Proposing New Courses
Proposals for new or substantially revised Weinberg College courses -- both undergraduate and graduate -- should be sent to the Dean's Office by department chairs, program directors, or directors of undergraduate or graduate studies after having gone through the appropriate departmental or program review.
You will need to submit the information using an Online Proposal Form. You may want to use this informational document to create a draft ahead of time before completing the online form. Information you will provide includes items important to the Curriculum Review Committee, as well as data you will have to submit later to the Office of the Registrar after review is complete. Items include:
- Basic course information, including the number and title, prerequisites, anticipated enrollment, etc.
- Role of the course in the Northwestern curricula, including reasons for offering it, requirements it will fulfill, and resource implications.
- Overview of the course structure, learning objectives, and assessment plan. Our Learning Objectives webpage and PDF document on Aligning Assessment and Learning Objectives may be helpful when providing this information.
- Sample CAESAR course description, catalog entry, and sample syllabus.
Note: Departments and programs proposing a joint course to be listed by both units should submit a joint proposal. Please make use of the "additional comments" section of the form to explain intended co-lists.
When to Submit a Proposal
Keep in mind that class information has to be entered into the Registrar's Office systems well before a course is offered. (Exact dates are in the Scheduling section of the Registrar's website). For example, if you hope to offer a new course during Spring quarter, the New Course Proposal should be submitted in time for review in the prior Fall. Some guidelines:
- Fifth week of Fall Quarter is the deadline for proposal submission for courses to be taught in Spring of the same academic year.
- Fifth week of Winter Quarter is the deadline for proposal submission for courses to be taught in Fall of the next academic year.
- Fifth week of Spring Quarter is the deadline for proposal submission for courses to be taught in Winter of the next academic year.
Submitting your proposal
Proposals for 100-, 200-, and 300-level courses
- Proposals submitted online go to Laura Panko, Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Assessment, l-panko@northwestern.edu.
- Proposals are reviewed by the Weinberg College Undergraduate Curricular Review Committee, which meets at least once a quarter and more frequently as business warrants.
- 300-level courses proposed for both undergraduate and graduate credit will be forwarded to the Weinberg College Graduate Curricular Committee after review by the Undergraduate Committee. Proposals for existing 300-level courses to be reviewed for graduate credit will be forwarded without review by the undergraduate CRC.
Proposals for 400- or 500-level courses
- Proposals submitted online go to Ryan Sawicki, Assistant Director for Graduate Studies, ryan.sawicki@northwestern.edu.
- Proposals are considered by the Weinberg College Graduate Curricular Review Committee.
- Important note: Is the a 400-level course intended to be an interdisciplinary course in a cross-school program (e.g., Applied Physics)? If yes, then the course will be reviewed by The Graduate School Administrative Board and you do not have to complete the Weinberg College form.
Go to the online proposal form
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