Courses

Faculty may use Curriculog to propose new courses or request a change to an existing course. 

Course proposals move through the appropriate faculty governance review process in Curriculog. The Undergraduate Policy Committee (UPC) and the Graduate Policy and Affairs Committee (GPAC) review proposals when they reach the appropriate committee step in the workflow by the agenda deadline, which is one week before the next meeting. After Committee review, the proposals will move forward to the UML System Update steps to be implemented in the catalog. 

Curriculog Forms

Use one of the following forms in Curriculog to request a new course, propose a change to an existing course, inactivate, or reactivate a course in the catalog.

• Add a New Course: Use this form to request a new course that does not yet exist in the catalog. See important timelines for requests below.
• Change an Existing Course: Use this form to request almost any change to a course that already exists in the catalog.
• Inactivate a Course: Use this form to officially inactivate a course. The course will remain in the catalog for transfer credit purposes, but the status will be changed from 'active' to 'inactive' and the course will not be available for scheduling. Important: You may not inactivate a course that is currently required for any active degree program.
• Reactivate a Course: Use this form to reactivate a course in the catalog. 

Proposals that contain requests for the following course attributes will be routed to the appropriate committee or approval group after UPC or GPAC review, and after the course exists in the catalog.

Course Attributes

• Career-Connected Experience (CCE) attribute
• Additional Breadth of Knowledge (BOK) attribute
• Essential Learning Outcome (ELO) attribute
• River Hawk Experience Distinction (RHED) attribute
• World-Ready (WR) attribute

Timelines for Requests

Please refer to the guidance below as you prepare your course proposals.

Request a New Course for the Catalog

For new courses to be added to the course catalog in time for the:

• Fall schedule of classes, proposals should reach UPC by February.
• Winter schedule of classes, proposals should reach UPC by September.
• Spring schedule of classes, proposals should reach UPC by September.
• Summer schedule of classes, proposals should reach UPC by December.

After these dates, it cannot be guaranteed that the course will be added to the catalog in time for students to register for the stated semester. 

Change an Existing Course in the Catalog

Requested changes to the course aspects listed below may, upon UPC or GPAC approval, result in an immediate update in the course catalog. However, the Effective Date - the first day of the following semester - will be the official date of the approved change.

Form Fields & Definitions

The fields in the course forms are listed in order of appearance, with definitions or links to more information.

• Course Title: The course title should easily convey the focus/topics of the course and not duplicate the title of other existing courses. The Student Information System (SIS) allows a maximum of 50 characters (long course title) to display in the course catalog, and a maximum of 30 characters (short course title) to be displayed on official transcripts. 
• Course Catalog Number: The course number consists of a four-digit number. Visit the links below for details relevant to the undergraduate or graduate catalog.
  • Undergraduate Course Numbers
  • Graduate Course Numbers
• Course Catalog Description: The catalog description should state the course focus and topics to be covered. SIS allows a maximum of 800 characters for the course description.
  • Undergraduate Course Descriptions
  • Graduate Course Descriptions
• Credit Hours and/or Contact Hours: Federal regulations define credit hours. Visit the links below for details.
  • Undergraduate Credit Hour Policy
    
  • Graduate Credit Hour Policy
• Grading Basis: Options include: Letter Grade (A, B, C, etc.); Pass/No Pass (P/NP) for projects and seminars. Grades do not impact GPA and are noted as S/U; Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Progress for theses and dissertations. Grades do not impact GPA and are noted as PR/U; Undergraduate Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory (S/US). Visit the links below to read the grading policies.
  • Undergraduate Grading Policies
  • Graduate Grading Policies
• Enrollment Requirements: List the prefix, number, and title of each course. Specify any "and/or" logic. For example, "Pre-requisite courses: ENGL.1020 College Writing II; MATH.2830 Introduction to Statistics, or, ECON.2110 Statistics for Business and Economics I. Anti-requisite courses: BIOL.1110 Principles of Biology I, and, LIFE.1010 Life Science I. Be sure to note all intended requirements exactly as they should appear in the catalog.
• Course Components: Course component choices include lecture, recitation, seminar, studio, laboratory, independent study/directed study, clinical, practicum, internship, field study, thesis research, and dissertation research (for graduate-level only). View the Registrar's Course Components page for definitions, codes, and seats available per component.
  • Primary Course Component: The primary course component is the graded component that carries the credit.
  • Multi-Component Courses: A multi-component course is one course that may have two separate meeting times. However, there is one primary graded component that carries the credit and the grade, and one secondary non-graded component. For example, EECE.1070 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering (one course, two separate meeting times; section 801 lab is 2-credits, and section 101 lecture carries 0-credits).
  • Secondary Course Component: If your course is multi-component, then you will need to specify the second, non-graded component for the course.
  • Two Separate Courses (not multi-component): If you wish to have a course that has two meeting patterns and separate grades, you will need to create a new course with its own primary component. For example, COMP.1010-101 (3-credits) and COMP.1030L-801 (1-credit).
• Final Exam Requirement: If you "require" the final exam, it will be scheduled during the final exam week. If you do not want a final exam to be scheduled during the final exam week, select "No, the Final Exam is not required".
• Learning Outcomes: It is best practice for all course syllabi to include a set of course learning outcomes. These contain the knowledge, skills, values, and abilities that students should attain as a result of taking the course. The committee uses this information as another indicator of rigor and scope, as well as in evaluating where a new course may overlap with current course offerings. More information about Learning Outcomes can be found on the Provost's Student Success page. For more information, visit Institutional & Program Outcomes.
• Course CIP Code: The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code is selected by the department to best match the intent of their program. For internal tracking, curriculum mapping, and compliance purposes, UMass Lowell uses CIP Codes for courses in addition to programs. This is important, particularly for the STEM OPT requirement and dual enrollment in high school. Only if your Course CIP Code differs from your Program CIP Code, provide the Course CIP Code that most closely aligns with your intent of the course (99% of the time, the Course CIP Code will match the Program CIP Code).
• Course Attribute: A course attribute is a specific tag or label assigned to a course section in SIS. If you are requesting a particular course attribute, the Curriculog form will display the related questions for review. 
• Course Delivery Modality: Will the student take the course in-person or online?

Need help?

For help deciding which form to use, reach out to Kerry Patenaude by email: kerry_patenaude@uml.edu.

For technical help completing Curriculog forms, visit our Curriculog Help page or reach out by email to: Curriculog@uml.edu

Last updated August 31, 2026.