add in any additional materials required for shared governance review.
      • College/School Dean’s Office and Curriculum Committees (order varies by unit)
      • Graduate School and/or Undergraduate Education
      • Online Education, if program will be exclusively online
      • Faculty Senate Program Review Committee
      • Faculty Senate Executive Committee
      • Faculty Senate
        
        • Includes Faculty Senate Diversity Committee
      • Graduate School and/or Undergraduate Education
        
        • Will prepare materials for submission to SUNY’s online submission site.        
  • Off-Campus Review
    
    • SUNY Program Announcement (UG) or Letter of Intent (GD)
      
      • SUNY will first do a budget and quality review check of the proposal, once completed the proposal will be shared with all SUNY institutions for a 30-day comment period. Comments will be shared back to the originating institution and revisions may be required.
  • External Evaluation (excluding advanced certificates)
    
    • May require changes to proposals that necessitate additional shared governance review and approval.
  • SUNY review and approval of full-proposal
    
    • It is common for SUNY to ask questions and request revisions to proposals
  • New York State Education Department (NYSED)
    
    • It is common for NYSED to ask questions and request revisions to proposals.

Items to Be Prepared After Submission, Ahead of Approval

Academic Guide Entry  (Due in March Annually)

Contact undergraded@binghamton.edu to create a page for your new program
Reach out as early as possible. The final deadline is March the spring preceding the academic year in which students can enroll. E.g., a program approved in February 2026 with an appropriate academic guide entry submitted by the March 2027 deadline for the 27-28 academic guide can enroll students for Summer 2027, Fall 2027 or Spring 2028.

Website content for the new program

Developed in consultation with Communications and Marketing (C&M)

Recruiting and Admissions

• For Graduate:
  
  • Contact April St. John (astjohn@binghamton.edu) in the Office of Graduate Admissions and Recruiting (OGRA) so she can work with you to:
    
    • Add the new program to slate with admissions criteria
    • Create messaging for prospective students, applicants, and admitted students which is developed in consultation with OGRA and Communications and Marketing.
• For Undergraduate:
  
  • Notify Krista Medionte-Phillips (kmediont@binghamton.edu so that Admissions can make preparations on their end for when the program is approved.

On-Campus Logistics After Approval, Before Application is Available

Even after your program is approved there are things behind the scenes that need to be put in place so that you can formally launch the program and enroll students.

• For all programs:
  • Create and Test Major Codes  - Office of Institutional Research (OIR) and POGO (committee that oversees system management/maintenance/upgrades)
  • Build Degree Works Entry - Student Records (and Office of Graduate Admissions and Recruiting (OGRA) if Graduate)
• For Graduate:
  • Officially Build and Test Application - OGRA

Follow-up

Budget

• Assess whether enrollment targets are meeting set goals
• Evaluate program solvency comparing profitability and progress against the approved financial plan

Contribution to Mission (CTM)

• Departments meet with their Dean and the Provost every 3-3.5 years for an assessment of their overall contribution to the University’s mission. The status of new programs will be discussed at these CTM meetings.

Academic Program Review

• Academic units are assessed on a 7 year cycle by completing a self-study and undergoing an external review. After approval, the status of new programs will be included in the review at the next available opportunity.