After the Educational Planning Course: Individualized Degree Approval Process
Overview of the Academic Review Process
Once you develop your degree plan and rationale essay, these documents proceed through a review process on two levels:
- a review for academic content and degree design
- a review for technical items, such as accurate transfer credit
In the review for academic content and degree design, an academic review committee made up of faculty and assessment professionals reviews your degree program in the contexts of:
- your rationale essay
- SUNY Empire credit requirements (credit amount, level, type)
- SUNY Empire knowledge foundation requirements for your degree
- SUNY General Education requirements
- what the profession expects in your type of degree, if you’re pursuing a professionally based degree
Committee members need to understand your reasoning and research behind your choices for your degree, the things that make your degree meaningful to you as well as academically and professionally valid.
If you have included credit for prior learning in your degree, academic review committee members also review the credit recommendations to make sure they do not overlap with other credits you have in course work (you cannot get credit for the same knowledge twice).
Both the academic and technical reviews examine the academic soundness of your degree plan.
Questions an Academic Review Committee May Ask
- Does the title of the degree/concentration reflect the actual contents of the degree?
- Does the rationale essay clearly set the context for understanding the degree by discussing personal-academic-professional goals?
- Do the degree plan and rationale essay show how the degree will actually help you work toward those goals?
- Does the rationale essay clearly discuss how you’ve addressed the ESU Foundational Knowledge areas for your type of degree?
- Does the degree have an overall design that’s addressed implicitly in the degree plan and explicitly in the rationale essay? In other words, have you explained why you’ve included certain pieces in the degree, how some pieces of the degree relate to one another, build from one another, and/or provide a variety of perspectives, in order to create a coherent degree?
- Does the rationale essay clearly discuss what’s usually expected professionally in this type of degree, if you are pursuing a degree for professional purposes, and provide research/evidence to show that you have addressed those professional expectations?
- Do the degree plan and rationale essay clearly show that you have fulfilled the SUNY General Learning requirement?
- Is the essay clearly written in your own voice; with a beginning, middle, and end; clear and correct language; and documentation as needed?
Academic Review in Action
To see a committee in action, watch the video “What Happens in an Academic Review Committee?” in which an academic review committee reviews a degree program and rationale essay from student Jenny Palmer.
Jenny’s degree plan and rationale essay are attached, so you can actually follow along with the documents that the committee is discussing.
The other link goes to the SUNY Empire pages that describe and link to the required knowledge foundations for Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Studies degrees.
Results of Academic Review
You and your mentor will receive an email from a Director of Academic Review stating the outcome of the review process. There are possible outcomes:
- Your degree may be approved outright.
- Your degree may be approved pending some questions being answered or recommended changes being implemented. If this is the case, consult with your mentor in order to respond.
- Your degree may be returned with major recommendations. Realize that an academic review committee’s purpose is to ensure a valid degree. If they have major questions or recommendations, the degree may be returned so you and your mentor can do further work on it and resubmit it.
After Academic Review
Once your degree plan and accompanying rationale essay are approved, you have your personalized map to completing your degree.
You can consult your progress via Degree Works.
You can also print out a copy of your degree plan if you used DPPlanner, and check off your remaining courses as you complete them.
When you register for a term, always consult your approved degree plan to make sure that you’re taking something listed on that plan.
Use your plan to create a sub-plan for completing the rest of your courses.
- Create a sub-plan identifying how many courses are left to complete and estimate how many terms that completion may take.
- Look up each remaining course in the Term Guide. Once you open a course description, look at the Attributes. This will identify the terms in which the course is usually offered. Identify on your sub-plan what course to take when.
Two Important Notes
- If a new course comes to your attention, something that was not available when you planned your degree and something that you really want to take, consult your mentor about the possibility of switching courses to accommodate the new course. Know that although you cannot remove courses that you need to address major knowledge foundations or general learning requirements, you do have some flexibility in changing courses after your degree plan is approved.
- When you are entering your last term and taking your last courses, make sure to fill out a graduation application. This will trigger a final review once your last grades have been submitted. The college checks to make sure that you completed the specific courses on your approved degree plan.
Know that Academic Review Committees want to approve your degree.
They are working committees that offer feedback when needed, especially feedback related to addressing required knowledge foundations for your type of degree. They may also offer ideas related to helping you achieve your goals.
