Online Academic Program Proposals

Two types of proposals are necessary for most new online program development:

1. Ecampus program development proposals are approved and managed by Ecampus and pertain to the development of OSU programs for online delivery.
   
   
2. Curricular proposals take place in CIM, and the approval process is facilitated by the Office of Academic Programs and Assessment and governed by the Faculty Senate. Program curricular proposals can take six to 24 months, depending on the type of proposal and many external factors, such as the liaison process, the academic calendar, the Oregon Statewide Provosts Council, and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
   
   In general, while curricular proposals are often submitted to CIM prior to the creation of an Ecampus program development MOU, they do not typically need to be fully approved in CIM prior to development work on courses and marketing materials. 

As of spring 2021, Ecampus uses a quarterly review of program proposals.

* Curricular approval timelines vary. Extending an existing OSU program online requires approximately six months; creating a new program at OSU requires 18-24 months.

Materials needed for Ecampus program development proposals

1. Degree program and credential(s) offered (e.g., B.A. and/or B.S, M.A. and/or M.S., graduate certificate, etc.)
2. Exact name of the degree program as it appears (or will appear) in the OSU academic catalog
3. Intended student audience for the program in an online format
4. Modalities/locations in which the program will be offered (e.g., Corvallis campus, OSU-Cascades, fully online, hybrid, hybrid-PDX, etc.)
5. Proposed first term of admission (please allow for sufficient time for CIM curricular approvals)
6. List of required core and elective courses for the program (min. credit requirements for programs).
7. Draft course development timeline including faculty who will complete the course developments
8. List of faculty who are willing and available to develop and teach courses online
9. Minimum enrollment needed for program sustainability (Ecampus can assist with this analysis)
10. Market insights (Ecampus can assist with this analysis)
11. Dean approval

To initiate the process for proposing and developing an Ecampus online program, submit a request for an initial program inquiry.

Request an initial program inquiry

Academic units have access to our market insights services prior to submitting a proposal. We encourage academic units to consult with our marketing and enrollment services team at least one term prior to submitting a proposal to allow time for market analysis and research.

In some cases, market insights may be gathered prior to submitting curricular proposals, such as when academic units are seeking guidance about which program types are in greatest demand.

Request market insights