Program Launch Steps

When a program MOU has been signed, the next step is to initiate the curricular review process for the program in OSU’s Curriculum Inventory Management System (CIM). In most cases, the college or department is responsible for drafting and submitting the program proposal in CIM. In some cases when the program is a simple Ecampus extension, the DEV team can take the lead in submitting the curricular program proposal.

Curricular approval timelines can vary greatly. For simple Ecampus extensions, approval can take as little as three months. Changes to existing programs can take up to a year, and new-to-OSU programs can take up to 18-24 months.

For more details, contact the DEV Program Management Team, or the Curriculum Management Office.

When the MOU is signed, DEV sends out notifications to all faculty who are assigned to develop courses for the program, which confirms course development timelines and other important details. Our instructional designers, media team, and developers, in collaboration with department/college faculty, begin to design and build the online courses that are needed for the program.

For all new online degrees and select certificates, the DEV Marketing and Program Management teams proactively engage with the program lead and other key members of the college/department to begin marketing planning. This typically begins when the MOU is signed.

The DEV Marketing team leads an initial conversation to gather essential program information through a marketing lens. From there, they begin work on content development, positioning, and marketing strategy. The program lead is involved in reviewing and approving marketing language prior to launch and remains a partner for future updates.

The DEV Marketing Team leads the creation of the official program landing page on the Ecampus website and develops the marketing strategy to support program enrollment growth. When relevant, the team also collaborates with the college marketing teams to ensure consistent messaging. Public-facing marketing (including the landing page) and recruitment efforts only begin once the program has completed curricular approval and is live in the application systems.

For more details, contact Ali Duerfeldt, director of marketing and communications

For new degrees and certificates, the DEV Student Success Team will proactively engage with the designated advisor and advising team for the program after the MOU is signed and before the program launches. This is an opportunity for the Student Success Team and the program’s advisors to build connections with each other, as well as share information about the program, important processes, and best practices for engaging and supporting online students.

For more details, contact Marleigh Perez, Senior Director of Student Success

The program completes all the needed curricular approval steps and is fully approved in CIM. It will be added to the OSU Catalog for the appropriate effective term date that was listed in the CIM proposal. Visit this page for a closer breakdown of curricular approval deadlines and timelines as they relate to the OSU Catalog.

Once a program has completed the curricular review process, Enrollment Management IT (EMIT) is notified. EMIT is responsible for adding the program to the appropriate OSU applications, so that prospective students can apply to and enroll in the program.

Please note that once a program is approved in CIM, it may take several weeks before it appears in the application systems, depending on EMIT’s processing timelines.

A program is ready for launch when the program page on the Ecampus website has been reviewed and approved for publication, and DEV has verified that the program has been added to the appropriate OSU applications. In general, the program must also be visible in the OSU Catalog (with some exceptions). DEV sends a program launch announcement to the program leads and to key DEV teams, such as Student Outreach and Success and the Corporate and Workforce Education Unit.

The Corporate and Workforce Education Unit, on occasion, may reach out to the department/college about a newly launched program to learn more and determine whether one of our corporate collaborators may be interested in including the program in their educational benefits program for their employees.

The DEV Enrollment Services team, which focuses on working with prospective online students, will proactively engage with the program lead, and in some cases, the advising team for the program. This is an opportunity for the Enrollment Services team and the program lead to build connections with one another and discuss prospective student needs and interests.

This step may occur either right before a program launch, or immediately afterward.

For more details, contact Kat Ambrose, associate director of outreach and recruitment