New Program Proposals

Submission Guidelines

Levels of Review
Memo of Intent (MOI)
Program-Specific Requirements
Proposal Formatting Guidelines

Levels of Review

Each new program proposal must pass four levels of review in the following sequence:

School/Unit level
University level I: The Graduate Program Committee, which reviews new program proposals four times each academic year. There are two submissions presented at two separate meetings in the following order: Memo of Intent and the Proposal. Online programs have additional requirements that are reviewed by the Provost and Office of Budget and Financial Planning.
University level II (Office of the Provost): The Office of Academic Program Review and Assessment
The New York State Education Department

Memo of Intent

The first submission to the Graduate Program Committee is the Memo of Intent (MOI). This is a 1-2 page memo that must come from the school dean that:

names and describes the new program,
identifies the demand and enrollment goals for the program, and
discusses both potential areas of interschool conflict as well as possible connections to existing programs within schools.

Effective January 1, 2020, schools/units must send one representative to the meeting at which the MOI is to be reviewed.

This memo must be submitted at least one meeting prior to the meeting at which the full program proposal will be reviewed. If the new program you are launching is an online program, please cc onlineprograms@nyu.edu in your submission to the GPC. To see a sample MOI, please contact Associate Vice Provost Ryan Poynter.

Program-Specific Requirements

Requirements for New Master's Program Proposal Submissions

Include all materials outlined in OAPRA's webpage. The completed External Review must be included in the proposal along with the reviewer(s) vitae.

Additional required materials:

A statement describing how the new program relates to existing programs at NYU. If the proposed program will utilize courses in another school/unit, indicate what discussions have taken place with that school.
A brief description of what students should know and be able to do upon completion of the program, together with a statement about how progress toward these goals will be evaluated. Please visit OAPRA for more information.

Recommended materials:

Letters of support about the value of the program from individuals with expertise at other institutions.

Requirements for New Doctoral Program Proposal Submissions

Include all materials outlined in OAPRA's webpage excluding Form 4 and Tables 6, 7, and 8 (found in Form A "Doctoral Program Proposal"). The completed External Review must be included in the proposal. External Reviewers for new doctoral programs must be approved by the state prior to conducting the review. The completed External Review must be included in the proposal along with the reviewer(s) vitae. Faculty should contact OAPRA prior to seeking out external reviewers.

Additional required materials:

A statement describing how the new program relates to existing programs at NYU. If the proposed program will utilize courses in another school/unit, indicate what discussions have taken place with that school.
A brief description of what students should know and be able to do upon completion of the program, together with a statement about how progress toward these goals will be evaluated. Please visit OAPRA for more information.
Faculty vitae for those teaching in the new program.

Recommended materials:

Letters of support about the value of the program from individuals with expertise at other institutions.

Requirements for New Programs in a Licensed Profession

Include all materials outlined in the OAPRA's webpage excluding Nos. 1 and 3 under "Additional Requirements." The completed External Review must be included in the proposal along with the reviewer(s) vitae. Professional programs at the master's level must have their external reviewers approved by the state prior to conducting the review. Please contact OAPRA to complete the reviewer approval process.

Other required materials:

A statement describing how the new program relates to existing programs at NYU. If the proposed program will utilize courses in another school/unit, indicate what discussions have taken place with that school.
A brief description of what students should know and be able to do upon completion of the program, together with a statement about how progress toward these goals will be evaluated. Please visit OAPRA for more information.

Recommended materials:

Letters of support about the value of the program from individuals with expertise at other institutions.

Proposal Formatting Guidelines

Once the Memo of Intent has been approved, you may submit the full proposal as one document to Associate Vice Provost Ryan Poynter by the submission deadline in the table above.

Include in the body of your e-mail the name, title(s), and contact information for the representative who will be giving a brief (3 minute) presentation and answering questions from the Committee members at the meeting. This person should be the school faculty member or administrator who is overseeing the proposal through the various stages of review. However it may be someone else. This individual must be available for a 15- to 20-minute block of time between 10am-12pm on the meeting date. If you would like more than one person, please send a written request to the GSAS Dean's Office prior to the submission deadline.

Include as an attachment one electronic file of your program proposal in Word format or PDF. The proposal's cover page must be a 1-2 page memo from the full school dean, and it should be addressed to the Graduate Program Committee/the Co-Chairs with the following information:

Degree and title of the new program, e.g. M.A. in Modern Architecture or Master of Science in Neuropathology
Complete name of the school submitting the proposal followed by the division/department/program
A brief paragraph summary of the proposal