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Degree Program Approval Process - Resident Alberta Institutions

Updated: 31 May 2012

Approval of degree programs under the Post-secondary Learning Act and the Programs of Study Regulation (91/2009) follows a two-stage review process once the Minister receives a proposal.
  • Stage 1 is a system coordination review of the proposed program by the Ministry to make a determination of the need for the program and how it fits with other programs currently offered within Alberta's post-secondary system.
  • Stage 2 is a quality review enacted if the Minister forwards the proposal to the Campus Alberta Quality Council.
Click here for a flowchart of the degree program approval process
 
The following outlines the approval process for resident Alberta institutions. Since Council's review process may vary (full and expedited reviews), the process description is organized in two sections:
  • the process for applications requiring a full review (both an organizational and program review)
  • the process for applicants seeking a partially or fully expedited review (only a program review).
A. Applications requiring a full Campus Alberta Quality Council review
A full Council review includes both an organizational review (the readiness of the institution to mount and sustain the degree program) and a program review (the quality of the degree program being proposed) using external evaluators hired by Council.
  1. Institutions that are proposing a first degree program (e.g., first applied degree, first baccalaureate), a first degree at a new level (e.g., first graduate degree), or other precedent-setting degree (e.g., first BSc when only BA programs offered), will normally be subject to the full Council review process. In other words, both the organizational and program review phases will normally be followed. It is often desirable to schedule a meeting with the Council Chair and Secretariat staff early in your preparation of the application. Normally proposals from Alberta's universities will not be subject to a full Council review.
  2. Prospective applicants seeking to offer a new degree program are encouraged to discuss their plans with the Campus Alberta Quality Council Secretariat prior to forwarding the application to the Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education. Please contact the Secretariat by phone at (780) 427-8921, by fax at (780) 427-4185 or by e-mail at caqc@gov.ab.ca. 
  3. All applications to offer a proposed degree program are to be submitted to the Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education at:
    Honourable Stephen Khan
    Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education
    402 Legislature Building
    Edmonton, AB  T5K  2B6
  4. Applications to the Minister consist of the following:
    1. A covering letter to the Minister normally signed by the President or designate
    2. 4 copies of Part A of the Program Proposal
    3. An electronic copy of the Program Proposal via e-mail (preferably in Word) to eileen.passmore@gov.ab.ca  
  5. The Minister initially has the Ministry conduct a system coordination review (stage 1) to determine the need for the program in the context of the system. The review will:
    • examine the institution's rationale for the program in the context of institutional mandate (public institutions) and related system programming,
    • consider documented evidence of institutional assessment of student and employer demand, and
    • examine institutional program financing plans and implications for students and taxpayers.

    For information with respect to the criteria that will be used by the Ministry in conducting the system coordination review (Stage 1), contact Eileen Passmore, Director of the Post-secondary Programs Branch of Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education, by phone at (780) 427-5710, by fax at (780) 427-4185 or by e-mail at eileen.passmore@gov.ab.ca.

  6. Alberta institutions that deliver ministerially approved degrees and non-resident institutions with approved degrees or proposals under review are invited to make comments on proposed degree programs during the system coordination review phase. Notification of receipt of new degree proposals will be sent to the Vice-President, Academic who may request a copy of the Part A proposal. Should you wish to comment on a proposal, you may provide your comments in writing to the Vice-President, Academic at the proposing institution and forward a copy to Ms. Connie Harrison, Assistant Deputy Minister, Post-secondary and Community Education, Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education, 10155 - 102 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 4L5, or connie.harrison@gov.ab.ca. Comments should be forwarded within two months of a proposal being identified as new. Institutions receiving comments on their degree proposals are expected to respond to those comments by writing to the Vice-President, Academic of the sending institution and copying the Assistant Deputy Minister in the response.  

  7. Following a successful system coordination review, the Minister will inform the applicant institution and will ask the Campus Alberta Quality Council to conduct its quality review (Stage 2). Council will then invite the applicant institution to provide the necessary documentation to Council at:
    Dr. Ron Bond, Chair
    Campus Alberta Quality Council
    11th Floor, Commerce Place
    10155 - 102 Street
    Edmonton, AB  T5J  4L5 
  8. Applicants should familiarize themselves with the review process and assessment standards that will be used by Council and its reviewers to ensure the documentation provided as part of the application is complete and gives evidence to show the standards are or will be met should the institution be authorized to offer the degree program. The onus is on the applicant to make the strongest case possible.  Council's guidelines and assessment standards can be found in the Handbook: Quality Assessment and Quality Assurance.

  9. The information needs of Council expand on what is required for the system coordination review by the Ministry. The following information is needed for a full Campus Alberta Quality Council review:
    1. A copy of the letter of application to the Minister.
       
    2. Payment of the application fee of $2,500 (private institutions only). Cheques must be made payable to the Minister of Finance.
       
    3. A signed statement with respect to institutional integrity.
       
    4. 15 copies of a self-assessment (self-study) proving the applicant's readiness to mount and sustain the proposed degree programs, including appropriate supporting documentation such as audited financial statements, planning documents, faculty handbook (or equivalent) and CVs of key administrators. Item #5 of the Contents Checklist for Full CAQC Review itemizes the important elements of the self-study. It is the primary document used by the Quality Council's external organizational review team in preparing for its site visit to the applicant institution and its final report.
       
    5. 6 copies of the program proposal (Parts A and B) - Part A must reflect any changes as a result of discussions with the Ministry during the system coordination stage. Part B is the additional information Council needs. Include supporting documentation such as calendar descriptions of courses offered in the program, CVs of instructors and relevant academic administrators, assessment of learning resources and plans to augment them as needed and the institutional calendar. To ensure you have all the information included in your final program proposal, refer to the Degree Program Proposal Checklist - Resident Alberta Institutions document. In addition to the 6 paper copies of the program proposal, please send an electronic copy of Parts A and B via email (preferably in Word) to caqc@gov.ab.ca.
       
    6. A list of possible organizational and program reviewers, together with their coordinates (i.e., rank/position, institution, areas of expertise/specialization, professional experience, how to reach the individual), identification of any previous affiliation with the applicant institution and the reason for recommending each. You do not need to contact the individuals to see if they are available prior to submitting their names. As reviewers will be asked to sign a conflict of interest statement, please do not suggest names of individuals who have been involved in any way with the proposed program.

  10. Please use Council's template when submitting CVs as part of your application and ensure that you have approval from the individual to do so.
     
  11. Once the application has been received, Council will engage a team of external experts to assess the institution's readiness to implement and sustain the proposed degree program using Council's organizational assessment standards. The team initially reviews the self study and other information provided by the applicant institution, and then visits the institution to interview appropriate members of the institution's community. Once the team's report is written, it is forwarded to the institution for response. Both the report and response are then discussed at a Council meeting.
     
  12. Following a successful organizational evaluation, Council engages a team of external subject experts to assess the quality of the proposed degree program using Council's program assessment standards. The team reviews the program proposal and conducts interviews during a site visit. Once again, the team's report and the institution's response to it are discussed by Council. The decision on whether or not to recommend that the program be approved is sent to the Minister. At the same time, Council sends a letter conveying the recommendation and outlining any expectations with respect to implementation and monitoring if the program is approved.
     
  13. The process culminates with the Minister notifying the institution of his decision. 

B. Applications not requiring a full Campus Alberta Quality Council review
A partially expedited review is one that does not require an organizational evaluation and a fully expedited review is one where Council does a desk review rather than using external evaluators for the program review. Normally applicants must apply to Council for either type of review using the criteria outlined for expedited reviews.

  1. Prospective applicants seeking to offer a new degree program are encouraged to discuss their plans with the Campus Alberta Quality Council Secretariat prior to forwarding the application to the Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education. Please contact the Secretariat by phone at (780) 427-8921, by fax at (780) 427-4185 or by e-mail at caqc@gov.ab.ca.  
     
  2. All applications to offer a proposed degree program are to be submitted to the Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education at:
    Honourable Stephen Khan
    Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education
    402 Legislature Building
    Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
  3. At the same time as the application is sent to the Minister, applicants should write to the Chair of Council to apply for either a partially or fully expedited review providing its rationale for the request. This enables Council to rule on requests for partially expedited reviews (no organizational evaluation) prior to referral to the Council by the Minister. However, Council is not able to decide on a fully expedited review until the final program proposal (Parts A and B) has been received. Please see Council's criteria for expedited review process for resident Alberta institutions.

    NOTE: As degree proposals from Alberta universities will not normally be subject to a full Council review, universities need only apply for a fully expedited review. 

  4. Applications to the Minister consist of the following:
    1. A covering letter to the Minister normally signed by the President or designate
    2. 4 copies of Part A of the Program Proposal
    3. An electronic copy of Part A of the Program Proposal via e-mail (preferably in Word) to eileen.passmore@gov.ab.ca  
       
  5. The Minister initially has the Ministry conduct a system coordination review (Stage 1) to determine the need for the program in the context of the system. The review will:
    • examine the institution's rationale for the program in the context of institutional mandate (public institutions) and related system programming,
    • consider documented evidence of institutional assessment of student and employer demand, and
    • examine institutional program financing plans and implications for students and taxpayers.

    For information with respect to the criteria that will be used by the Ministry in conducting the system coordination review (Stage 1), contact Eileen Passmore, Director of the Post-secondary Programs Branch of Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education, by phone at (780) 427-5710, by fax at (780) 427-4185 or by e-mail at eileen.passmore@gov.ab.ca. 

  6. Alberta institutions that deliver ministerially approved degrees and non-resident institutions with approved degrees or proposals under review are invited to make comments on proposed degree programs during the system coordination review phase. Notification of receipt of new degree proposals will be sent to the Vice-President, Academic who may request a copy of the Part A proposal. Should you wish to comment on a proposal, you may provide your comments in writing to the Vice-President, Academic at the proposing institution and forward a copy to Ms. Connie Harrison, Assistant Deputy Minister, Post-secondary and Community Education, Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education, 10155 - 102 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 4L5, or connie.harrison@gov.ab.ca. Comments should be forwarded within two months of a proposal being identified as new. Institutions receiving comments on their degree proposals are expected to respond to those comments by writing to the Vice-President, Academic of the sending institution and copying the Assistant Deputy Minister in the response. 

  7. Following a successful system coordination review, the Minister will inform the applicant institution and will ask Council to conduct its quality review. Council will then invite the applicant institution to provide the necessary documentation to Council at:
    Dr. Ron Bond, Chair
    Campus Alberta Quality Council
    11th Floor, Commerce Place
    10155 - 102 Street
    Edmonton, AB  T5J  4L5

  8. Applicants should familiarize themselves with the review process and assessment standards that will be used by Council and its reviewers to ensure the documentation provided as part of the application is complete and gives evidence to show the standards are or will be met should the institution be authorized to offer the degree program. The onus is on the applicant to make the strongest case possible. Council's guidelines and assessment standards can be found in the Handbook: Quality Assessment and Quality Assurance. 

  9. The information needs of Council expand on what is required for the system coordination review by the Ministry. The following information is needed for a partially or fully expedited Council review:
    1. A copy of the letter of application to the Minister. 
    2. Payment of the application fee  of $2,500 (private institutions only). Cheques must be made payable to the Minister of Finance. 
    3. A signed statement with respect to institutional integrity. 
    4. 6 copies of the program proposal (Parts A and B) - Part A must reflect any changes as a result of discussions with the Ministry during the system coordination stage. Part B is the additional information Council needs. Include supporting documentation such as calendar descriptions of courses offered in the program, CVs of instructors and relevant academic administrators, assessment of learning resources and plans to augment them as needed and the institutional calendar. To ensure you have all the information included in your final program proposal, refer to the Degree Program Proposal Checklist - Resident Alberta Institutions document. In addition to the 6 paper copies of the program proposal, please send an electronic copy of Parts A and B via email (preferably in Word) to caqc@gov.ab.ca. 
    5. A list of possible program reviewers, together with their coordinates (i.e., rank/position, institution, areas of expertise/specialization, professional experience, how to reach the individual), identification of any previous affiliation with the applicant institution and the reason for recommending each. You do not need to contact the individuals to see if they are available prior to submitting their names. As reviewers will be asked to sign a conflict of interest statement, please do not suggest names of individuals who have been involved in any way with the proposed program.

  10. Please use Council's template when submitting CVs as part of your application and ensure that you have approval from the individual to do so.
     
  11. When a partially expedited review process is to be followed, once the application has been received, Council engages a team of external subject experts to assess the quality of the proposed degree program using Council's program assessment standards. The team reviews the program proposal and conducts interviews during a site visit. The team's report and the institution's response to it are discussed by Council. The decision on whether or not to recommend that the program be approved is sent to the Minister. At the same time, Council sends a letter to the applicant institution conveying the recommendation and outlining any expectations with respect to implementation and monitoring if the program is approved.
     
  12. When a fully expedited review process is to be followed, a desk review of the proposed program is conducted by the Secretariat and Council. The review culminates in a decision on whether or not to recommend that the program be approved. The recommendation is sent to the Minister. At the same time, Council conveys the recommendation to the institution along with any expectations with respect to implementation and monitoring if the program is approved.
     
  13. The process culminates with the Minister notifying the institution of his decision.