Establishing, Changing, or Closing an Academic Program Policy

Responsible Unit: Provost Office | Executive lead: Provost  
Created: 03/11/2022 | Reviewed/Revised: 01/24/2024 | Effective: 01/24/2024
Compliance: NWCCU Substantive Change Policy, WAC 250-61-160, RCW 28b.85 
Approving Body: BOT | Classification: Institution-wide 

Policy:  
Pacific Northwest University of Health Science (PNWU), as an accredited member of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), is required to notify NWCCU of all substantive changes to academic programs following the NWCCU Substantive Change Policy and ensure that PNWU continues to remain compliant with Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) requirements including relevant Washington Administrative Code (WAC) and Revised Code of Washington (RCW) regulations. 

The University, under the auspices of the Office of the Provost and chief academic officer (CAO), has established and maintains academic program procedures to ensure that substantive changes are accurately reported in a timely manner to the PNWU community, PNWU Board of Trustees (BOT), NWCCU, and/or any college/school-based accrediting or authorizing organization as required. The University’s provost/CAO in collaboration with PNWU’s NWCCU accreditation liaison officer (ALO), has the primary responsibility to notify NWCCU, PNWU’s BOT, and the PNWU community as required.  

Each college/school or academic program, under the auspices of the program’s dean/director follows the recommendations/procedures provided in the PNWU Academic Program Guide to ensure substantive academic program changes are planned for, approved, and accurately reported in a timely manner first to the Provost and PNWU’s NWCCU ALO, and then to the PNWU community. The respective college/school/program dean/director is also responsible for notifying the appropriate programmatic accreditor, e.g., Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). 

Individuals within the PNWU community wanting to propose an academic program substantive change such as but not limited to: 1) development of a new academic program, 2) making a significant change to an existing academic program, or 3) closure of an existing academic program, must first consult with the program dean(s)/director(s) affected by the change as well as the provost before any work to develop an official new program/existing program change proposal begins (as outlined in the PNWU Academic Program Guide). 

Definitions:  
Academic program: A postsecondary educational offering that leads to an academic or professional degree, certificate, or another recognized educational credential.  

Substantive Change: A change that significantly alters an institution’s objectives or the scope of its offerings; alters its autonomy, sponsorship, or the locus of control over it; embarks on offering off-campus academic programs for credit; changes the geographic area(s) served; or offers programs or courses for academic credit on a military base. See also the substantive change categories in the NWCCU Substantive Change Manual at NWCCU.org. 

Procedure:
PNWU Academic Program Guide 
PNWU New Academic Program Proposal 

Related Documents: 
NWCCU Substantive Change Handbook 

Policy Resources

For assistance with policies and procedures contact:

Lori Fulton
lfulton@pnwu.edu