Program Revision
Revising an existing program involves steps to ensure that all areas of the College affected by the revision understand the changes that will be made and are aware of their ramifications. There are varied reasons programs are revised - updating outdated offerings, meeting state-wide discipline committee decisions, and complying with business partnership recommendations.
The first step in the process of revising an existing program begins with the cluster. The cluster or a designated sub-committee will review needs assessments, College records and/or state requirements and outline program revisions it deems necessary. Once the full cluster approves the changes, a designated cluster member will begin the formal process of program revision and approval. This process is part of the Curriculum Review Process.
Program revision requires a Program/Concentration Revision Form to be completed. Once this form and its' support documents (cluster minutes, Business Partnership Council Minutes, course addition, revision and deletion forms) are gathered, they are submitted to Academic Services electronically (email). The email should copy the cluster chair, associate dean, and dean of the faculty revising the program. This packet will be added to the Palm Beach State Curriculum Committee agenda.
The Curriculum Committee examines the proposed revisions to the program to determine the impact on the Course Dictionary, Degree Audit, and other programs and certificates. The Curriculum Committee makes a recommendation to the Vice-President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) who gives final approval for the curriculum action. Unless an exception is authorized by the VPAA, all curriculum action goes into effect according to the Curriculum Action Timeline on the Curriculum Website following the approval of the VPAA.
Program Concentration Revision Needing DBOT Approval
In some cases, if the program revision involves deleting a program concentration from the College offerings, this action needs President’s Cabinet and Deans' Council approval to be considered by the Curriculum Committee. In these instances, this action will need DBOT approval once VPAA approves the Curriculum Committee approval. Contact Academic Services for clarification if you plan to submit this type of action.
Delete an Existing Program or Program Concentration
There are many reasons programs, or program concentrations, are deleted - outdated offerings, state-wide discipline committee or accrediting agency decisions, or Business Partnership Council recommendations.
Deleting an existing program or program concentration involves steps to ensure that this curriculum action is adequately justified and that all areas of the College affected by the deletion are aware of its ramifications. Deletion of an existing program or program concentration requires approval by the VPAA, Deans' Council, President's Cabinet, President, Palm Beach State District Board of Trustees and SACSCOC approval of Teach Out Plan(s) prior to implementation.
Programs must first initiate the Program Termination Procedure outlined in the Academic Management Manual’s Section G. Once this has been initiated, the program may proceed with the curriculum action to the delete the program.
The first step in the curriculum change process of deleting an existing program or program concentration begins with the cluster. The cluster will review needs assessments, college enrollment records and/or state requirements, and outline program revisions it deems necessary. Once the full cluster approved the deletion, a designated cluster member will begin the formal process of program or program concentration deletion. This process is part of the Curriculum Review Process.
For complete program deletion and program concentration only, a Program Deletion Form is prepared and sent with support documents (Cluster minutes, Business Partnership Council Minutes, and related curriculum forms) to Academic Services electronically (email). The email should copy the cluster chair, associate dean, and dean of the faculty revising the program. The full packet is sent to Deans’ Council and President’s Cabinet for approval.
In the case of a deleted program, Deans' Council examines the justification for the deletion and the impact on the College offerings and resources. If the deletion is approved, the topic of the program deletion is put on the President's Cabinet agenda for discussion and recommendation to the Palm Beach State Board of Trustees. President's Cabinet approval of this action initiates the creation of a Board Packet by the VPAA office for presentation to the Board of Trustees. The Palm Beach State DBOT approval is a two agenda reading and approval process. After the DBOT approval, the College catalog text is revised for the next edition. The Curriculum Committee is notified by the VPAA of the decision of the Board of Trustees as an FYI and the time frame for completion of the deletion of the program is established. The originator of this curriculum action is notified by Academic Services when the Board of Trustees ratifies the program deletion.
Create a New Program at the State Level
New degree programs, program concentrations or certificates identified through the program review process can be proposed as new programs to the State. The first step is to submit the normal paperwork for creating a new program through the Palm Beach State curriculum process (New Program Proposal Form Steps 1 & 2, Palm Beach State Deans' Council review, President’s Cabinet Review, Curriculum Committee Review, Vice President Academic Affairs review). If the new program or certificate is approved through the Palm Beach State Curriculum Review Process, the following documents will need to be submitted to the Florida Department of Education Workforce Development office for authorization and inclusion in the state program inventory.
The State Submission documents required:
- Statement of Justification – This should include a list of the occupations for which the curriculum prepares students, and data on the number of jobs and job openings in the region in the identified occupational titles.
- Curriculum Framework – This document details the program including major concepts/content, laboratory activities, and intended outcomes. To locate the state curriculum framework for the program or certificate being developed go to www.FLDOE.Org/Workforce/CTE-Curriculum-Frameworks
- Student Performance Standards – This document details the competencies of the intended outcomes.
- Program Outline – Course list that will constitute the degree program or certificate.
- Course Outlines – Course outline for each of the courses in the degree program or certificate.
- New Program Submittal Form – The Submittal Form will need to be completed.
- Sample Articulation Agreement – The state requires a sample articulation agreement from high school to the post-secondary level of education. The articulation agreement only needs to be proposed.
The entire package is submitted to the Florida Department of Education Workforce Development Office of the Department of Education by Academic Services. Academic Services will work with the cluster creating the program or certificate to facilitate the process and ensure that the package is complete. This process can take from 3 months to a year to complete.
Enacted July 2004 in Section G from existing policy; revised July 2005; reviewed July 2006. July 2007, July 2008, July 2009, July 2010, July 2016; revised July 2018, July 2019; July 2024