Office of the Provost

Graduate Course Proposals

This guidance describes the steps required to launch a Graduate Course proposal originating from Purdue West Lafayette for University approvals. Please see Purdue Fort Wayne or Purdue Northwest guidance for proposals originating from these campuses, or reach out to campus contacts.

A Graduate Course proposal may be used for 50000- or 60000-level courses. A 50000-level course is a graduate course for which undergraduate students (juniors and seniors only) may be eligible to register. Undergraduate students are not permitted to take 60000-level courses. Professional courses (80000-level) should also use the Graduate Course proposal.

Proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis once they enter the workflow. Time to complete indicates the typical completion timeframe from proposal launch to completion in workflow. Some proposals may complete faster, while others may need more time based on when they are launched. Please see Key Planning Considerations below.

New Graduate Course

Time to complete: 90 days

New courses include a full review by the Graduate Council. Preview requirements in Modern Campus Curriculum (formerly known as Curriculog) or use this printable checklist.

Key Planning Considerations

  • 50000-level courses may require review by home college undergraduate curriculum committees. Please consult with your home college.
  • The Graduate Council generally meets seven times per year (September – November and January – April). The proposal must arrive at the Graduate Council step in workflow at least two weeks before the scheduled Council meeting to be considered for the agenda.
  • Graduate Council policy requires that courses at the 50000-level in the Purdue system should be taught at the graduate level and meet four criteria:
    • a) the use of primary literature in conjunction with advanced secondary sources (i.e. advanced textbooks);
    • b) assessments that demonstrate synthesis of concepts and ideas by students;
    • c) demonstrates that topics are current; and
    • d) components that emphasize research approaches/methods or discovery efforts in the course content area (reading the research, critiquing articles, proposing research)
    • Such courses should be taught so that undergraduate students are expected to rise to the level of graduate work and be assessed in the same manner as graduate students

Tips

  • Course learning outcomes are publicly available. Invest extra time here and consider the  Center of Instructional Excellence for help.
  • Graduate Area Committee reports learning outcomes as the most common reason a proposal is held up. Utilize learning outcome resources in the development.
  • Course numbers may not be reused.
  • Course numbers cannot be reserved.
  • Variable title courses cannot be cross-listed.
  • To add equivalency between two courses, everything must match between the courses (title, course description, credits, learning outcomes, etc.)
  • Prerequisites on 60000-level courses are currently not enforced in Banner.
Existing Graduate Course

Time to complete: 30 days

Changes to existing courses include revisions or suspensions. Preview requirements in Modern Campus Curriculum, or use these printable checklists (change course or course suspend). The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars (OGSPS) conducts the review. If you have more than 5 courses with the same kind of change, please see our Modern Course Curriculum (Curriculog) Tips page for batch change information.

Key Planning Considerations

  • Revisions to 50000-level courses may require review by home college undergraduate curriculum committees. Please consult with your home college.

Tips

  • You are encouraged to use the Course Suspend proposal if a course is not regularly offered by the department. This is an inactive status and the course may be recalled if needed again in the future.
  • Prior to course revisions, it is advised to run a Course Impact Report to determine impact to undergraduate plan of study.
  • If changes to the course exceed 25%, a new course proposal is recommended (e.g. learning outcomes, course description, credit hours).
  • A course level change requires a New Course proposal.
  • See the Modern Campus Curriculum (Curriculog) page for Course Import Instructions.

Last modified: August 15, 2024


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