Frequently Asked Questions about Internal Curriculum Proposals

What is this “internal proposal”? Who sees it?

The internal proposal makes sure that major stakeholders at Behrend acknowledge the proposed course/program before it goes out to the whole University community.

The chain of travel for internal curriculum proposals at Penn State Behrend includes the following stakeholders: Initiating Faculty, Department Chair, Designated School Committees, School Director, Behrend Curricular Committee, Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, and Vice Chancellor, Graduate Studies.

How should I prepare?

Here are the general types of questions asked in the internal proposal. Be sure you have read Tips for Proposal Success.

  • Proposed name, abbreviation
  • Clear one-paragraph description of the proposed course/program, emphasizing what students will learn
  • Administrative notes: credit level, min/max, repeatable, travel required, etc.
  • Attributes: General Education, US/IL, W, etc.
    • Justification for these attributes – spend time on this
  • Learning objectives (at least three assessable LO)
  • Topic breakdown by HOURS (not weeks)
  • Anticipated student audience (who will take it)

OK, but what happens if someone at Behrend doesn’t like my proposal?

Address any questions or concerns that have been written in the feedback you will receive, and make sure to adjust the proposal to account for them. The Curricular Committee notes that they see these common errors:

  • Incorrect credit calculation
  • Lack of justification statements
  • Failure to account for prerequisites
  • Not listing the course topics in hours

Behrend stakeholders are here to help you.

What happens next?

  • When all have signed off, the proposal will be sent by the Chancellor’s Office to ACUE or ACGE.
  • Once an approval memo is received from the relevant unit, you will input your proposal in CIM.