Professional Graduate Programs

• Develop, submit, and route the Programs, Curricula, and Courses (PCC) proposal through the CourseLeaf Curriculum Management System (CIM).
  • For information on PCC proposal requirements, see PCC Manual—Guide to Preparing Academic Program Proposals
  • For deadlines, see PCC Calendar and Proposal Review Deadlines.
  • Delivery method—in-person, blended, or 100% online—is selected during the PCC process. 
• Follow the University’s VPAC Course Approval Process to create a new course, modify an existing course, or retire an existing course. New courses must be VPAC‐approved at least eight weeks before the beginning of the offered term/semester. Otherwise, a one-time exception is required.
• Oversee the web-based course design process for online or blended courses. Typically, six months is required to develop a new web-based course and three months to revise an existing web-based course. 
  •  The Division of Information Technology (DIT) provides IT Service Desk.
  • The Teaching and Learning Transformation Center (TLTC) offers assistance for academic units interested in blended and online delivery.
  • In addition, see UMD Policy on Intellectual Property.
• Upon receiving notice of program approval via email from Academic Planning and Programs, contact Linda Yokoi, Office of the Registrar (email lyokoi@umd.edu) to request program major code assignment. 

• The majority of UMD in-person courses and programs are offered at the main campus in College Park. In limited circumstances, a University department may identify a need to offer a course or program off-site. These arrangements require advanced University approval. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education maintains a list of UMD-approved locations where departments can offer courses and programs off-site. If less than 50% of the program instruction will be delivered at the off-site location, then the site must be approved as an "additional location." If more than 50% of the program instruction will be delivered at the off-site location, then the site must be approved as an "Other Instructional Site."

• Obtain access to all necessary University systems, including Student Information System (SIS), uAchieve Degree Auditing, etc.
• Manage all curriculum content, including updates/changes to content or logistics, and inform EXST of these updates/changes.
• Identify and hire all instructors, TAs, and staff, ensure all receive access and training to university systems, including SIS and ELMS, and ensure all understand requirements for syllabi, textbooks, supplies, class lists, and grades and submission deadlines.
• Develop and deliver all instructional content.

• Responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of individual program marketing efforts. Programs may access the EXST marketing agency contract directly via Procurement and Business Services to request marketing directly from this approved vendor. Coordination with the agency and Procurement and Business Services, and all program-specific marketing costs are the responsibility of the academic unit.
• If developing a separate program microsite that is linked to the marketing efforts, units must link and refer students to the official EXST program microsite for tuition and fees and policy information. Units should not post such information on the separate program microsite.

Scheduling

• Determine course offerings and instructors.
• Adhere to the Self-Support Graduate Programs Scheduling Instructions, including entering details into SIS, when the system is open to department schedulers.
• Send updates to EXST when the department scheduler access closes.
• Manage waitlisted courses and minimum contact hour requirements. See Maryland Higher Education Commission's (MHEC) policies on "contact hours". 

Admissions

• Establish clear parameters for program admission.
• Review admission parameters each academic year (July/August) for accuracy and relevancy.
• Review and approve/deny admission exception requests. 

Registration

• Determine whether exceptions are appropriate for student registration.
• Provide students with specific course registration information (if necessary).
• Obtain access and provide registration stamps relating to course time conflicts, grading method, and advising (if necessary).
• Oversee all registration and permissions by program students for non-program courses.
• Oversee requests and provide permissions by non-program students for program courses.
• Oversee requirements related to waiver of continuous registration, leave of absence, etc. 

Advising and Assessment

• Oversee all aspects of student advising to both current and prospective students.
• Oversee all aspects of measuring student learning outcomes and assessment.
• Oversee all academic actions. 

Student Billing and Payment

• Ensure the program microsite is clearly linked to the official EXST program microsite, especially for program tuition, fees, UMD payment information.

Other

• Appeal Process: Review and approve academic and financial appeals in consultation with EXST.

• Provide information required to generate course budgets and instructor contracts as per the Self-Support Graduate Scheduling Instructions.
• Enter and update the demographic, degree, and I-9 Profile ID data in PHR for all new and current appointees. If the appointee does not have a current active appointment, the department also must process a non-paid appointment so that the appointee can be entered into SIS. This allows the appointee to obtain access to ELMS and other university resources.
• Review and take appropriate action on Breakeven Enrollment Reports.
• Instructional costs (salary and benefits) are covered by distribution. All other program costs (staff salaries and benefits, course-related expenses, offices, telecommunications, goods, and/or services [travel, marketing, rentals, etc.]) are the academic unit’s responsibility and should be reimbursed via net tuition revenue distribution.
• Develop and honor any third-party revenue sharing agreements.

• For program assistance, contact Matthew Nessan, Associate Director, Professional and Continuing Education, at 5-8240 or mnessan@umd.edu. 
• For budgeting, distribution, and operational assistance, contact Andrew Leighton, Director of Finance and Operations, at 5-0212 or aleighto@umd.edu.
• For Self-Support Graduate Programs, academic units should use exst@umd.edu (general questions) or pp-sched@umd.edu (scheduling-related questions).