SACSCOC-10YR - Xitracs Report

_X_ Compliance

___ Partial Compliance

___ Non-Compliance

Narrative

Introduction

Auburn University defines one credit hour as the unit of work that includes no less than one 50-minute period of classroom or direct faculty instruction and completion of assignments that typically requires 2 to 2.5 hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks for one semester (or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time).

The following summary describes the minimum number of semester credit hours required for academic degree offerings at the baccalaureate, graduate, and professional levels. Attached as evidence is a master program roster that lists each program by college.

Below are the requirements for students completing Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs. Also described is the process by which Auburn University ensures that programs meet minimum semester credit hour requirements.

Baccalaureate Level

Auburn University confers baccalaureate degrees in 10 colleges and schools: the College of Agriculture; the College of Architecture, Design and Construction; the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business; the College of Education; the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering; the College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment; the College of Human Sciences; the College of Liberal Arts; the College of Nursing; and the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

Auburn University currently offers 157 degree programs or program options at the baccalaureate level. (This count includes new programs that have been approved but have not yet enrolled any students, as well as closed programs that are still in teach-out.) The minimum number of semester credit hours in an undergraduate academic degree program is 120, including at least 41-42 semester credit hours of the Core Curriculum. Students not completing an approved degree program do not qualify for a baccalaureate degree, no matter how many semester credit hours they complete. The actual number of semester credit hours required for the bachelor’s degree varies by degree program. The range is from 120 semester credit hours, typical of most Auburn bachelor’s degree programs, to 158 semester credit hours for students earning the Bachelor of Architecture degree, which is a five-year curriculum. Baccalaureate academic programs are described in the college and school listings in the Auburn University Bulletin, with a convenient listing of all majors by college in the online version of that document. Alternatively, majors can be browsed alphabetically.

Graduate and Professional Level

Auburn University confers graduate degrees or professional practice doctorates in all 12 of its constituent colleges and schools—the 10 listed previously as well as the Harrison College of Pharmacy and the College of Veterinary Medicine, which offer only post-baccalaureate degrees. Currently, there are 128 degrees, including degree options, at the master’s level, 20 different specializations for the educational specialist degree, four professional practice doctorates, and 73 research doctorate degrees, for a total of 225 different academic degree offerings or degree options beyond the baccalaureate level.

The master’s degree requires a minimum of 30 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. The minimum number of hours in a research-doctorate program is 60 semester credit hours earned through instruction beyond the bachelor’s degree, including 1) a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of graded (e.g., A, B) graduate course work (6000-level and above) and 2) a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of additional graduate course work (6000-level and above) that may include ungraded courses 7990 (Research and Thesis) and 8990 (Research and Dissertation), and must include at least 10 hours of 8990. Some programs require more than 60 semester credit hours, and requirements may vary according to a student’s background and interest. Auburn University does not confer degrees on students who have completed fewer than the required number of semester credit hours for the degree. Requirements for degrees are published in the college and school listings in the Auburn University Bulletin or on departmental websites.

The specialist in education degree is currently offered in 20 different areas of focus by Auburn's College of Education. Designed for professionals in education and human services, the EdS requires a minimum of 30 graduate semester credit hours beyond the master’s degree, all of which must be completed within a period of six calendar years. While the Alabama Commission on Higher Education recognizes only a single EdS degree program at Auburn University, the Institutional Summary Form prepared for this review lists each area of available specialization for the degree. Only seven of those areas had any graduates in academic year 2020-2021, and three areas have had only one graduate during the last five academic years.

Auburn University confers post-baccalaureate professional doctorate degrees in four areas: pharmacy, nursing, audiology, and veterinary medicine. The Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Audiology, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree programs are based on more than 60 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. Students seeking the Doctor of Pharmacy degree complete a curriculum that requires a minimum of 157 semester credit hours. The Doctor of Audiology degree requires a minimum of 124 semester credit hours generally taken over four years, with a clinical residency in the final semester. The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree requires a minimum of 172 semester credit hours; in addition, each student is required to serve a preceptorship of eight weeks with an approved veterinarian, following the completion of all academic work. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a terminal degree designed for students who are advanced practice registered nurses and hold national certification in the advanced practice role prior to starting the DNP program. The curriculum requires 39 semester credit hours generally taken over five semesters. In addition, each student is required to complete a practice-focused scholarly project and 300 practicum hours during the last three semesters of study.

Combined Degree Programs

In addition to the degree types discussed above, Auburn University also offers certain combined degree programs, in which students earn multiple degrees while progressing through coordinated programs. Auburn currently offers two types of combined degree programs, differing by degree level and institution or combination of institutions awarding the degree: 1) two degrees at the same level from Auburn; 2) two degrees at different levels from Auburn. In both cases, a limited number of course credit hours are applied to both degrees, thus allowing able students to achieve all learning outcomes in a shorter period of time. An appropriate justification for each combination degree type is provided in the following paragraphs.

Two Degrees from Auburn at the Same Level - Undergraduate

Provisions are outlined in the university's annual Bulletin for students seeking to earn a second baccalaureate degree from Auburn University, either concurrently with the first degree or at a later time. In order to ensure curricular rigor where a student is earning two undergraduate degrees, no credits from the first degree may be counted toward major course requirements in the second degree program. Additionally, at least 30 semester credit hours must be unique to the second degree. To be eligible for graduation with academic honors in the area of the second degree, a student must complete a minimum of 60 semester credit hours above requirements for the first degree. As an appropriate justification for this practice, Auburn points to two factors:

All bachelor’s degree programs at Auburn include a significant general education component, the Core Curriculum (41-42 semester credit hours, or 35-36 semester credit hours for students majoring in Engineering); it would be redundant to ask students to repeat the Core Curriculum for a second bachelor’s degree. Engineering students whose second degree is in an area other than Engineering must complete the six additional Core credit hours required of non-Engineering students.

Beyond the Core Curriculum, many of Auburn’s baccalaureate degree programs include free electives or share other program features that it would be redundant to repeat. For example, the curriculum model for the bachelor’s degree in English/Creative Writing includes 18 semester credit hours of free electives and requires students to complete an approved 15-hour minor. Likewise, the model for the Bachelor of Science in Geography prescribes 20 semester credit hours of free electives and also requires eight semester credit hours in a single foreign language—parallel a requirement that is met by English/Creative Writing majors and all other students in the College of Liberal Arts. Again, it would be duplicative to require students seeking a second bachelor’s degree from Auburn to repeat electives or other program features.

Auburn also awards—and has long awarded—a bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture that can only be earned concurrently with the five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree. (This degree program is distinct from Auburn’s separate bachelor’s degree program in Interior Design, offered through the College of Human Sciences.) While most bachelor’s degree programs in Interior Architecture and Interior Design require four years of undergraduate study (120 semester credit hours), Auburn’s Interior Architecture program offers a holistic approach to design that focuses on the relationship between interior and exterior space, thereby practically requiring that students acquire the Bachelor of Architecture and the Bachelor of Interior Architecture simultaneously over five years of study. The curriculum for the combined program is composed of 172 semester credit hours, including 31 semester credit hours that are unique to the Interior Architecture program. Participation in the program is highly selective. Students nearing the end of the second year of study in the BArch program submit statements of intent and three projects demonstrating their design ability. Selection for the program is based primarily on an assessment of submitted design work.

Two Degrees from Auburn at the Same Level – Second Master’s Degree

Auburn permits students who have completed a master’s degree at Auburn University to transfer a limited number of hours from that degree toward a second master’s degree. At least 24 semester hours, or half of the total hours required for the degree (whichever is greater) must be unique to each degree and must be taken at Auburn University. As an appropriate justification for this practice, Auburn points to the requirement that the double-counting of credits toward two different master’s degrees is limited to six semester credit hours and requires explicit approval by the student’s advisory committee for the degree that is receiving prior credits in the internal transfer.

Two Degrees from Auburn at the Same Level – Concurrent/Dual Master’s Degree

Auburn also offers several approved concurrent/dual master’s degree programs, which are specially designed to offer outstanding Auburn graduate students the opportunity to earn two master’s degrees in less time and at less cost as usual. This is done by allowing students to double count or share more credit hours than allowed for a second master’s degree. Students may share up to 9 credit hours if the total hours for both degrees sum to 65 or fewer. Or they may share up to 12 credit hours if the total hours for both degrees sum to 66 or more. Approval for concurrent programs requires proposal submission by the offering academic unit(s) and review and approval by the Graduate Council Curriculum Committee and Graduate Council. The concurrent master’s degree policy is published on the AU Bulletin website. A list of approved concurrent master’s degrees can be found on the Graduate School website.

Combining Two Degrees from Auburn at Different Levels

For exceptional students, Auburn offers the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs. This plan allows Auburn University students in some academic programs to count up to nine approved hours (in a 30–35-hour master’s program) or 12 approved hours (in a 36-hour or greater master’s program) toward both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. These hours must be at the graduate level. Although the degree programs themselves are unaltered in length, the total number of unique required semester credit hours is sometimes fewer than 150 for students who are allowed to complete the coordinated requirements for two degrees under one of the Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree Programs.

As appropriate justification for this practice, Auburn University points to considerations of student ability, specialized advising, and peer institutions’ practices:

Student ability. Only students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement are admitted to one of these accelerated degree plans:

They are admitted to the program on the basis of demonstrated academic performance, being required to have attained a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4 on a four-point scale over 45-96 semester credit hours, including advanced placement credits, and students seeking admission to some programs may be required to meet higher or additional standards;

They complete approved graduate-level course work while undergraduate students;

They must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.4 while taking more difficult, graduate-level courses;

They still complete all requirements for the undergraduate degree;

They must be admitted to a master’s degree program, meeting all eligibility requirements, even though they have already gained general admission to an accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program; and

They must still complete all requirements for the master’s degree (usually in a shorter time period than other students).

Advising, degree planning, and evaluation. In order to promote careful planning, students must apply to an accelerated degree plan before they have completed 96 semester credit hours at the undergraduate level. To apply, students must complete an application for admission to the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Program and work with a graduate advisor in the degree-granting department to complete an approved Plan of Study, including: a) a list of the courses that count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree; and b) the projected dates for the completion of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. (Students in the Honors College remain eligible to graduate with a special honors designation while participating.) Students must apply for admission to the Graduate School by the prescribed deadline. Students cannot opt to bypass the bachelor’s degree. Students may withdraw voluntarily from the Accelerated Program at any time. Students must notify, in writing, the graduate program officer and the coordinator/director of Undergraduate Studies in their respective departments. Again, students who withdraw from the program voluntarily or because they do not meet program requirements are not awarded graduate credit for double-counted courses.

A list of the 25 currently approved Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs can be found on the Graduate School’s website. All information and policies related to Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs can found on a designated website.

Faculty Involvement in Course and Program Development and Approval

Auburn University discipline-qualified faculty have primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of academic programs and are encouraged to participate in related processes in both formal and informal capacities. To ensure that the development and approval of academic programs is consistent with institutional policy, relevant guidelines are published in Chapter 5 of the Faculty Handbook, including the process for any curriculum model changes, policies for program review and assessment, and policies and procedures for notifying SACSCOC of substantive changes. Step-by-step procedures for academic course and program approval are also published on the Office of the Provost Office website and procedures and best practices for assessment are published on the Office of Academic Insight website.

In addition to the above policies and guidelines, the University Senate’s Constitution has provisions for a number of standing committees, two of which—the University Curriculum Committee and Graduate Council—are central to the development and approval of all courses and programs. The specific charges of these committees are as follows:

Curriculum Committee. The Curriculum Committee consists of the Provost or designee as Chair, the Registrar or designee as Secretary, the Dean of the Graduate School or designee, and one faculty member from each college or school. The committee recommends approval or disapproval of requests for undergraduate curriculum changes. In addition, the committee reviews overall curriculum patterns and course content of the instructional program other than the University Core Curriculum and recommends to the Senate curriculum changes needed by the university.

Graduate Council. The Graduate Council consists of the Dean of the Graduate School as Chair, the Associate Dean of the Graduate School as non-voting Vice Chair, the Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School as non-voting Secretary, and 12-15 faculty members, with at least one from each school or college with a graduate program, and a graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Council. Faculty members are appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School from a list of nominees provided by the Senate Rules Committee. The list of nominees, at a minimum, exceeds the number of openings by two and contains at least two nominees from any school or college without a continuing representative. Faculty members must be full members of the Graduate Faculty. The Council reviews requests for curriculum changes in courses that may be taken for graduate credit, reviews and recommends approval of all proposals for new graduate programs and modifications to existing programs, reviews existing programs, recommends regulations and policies for the Graduate School, and assists the Dean of the Graduate School in carrying out those regulations and policies.

Through policy adherence and committee activity, faculty are heavily involved in course and program development and approval.

Course Development and Approval

Auburn University ensures that courses are appropriate to higher education by means of a rigorous faculty-led review and approval process for all courses. The development and/or revision of any academic course at Auburn University originates at the department level. In cases where no individual departments exist within a unit, or the course(s) are listed and maintained under the purview of the college/school at large, proposals originate at the college level.

Faculty submit all new course proposals using the Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system, which requires the following information relevant to course content, level, and learning outcomes: a) the course credit to be earned; b) the grading type; c) prerequisites/co-requisites; d) a course description; e) a justification (for adding or revising the course); f) specific student learning outcomes; g) a course content outline (syllabus); h) a list of assignments/projects; i) a grading scale; and j) in the case of graduate courses, a justification for graduate credit. After review and approval by relevant faculty committees at the departmental and college level, course proposals that meet the expectations for course content and level are reviewed and approved for implementation at the university level by the Curriculum Committee or Graduate Council, as appropriate.

As an example, the workflow in the university’s CIM system for a proposed new Cybersecurity Threats and Countermeasures course is included in the documentation. This evidence illustrates each of the review checkpoints described in the three previous paragraphs. Steps 1-6 of the workflow show review at the level of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, the college’s Graduate Curriculum Committee, and the Graduate Council Curriculum Committee. Finally, steps 7 and 8 show the course being approved for Banner and the next publication of the Bulletin. The full course proposal, aligned to the criteria described above, follows the workflow approval path.

Program Development and Approval

Auburn University ensures that academic programs are appropriate to higher education by means of a rigorous faculty-led review and approval process for all programs.

The development and/or revision of any academic program at Auburn University originates at the department level. In cases where no individual departments exist within a unit, or the program(s) are listed and maintained under the purview of the college/school at large, proposals originate at the college/school level.

Proposals for New Programs. Proposals to develop new academic programs that require external review and approval (for example, undergraduate and graduate degree programs, formal degree program options, and undergraduate and graduate certificates) first undergo a pre-approval process through which faculty provide information on the viability, feasibility, and appropriateness of the proposed program request as it relates to Auburn University at large as well as the university’s vision and mission statements. A template is provided to faculty to guide them in preparing this information. Once the pre-proposal has been reviewed and approved by the appropriate academic administrators at the departmental, college, and Provost level, all of whom hold faculty status, the department and/or college is given permission to begin the submission and approval processes. An approved pre-proposal memo from a proposed Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics is included as evidence. Proposals to develop new programs that do not require external review and approval (for example, a new minor) are not subject to the pre-approval process and can be submitted directly into the CIM system. Guidance for which proposals require pre-approval is published on the Office of the Provost website.

Faculty submit all new program proposals using the Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system, which requires faculty to provide program requirements and commentary on items such as the program’s relationship to the university’s mission, expected program outcomes and assessment methods, specific admission and/or continuation requirements, new faculty or space requirements, potential duplication across other universities in the state, and potential employment opportunities. When appropriate, faculty include the pre-approval documentation obtained prior to submission. After review and approval by relevant faculty committees at the departmental and college level, the new program is reviewed and approved at the university level by the Curriculum Committee or Graduate Council, as appropriate, and the Provost. Each of these approvals are documented in the CIM system.

Once a program proposal has received university-level approval by either (or both) of the above committees and the Provost, a proposal then follows one of two paths. Either: 1) it is made effective for the purposes of the University Bulletin and enrollment (in the case of programs not needing external review and approval, as defined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education); or 2) it is prepared by the University President for inclusion for review and approval by the Auburn University Board of Trustees—and preserved as public record. The proposal is then forwarded to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education for review and approval. Upon ACHE approval, the program is made effective for the purposes of the University Bulletin and enrollment.

Returning to an earlier example, the workflow for a proposed new Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics is included in the documentation. This evidence illustrates each of the review checkpoints described in the three previous paragraphs. Steps 1-9 of the workflow show review at the level of the Department of Biological Sciences (BIOL), the College of Sciences and Mathematics (SM), the University Curriculum Committee, and related offices. Steps 10 and 11 encompass preparation for review by the Board of Trustees, which entails consent by the President of Auburn University to place that item on the Board’s agenda. (The actual resolution and supporting materials prepared for Board review and approval of this illustrative program are shown in additional documentation.) Finally, steps 12 and 13 of the process show review by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.

Similarly, an additional example of a graduate program approval process workflow in the university’s curriculum management system is included in the documentation.

Proposals to Revise Existing Programs. Proposals to revise existing academic programs do not require pre-approval (except in cases when the degree program name is being changed). Faculty submit revisions directly into the Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system, which requires faculty to provide a justification for the requested revision(s) and provide additional commentary on potential changes to program attributes such as program outcomes, assessment methods, continuation requirements, new faculty or space requirements, and employment opportunities. After review and approval by relevant faculty committees at the departmental and college level, the program revisions are reviewed and approved at the university level by the Curriculum Committee or Graduate Council, as appropriate, and then the Provost. When a revision is not substantive (for example, moving a course earlier in the curriculum model), the revision is implemented after Provost approval. In the case of a substantive revision, as defined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, the approved revision is subject to further review by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, pursuant to its implementation. Guidance for which proposals require pre-approval and/or external review and approval is published on the Office of the Provost website.

The processes outlined above demonstrate a series of reviews and approvals by the appropriate faculty groups and administrative offices as well as external governing bodies for the institution and higher education in the state. By ensuring that development and review of its academic programs are faculty-driven processes—with those processes being part of a larger framework that addresses the evaluation, assessment, and strengthening of academic programs as well—Auburn University clearly demonstrates a commitment to ensuring that its degree programs meet minimum program length requirements.

Monitoring Credit Earned at Auburn University

Individual academic units (i.e.: colleges, schools, and departments) monitor students’ earned and transfer credit by way of their academic advisors, who track students’ progress for purposes of course scheduling and graduation. Any credit that a student wishes to transfer in from a junior (community) college is subject to the Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee's established articulation agreements, which are disseminated to students and potential students via the organization’s website as well as Auburn University’s website. Any student earning credit at another accredited four-year institution that they wish to apply to their chosen degree program, while matriculating at Auburn University, must undergo the approval process for earning transient credit beforehand. The policies regarding the earning and application of transient credit are published in the Auburn University Bulletin, as well as via the website of the Office of the Registrar.

At the undergraduate level, Auburn University monitors and enforces transfer credit limits and residency requirements by way of periodic evaluations by academic advisors. The results of these evaluations are included as part of the student's advising records, and are consulted prior to the student's graduation, to ensure that all policies are being adhered to regarding the earning of credit hours.

Auburn utilizes a decentralized advising model, with each college having its own advising office led by its own director of advising in addition to an Exploratory Advising Center for undecided students and an Honors Advising office. All the advising directors meet monthly to ensure there is consistency across offices regarding policy implementation and process. It is the responsibility of the Director of Academic Advising to ensure students have an equitable advising experience regardless of the advising office they receive services from. DegreeWorks is a degree-auditing software platform used at Auburn to help track academic progress toward a degree, review requirements needed and/or fulfilled, and plan future courses remaining in a student’s academic program or general education. This system works in tandem with the Auburn University Bulletin to ensure current academic requirements are met.

A sample degree program for each of the four levels (bachelor's, education specialist, master's, doctoral) is provided below. For each program, documentation includes the curriculum model, Bulletin course listing, course offering and enrollment data for the last 6 semesters, and a transcript of a student who completed that degree at Auburn University.

• Bachelor’s program example: BS in Geology