Minor Modifications

Overview

Minor modifications are changes to courses and program curriculum. There are four types of commonly proposed minor modifications made by graduate units:

changes to an existing course
changes to an existing program
creating a new course
participation in, or withdrawal from, a collaborative specialization

Please contact the Graduate Affairs Officer in the Office of the Vice Dean, Research and Health Science Education (RHSE) before pursing any of these academic changes.

Early consultation with RHSE ensures that the appropriate governance templates and/or proposals are submitted and facilitates discussion about timelines and other related protocol.

Governance Process

Minor modifications follow a two- or three-step governance process, depending on the specific modification proposed.

Steps 1-2 are required to make changes to an existing course, or participate in or withdraw from, a collaborative specialization.
Steps 1-3 are needed to change an existing program or to create a new course.

Steps

Obtain Approval from your Graduate Unit
- The first step in the governance process is to obtain the approval from the graduate unit. When submitting the proposal to your graduate unit, be sure to include the completed template and supporting documentation (e.g., course syllabus). Typically, the committee responsible for graduate education in your unit is responsible for granting graduate unit approval. Please contact your Graduate Coordinator for information about meeting dates and departmental protocol.
Obtain Approval from the RHSE Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC).
- Please submit the proposal package to the Graduate Affairs Officer at RHSE at least 2 weeks before the next scheduled meeting. Please review the RHSE GCC meeting dates. At the next scheduled meeting, a faculty member from the graduate unit (e.g., Graduate Coordinator) presents the proposal to the GCC.
Obtain Approval from The Temerty Faculty of Medicine's Education Committee
- This is a standing committee of Temerty Medicine's Faculty Council. At this meeting, a graduate unit member (ideally the same person who presented the proposal at the RHSE GCC meeting), presents the proposal to the group. Please review the Education Committee meeting dates.

Templates and Instructions for Minor Modifications

To access the required templates and instructions for minor modifications, please visit the Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs.

Minor Modification FAQs & Next Steps

See below for answers to some of the most common questions regarding minor modifications.

What are some examples of changes to an existing course?

Changes to an existing course may include, but are not limited to:

renaming an existing course
renumbering an existing course
converting a didactic course to an online course
making revisions that change the learning objectives for a course

Changing the content of an existing course falls into the category of creating a new course. Please follow the instructions from the Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs, for implementing a new course.

What are some examples of changes to an existing program?

Some common examples of changes to an existing program include, but are not limited to:

changing admission requirements
renaming the field, concentration and/or emphasis
changing the program requirements or length
renaming a program
changing the timing of program requirements
creating a new emphasis
adding or removing an option (i.e., part-time, flex-time)
changes to programs affecting a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

What are some examples of creating a new course?

Examples of creating a new course include, but are not limited to:

creating new graduate course* in a degree
creating new graduate course* in a collaborative specialization
reactivating a closed/deactivated course

How long does it take to obtain all the necessary approvals (i.e., complete the divisional governance process)?

Once the governance template is submitted to RHSE, the process can take up to 2 – 3 months.

What happens once all of the approvals are obtained?

RHSE informs the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and the Vice-Provost, Academic Change of the approved changes. This triggers SGS to make the appropriate changes on ROSI.

Graduate units (Graduate Coordinators and Administrators), as well as any designated faculty (as noted on the Governance Template/Proposal) will be informed by email once all the necessary divisional governance approvals are obtained. Graduate units and Collaborative Specialization will continue to be responsible for updating their SGS calendar entry every year by the deadline, as communicated by SGS.

How soon can an academic change be implemented?

All approved changes are communicated immediately to SGS once the final approval is granted. However, these changes may not be reflected as quickly in the annual SGS Calendar.

Graduate units and Collaborative Specialization normally submit their calendar edits by March 31st. Approvals of academic changes that impact the core curriculum/program requirements must be obtained well in advances of the SGS Calendar deadline. This is imperative for program requirements and optional for electives.