The processes for program deactivation and termination begin at the campus level.  Board Policy 3.6.2 states institutions must notify the University System Office (USO) at least two years prior to a formal request for termination of their intent to discontinue a degree, major, or certificate.  The policy also states an institutional President may place an academic program on a temporary suspension, not to exceed two years, with notification to the USO.

Key Terms:

• Deactivated:  This status is used either as a precursor to termination while existing students in the program are completing their program of study or for a temporary suspension while an institution takes a strategic pause, typically to redevelop a program. Deactivation means no new students can enroll in the program, but continuing students can continue to enroll to complete their program of study.  Deactivation of a program is requested by an institution and requires USO administrative approval.
• Terminated:  This status means the institution has completely discontinued the program and is no longer authorized by the Board of Regents to offer it.  No students can be enrolled in a terminated program.  If an institution wishes to offer a terminated program, they must go through the new academic program proposal process. Termination of a program is requested by an institution and requires Board of Regents’ approval.
• Smartsheet:  A website used by institutions to submit notifications and requests related to Academic Program Proposals.  Provosts designate certain institutional representatives, typically those who oversee the institution’s curriculum process, to access this site.
• Degrees and Majors Authorized (DMA):  The database maintained by the USO of all academic programs (degrees, majors, and certificates) each institution is authorized to offer.
• Academic Data Collection (ADC):  A regular process by which institutions upload data related to student enrollment multiple times per semester.  ADC validates degrees and majors each student has declared against the DMA to ensure, for example, that no students are enrolled in a terminated program and that no new students are enrolled in a deactivated program.

Process for Monitoring Programs:

Through the ADC process, the University System Office (USO) maintains historical data on the enrollment and number of awards conferred for each academic program an institution is authorized to offer.  These reports are publicly available through Research and Policy Analysis:

• Enrollment Reports
• Degree Reports

Annually, the USG Chief Academic Officer meets with each Provost and other USO staff to review those programs that have very low enrollment (over a three-year period) and/or have conferred a low number of degrees (over a three-year period) to discuss remediation options for the betterment of institutions, efficiencies, programs, and students. 

Additionally, Board Policy 3.6.3 states all degrees and majors must go through a regular Comprehensive Program Review that analyzes among other metrics, the need, effectiveness, viability, and productivity of degrees.  The Academic & Student Affairs Handbook outlines in Section 2.3.6 the frequency in which these reviews should occur.  Institutions must review each degree and major at least every 7 years for undergraduate programs and at least every 10 years for graduate programs. Some institutions do this regular review every 5 years.

Most institutions also have additional monitoring processes that help guide the maintenance of academic programs.  It is through these processes, including the regular monitoring of enrollment and degrees awarded and Comprehensive Program Review, that institutions often decide whether to deactivate and/or terminate an academic program. 

In all cases, the request for deactivation and/or termination is made by an institution to the USO.

Process for Deactivation:

As soon as an institution decides they will pause or stop admitting new students into a program, whether temporarily or because they are working toward program termination, the institution must notify the USO through Smartsheet.  Notification requires a rationale and a teach out plan that explains how current students will be able to continue progressing in their program of study during the deactivation period.

Upon receipt of the deactivation request and confirmation that there are no new students enrolled for the proposed deactivation term (see “Process for Checking Enrollment” section below), USO Academic Affairs will review the request and teach out plan and work with the institution to ensure there are no unintended consequences for students and/or faculty before approving. This process typically takes up to one month.

Institutions may wish to use the following paper form; however, requests to the USG must be submitted through Smartsheet:  Form for Deactivating a Program.

Process for Termination:

As soon as an institution decides they will terminate a program, they must notify the USO in accordance with BOR Policy 3.6.2, which requires two years’ notice.  The minimum two-year period is critical. Institutions set a period of time for returning students to be able to enroll in classes without being readmitted, for example up to one year.  The two-year notice for termination takes this into account to ensure students who may take a semester or so off are not adversely affected when an institution decides they will terminate a program.

• Typically, notification of planned termination is done through Smartsheet through the requesting of program deactivation. In this instance, an institution will stop enrolling new students in the program while they work to teach out the program to any existing or returning students.
• In some instances, immediate deactivation may not make sense.  In this case, a memo from the institution’s President or Provost may be sent to the USO of an institution’s future intent to terminate a program.

After two years following when notice was given and when there are no longer any students enrolled in the program, the institution may submit a termination request via Smartsheet. 

Upon confirmation that there are no students enrolled (see “Process for Checking Enrollment” section below), termination requests will be reviewed by an Integrated Academic Review Team, consisting of USO representatives from the divisions of Academic Affairs, Fiscal Affairs, and Operations.  For degrees and/or majors, the requests will then be presented to the Board of Regents at a regularly scheduled meeting. This process typically takes up to two months.

Institutions may wish to use the following paper form; however, requests to the USG must be submitted through Smartsheet:  Form for Terminating a Program.

Process for Checking Enrollment:

Note that checking for enrollment in a program is not as simple as checking for enrollment in a single program code or major code at an institution.  Often, there are multiple program and/or major codes associated with a specific program in the DMA.  Some examples where this may occur are as follows:

• A name change is approved for a major, and a new major code is created with the new name.
• A major has multiple concentrations, and there is a program code for each associated major/concentration combination.

When an institution submits enrollment for academic data collection, the system looks at the associated degree level, degree acronym, and CIP Code for each student's program of study and compares it to that particular row on the DMA.  To check enrollment sufficiently for a program listed on an institutions DMA, an institution would need to query Banner to find all enrolled students for the specified term(s) who are enrolled in any program/major code associated with the specified degree level, degree acronym, and CIP Code.  Note that CIP Codes are a bit complex in Banner.  The USG uses 8-digit CIP codes, which in Banner comes from the 6-digit CIP Code defined by NCES (and used for National Student Clearinghouse reporting) as listed in the field STVMAJR_CIPC_CODE along with the 2-digit extension code associated with a program on the translation table SOAXREF>RGTCIPE.

For program deactivation, there can be no new students enrolled in the proposed effective term or subsequent terms.

For program termination, there can be no students (new or existing) enrolled in the proposed effective term or subsequent terms.

For more information, view data elements Degree Acronym (SPA001), Degree Level Code (SPA002), Major Code (SPA003 - this is the CIP Code data element), Institutional Major Code (SPA004), and Institution Program Code (SPA010) in the ADC Data Element Dictionary.