Approvals have to go through a number of stages and committees before a course can be advertised, open for admissions and start, so the earlier the approval process is started, the better. It can be useful for people who will be involved in the approval process to meet at an early stage to talk through the timelines and responsibilities - for example representatives from the department's course development team, the Faculty Education Manager, representative from ASPO, the Executive or Deputy Dean, and the Faculty Manager.
Although requests for new courses can be submitted at any time during the year, there are a number of key deadlines which should be considered in relation to when the course is intended to start.
Part 1 approval for publicity purposes should be submitted as soon as possible to allow the course to be advertised at an early stage.
You should aim to submit Part 2 final approval documentation to the spring Faculty Education Committee before the first academic year the course is to be delivered, at the latest. Papers for Faculty Education Committees will usually be needed approximately three weeks in advance of the meeting, and time should be allowed beforehand for discussions over the course design and production of the documentation.
Where courses can be approved by the Executive Dean or Academic Quality and Standards Committee via the Faculty Board (see categories of new courses), Parts 1 and 2 can be dealt with together if both forms are submitted at the same time, with supporting documents, including the outlines of all new modules, the programme specification and module map, and any other relevant information identified.
Deadlines for approvals via validation events may be different, depending on the timing of the meeting, but will still tend to aim to report to Academic Quality and Standards Committee in the spring term at the latest.
We are currently preparing sample timelines to reflect the changes to committee and faculty structures. In the meantime, please contact your Faculty Education Manager or the Academic Standards and Partnerships Office for advice on timelines for new course approvals.
Page last updated: 11 September 2013