Procedures and Processes for Concentration Proposals
This information supplements the official statement of Graduate College Policy for Graduate Concentrations.
Types of Concentrations
There are two types of concentrations:
- Major-based concentrations are only open to a student majoring in the offering department.
- These can be required by the department and added to the student record at admission
- These can be optional and added if desired students later in their programs
- Floating concentrations are open to students in a broad range of majors.
- These are always optional.
Proposal Content
- Graduate concentrations are listed in the Graduate Programs of Study, and so proposals must include that section of the Senate Review form.
- An admission procedure and prereqs if needed should be included in the proposal. If students are to be admitted to the concentration at the same time they are admitted to the university, this should be noted.
- Concentration proposals must indicate whether or not a concentration is required within the major or not.
- Proposals should identify which office will be responsible f or certifying completion of the concentrations requirements.
Approvals Required
- In addition to the senate proposal, concentrations must be approved by each unit that will allow students in their program to participate, and those approvals must indicate the specific programs, otherwise the concentration will be made available to all programs in that unit.
- Departments wishing to allow their students to complete an existing concentration must submit a proposal to request their programs’ students be allowed to participate in the concentration.
Concentration Implementation
Students may add or drop concentrations that are not required using the graduate student petition, which must be approved by the advisor, the major department and the unit offering the concentration. It is helpful if the petition indicate which of the concentration courses (or at least how many hours of the concentration coursework) will be allow to also count toward the major degree.