Programs

Faculty may use Curriculog to propose new programs or request changes to existing programs. 

Program 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 move forward to the Faculty Senate Review step.

Curriculog Forms

Use one of the following forms in Curriculog to request a new plan (major, minor, certificate) or subplan (option or concentration), or to change an existing plan or subplan. Multiple changes to a plan or subplan can be made in one form.

• Request a New Major
• Request a New Certificate
• Request a New Minor
• Request a New Subplan (option, concentration) for an Existing Plan
• Change an Existing Major
• Change an Existing Minor
• Change an Existing Certificate
• Stop Admitting New Students & Initiate the Phase-Out Process (Suspend a Program)

Short Forms

Use one of these forms if this is the ONLY change you are requesting:

• Change CIP Code for STEM OPT
  • Use this form to change the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Optional Practical Training (OPT) eligibility.
• Change List of Approved Electives
  • Use this form to add, remove, or otherwise change the list of courses from which students may choose to satisfy an existing requirement. For example, if a program requires 6 credits of Technical Electives, the 6-credits are the required elective, and the courses that may satisfy those credits constitute the list of approved electives. 
• Change Name of Plan or Subplan
• Change Name of Program & Elevate Subplan to Plan
• Change Program Learning Outcomes
• Change Graduate Admission Requirements (Plan- or Subplan-level)
• Change Graduate Admission Requirements (GPAC approval not required)

Other Forms

• Correct an Error / Update Text in the Catalog
• Documents for Core Curriculum Committee (CORE)
• Documents for Executive Committee (EXEC)
• Documents for Faculty Senate
• Documents for Graduate Policy and Affairs Committee (GPAC)
• Documents for Undergraduate Policy Committee (UPC)
• Propose a Curricular Pilot

Timelines for Requests

Program requests made during the 2026-2027 review cycle are for changes to the 2027-2028 academic catalog, with the exception of requests for new majors. Requests for new majors follow a two-year or three-year review cycle.

Form Fields & Definitions

• Degree: Degree refers to the credential the student will earn. For example, Bachelor of Science, or Master of Business Administration.
• Plan: A plan in SIS is a major, program, minor, or certificate with a designated CIP Code. 
• Subplan: A subplan in SIS is either an "option" or a "concentration" under a plan (major or program) with a designated CIP Code. Approved options and concentrations will be shown on student transcripts and diplomas. NOTE: "Specializations" and "tracks" are not a choice in SIS and will not be shown on student transcripts and diplomas. Subplans must be approved by UMPO and DHE to be added to the catalog.
• Program: The term program is used in the forms to refer generally to an overall plan and subplan, often at the graduate level. Curriculog uses the term program to differentiate program proposals from course proposals.
• Degree Pathway: Students use the Degree Pathway (DP) to visualize the recommended course load for each academic term to move them toward timely degree completion. For existing programs, you will be asked to include the link to your program's Degree Pathway page in the catalog. For new programs or to demonstrate proposed changes to the Degree Pathway, use the appropriate template below to clearly communicate a recommended course sequence for students. After Faculty Senate approval, the Degree Pathway grid will be used by the Registrar's Office to update the catalog for the next cohort year.
  • Undergraduate: For undergraduate programs, provide a suggested degree pathway by specifying a semester-by-semester breakdown of all degree requirements to demonstrate for students how they may complete their degree in four years. Use the Undergraduate Degree Pathway grid template (Word doc) to provide a sample degree pathway, which includes notation of Core Curriculum BOK and ELO requirements. Use the Minor catalog requirements template (Word doc) to provide the requirements of a minor.
  • Graduate: Most programs provide this in a list format that includes the core requirements, electives, research/thesis or dissertation requirements, etc., which can be provided via the Curriculum Outline described below. Some programs use the semester-by-semester breakdown of the typical degree pathway. To use this format, please complete the Degree Pathway grid template (Word doc).
• Curriculum Outline: The Department of Higher Education (DHE) requires the use of the Curriculum Outline template, which must be attached to a proposal as a separate Word document. Complete the template and upload it to the proposal as a separate Word document. The Curriculum Outline must show students the exact list of courses required to complete the degree. The Curriculum Outline includes the list of specific required courses and the list of required electives with the accompanying list of approved elective course choices.
  • Required course: A specific course that all students in the applicable degree pathway must complete. 
  • Required elective, or, elective requirement: A curricular requirement that all students in the applicable degree pathway must complete, but for which students may choose from a defined set of courses.
  • List of approved electives: The defined set of courses students may choose from to satisfy the required elective. 

Request a New Major⁠

Use the form Request a New Plan (Major/Program) to request a new major or program for the catalog. Do not use this form to change a plan that already exists in the catalog. Instead, use the relevant Change an Existing Plan form.

Requests for a new major will progress through two phases with the UMass President's Office (UMPO) and the Department of Higher Education (DHE). View the tabs below for detailed information, including the forms you will need to prepare and the steps you need to take, for each phase of the process.

Stop Admitting New Students and Initiate the Phase-Out Process⁠

Use this form to stop admitting new students to a plan (major, program, certificate, minor) or a subplan (option or concentration), start a teach-out plan for existing students (if applicable), and to ultimately suspend your plan or subplan.

UMass Lowell requires departments wishing to phase out a plan and/or one or more subplans to complete the following steps:

1. Request a Last Admit Term - Request the final admission term for the plan and/or subplan(s). After the Last Admit Term, new students will no longer be admitted to the plan or subplan. The Last Admit Term can be planned for the end of the current admission cycle.
2. Determine Whether a Teach-Out Plan is Needed - Review the requirements for all currently enrolled students, including students in different catalog years. If all required courses will continue to be offered as needed, a separate Teach-Out Plan may not be necessary. If students will need course substitutions, exceptions, additional advising, or other arrangements, provide a Teach-Out Plan in the proposal.
3. Notify Enrolled Students - After the proposal is approved, notify students currently enrolled in the plan or subplan about the phase-out, their options, and the arrangements available to help them complete their program.
4. Monitor Students During the Teach-Out Period - Continue to monitor students who remain eligible to enroll in the plan or subplan. Provide appropriate advising and coordinate any required curricular exceptions or substitutions.
5. Complete the Phase-Out Process - When no students remain eligible to enroll in the plan or subplan, contact the Curriculum Management Team to determine the next steps for submitting the required suspension request to the UMass President’s Office.

Key Definitions

Key definitions used in UMass Lowell's Student Information System (SIS):

• Last Admit Term - The final semester or academic term in which a specific degree plan (major, minor, certificate) or subplan (option, concentration) will accept new students. After this term, the plan or subplan will no longer be available for new admissions.
• SIS Plan Code - The code assigned in SIS to identify a degree plan, such as a major, program, certificate, or minor. A Plan Code typically consists of two or three letters that identify the plan and may include the associated degree designation. For example, PO-BA identifies the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
• SIS Subplan Code - The code assigned in SIS to identify an option or concentration within a plan. A Subplan Code typically consists of two or three letters representing the name of the option or concentration. For example, AMP identifies the American Politics option, and IRC identifies the International Relations & Comparative Politics option. Together, the Plan Code and Subplan Code form the complete SIS code: PO-BA-AMP or PO-BA-IRC.

Student Status Terms:

• Eligible to Enroll - The number of students declared in the plan or subplan who are currently enrolled or who were enrolled at any point during the previous two years and may therefore require continued access to the plan or subplan.
• New Students - Students entering the University for the first time, including first-year and transfer students, who are being admitted to the plan or subplan.
• Continuing Students - Students who are currently enrolled at UMass Lowell and remain enrolled in the plan or subplan from one term to the next.
• Returning Students - Students who were previously enrolled at UMass Lowell or in the plan or subplan and are returning after an interruption in enrollment.

Plan or Subplan Status Terms:

• Active - The plan or subplan is available in the Student Information System (SIS) for new, continuing, and returning students. The University may admit students to the plan or subplan and confer degrees or certificates associated with it. A plan or subplan remains active until the phase-out process begins.
• Teaching-Out - A Last Admit Term has been established to correspond with the current admission cycle, and no new students will be admitted after that term. Students already admitted to the plan or subplan may continue completing their requirements under an approved Teach-Out Plan or the existing curriculum. The teaching-out period ends when no students remain eligible to enroll.
• Suspended - The teaching-out process is complete, and the University has submitted the required suspension request to the UMass President’s Office. After the UMass President’s Office changes the status from active to suspended, the plan or subplan remains dormant in the HEIRS database. A suspended plan or subplan may be eligible for reactivation within 10 years through the Reactivate a Program process.
• Discontinued - The University has decided not to reactivate a suspended plan or subplan and has submitted the required discontinuation request to the UMass President’s Office. A discontinued plan or subplan is removed from the HEIRS database and cannot be reactivated. If a plan or subplan remains suspended for 10 years, it will be automatically discontinued.

Determine Whether a Teach-Out Plan Is Needed

A Teach-Out Plan explains how all students currently enrolled in the plan or subplan—including students following different catalog years—will complete their degree, certificate, minor, option, or concentration without additional time to graduation or additional cost.

To determine whether a Teach-Out Plan is needed, review the requirements for all active catalog years. For example, if the program has requirements for the following periods:

• Fall 2025 and later;
• Fall 2024 through Spring 2025;
• Fall 2022 through Spring 2024; and
• Fall 2015 through Spring 2022;

confirm that all required courses in each catalog-year pathway will remain available to eligible students without requiring individual student exceptions.

You will be asked the following question in the proposal form:

Will all required courses in all versions of this plan and/or subplan(s) remain available to currently eligible students?

• If yes, a Teach-Out Plan is not required.
• If no, your form will include questions related to the Teach-Out Plan.

A separate Teach-Out Plan may not be necessary if all required courses will continue to be offered until no students remain eligible to enroll. A Teach-Out Plan should be provided when students will need course substitutions, exceptions to program requirements, alternate courses, special advising, or other arrangements to complete their program.

Designing and Communicating a Teach-Out Plan

If required courses will no longer be available, the proposal must explain how all currently eligible students will complete the program. Different catalog years may require different strategies.

A Teach-Out Plan may include:

• Individual exceptions for students in small cohorts;
• Group or batch exceptions for students following a particular catalog year;
• Moving students to a newer set of catalog-year requirements;
• Identifying substitute courses or alternate pathways; or
• Inviting, but not requiring, students to change to a related plan or subplan.

Students cannot be required to change their plan or subplan because it is being taught out. They also cannot be required to complete additional credits, incur additional costs, or take additional time to graduate as a result of the Teach-Out Plan. Students are entitled to complete the requirements published for their catalog year at matriculation.

After a Teach-Out Plan is approved, all students eligible to enroll must receive written notification. The notification must explain any changes to the student’s expected degree pathway, confirm that the arrangements will not delay graduation or increase costs, and provide instructions for contacting an academic advisor. Copy the academic_affairs@uml.edu email address on the notification.

If you would like assistance developing a Teach-Out Plan, contact the Curriculum Management Team via email: curriculog@uml.edu.

For instructions on using Curriculog, visit Curriculog Help.

Change a CIP Code for STEM OPT Eligibility⁠

Use this form to request a change to the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code assigned to an academic plan and/or subplan when the proposed code may qualify the program for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Optional Practical Training (STEM OPT) extension.

About CIP Codes

Every academic program is assigned a six-digit CIP Code that classifies its primary field of study. The proposed CIP Code must accurately reflect the program’s curriculum, content, and academic purpose.

CIP Codes are used for institutional, state, and federal reporting and may affect financial aid, research funding eligibility, and other regulatory requirements. For international students, the CIP Code assigned to a program also determines whether the program is recognized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as eligible for the STEM OPT extension.

NCES CIP Code Resources: Review the CIP 2020 classifications and selection guidance. Be sure to use the CIP 2020 classification rather than CIP 2010.

STEM OPT Eligibility

To support a request for STEM OPT designation, the proposed CIP Code must:

• accurately represent the program’s curriculum and academic purpose; and
• appear on the current DHS list of CIP Codes eligible for the STEM OPT extension.

At UML, at least 50% of the coursework required for the degree must be in an applicable STEM field. When documenting this requirement, include all UML courses with qualifying subject prefixes, as directed by the institutional review process.

Locate a STEM-Eligible CIP Code

Previously published versions of the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List have been archived. To review the most current information, use the DHS Eligible CIP Codes for the STEM OPT Extension page.

To determine whether a proposed CIP Code is currently recognized as STEM eligible:

1. Identify the proposed six-digit CIP Code using the NCES CIP 2020 website.
2. Open the DHS Eligible CIP Codes for the STEM OPT Extension page.
3. Use your browser’s Find function (Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on a Mac) to search for the complete six-digit CIP Code.
4. Confirm that the CIP Code and its official CIP title appear on the DHS list.
5. Enter the proposed CIP Code and official CIP title in the Curriculog proposal.

Placement on the DHS list does not, by itself, establish that the code is appropriate for a UML program. The proposal must demonstrate that the program’s curriculum supports the requested classification.

Before submitting the proposal, please consult Deborah Cantor for assistance in evaluating the curriculum and crosswalking the program to an appropriate STEM-eligible CIP Code.

Additional federal information is available through the DHS STEM OPT Hub and the ICE Schools and Programs page. 

Required Documents

Attach the following documents to the proposal:

• Current Curriculum Outline
• Proposed Curriculum Outline
• Proposed Degree Pathway

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 email the Curriculum Management Team at: curriculog@uml.edu. 

Last updated August 28, 2026.