ACADEMIC POLICY & QUALITY OFFICE
Guidance Note
PROGRAMME DESIGN & APPROVAL
G2.5: KEY DEADLINES FOR PROGRAMME APPROVAL AND MODIFICATION
It is possible to schedule approval events for new programmes and major/minor changes at any time of
year; however, a number of deadlines are in place to help manage these processes. This paper
provides some background behind the deadlines for the approval of new programmes, and modifications
to and revalidations of existing ones. It also outlines the implications of operating outside the agreed
timescales and suggests how to avoid some of the common pitfalls.
A detailed flowchart of all the stages involved in setting up a new course can be found in guidance
document G2.5a – you will need to increase the magnification in order to see all the details.
RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONS
For undergraduate programmes, staff should be aware that Year 12 students will begin to consider their
university choices around 15-18 months prior to entry, and attending Open Days in Oct/Nov the year
before entry. For entry in September, new courses intending to recruit nationally should therefore ideally
be available on UCAS by June of the previous year.
For postgraduate programmes, the peak period for applications is March-June, and new programmes
should ideally be submitted to UCAS PG by January for entry the following September.
New programmes can be added to the UCAS (UG and PG) systems at any time of year, within 2-3 days
after approval. However, recruitment may be adversely affected if approval events are held after the key
milestones noted above. This is slightly less of an issue for foundation degree programmes, which are
generally recruiting from a local market and are often aimed at a specific industry.
Oxford Brookes International can advise on the key milestones for overseas applicants.
The replacement of existing programmes with new provision requires similar lead-in times to those noted
above. Applicants cannot be switched onto a different award through UCAS, and reputational damage
can result from closing programmes at a late stage of the admissions cycle (as well as causing distress
and inconvenience to any applicants holding offers for the old programme).
SYSTEMS, TIMETABLING AND EXAMINATIONS
Setting up a new programme on eCSIS takes approximately one day’s work for the Course & Student
Administration Team – this has to be done before Admissions can submit the programme to UCAS.
Delays can occur in completing this process if the C&SA Team need to seek clarification from
programme leads, for example, about the status of modules, requirements for exit awards (clear
information about exit awards is also needed by the Graduation Team later on), etc. To avoid such
delays, it is helpful to involve the relevant Faculty link from the C&SA Team in PDTs.
Module and programme changes submitted by the end of February deadline are processed by the end of
March. UMP update returns take place between April – June, with non-UMP updates in May-June,
leaving little scope for processing changes to semester 2 undergraduate modules any later, as they need
to be made in time for the semester 2 registration deadline which falls in early November. Changes can
be made to the system at other times, in exceptional circumstances (for example, because of late
changes to professional body requirements), but timescales for these updates need to be agreed with
the C&SA Team. Delays in submitting new modules for entry onto eCSIS can also potentially restrict
student choice, given the new module registration deadlines.
Updated May 2016
The module change and registration deadlines mean that it is not possible for the Academic Office to
forecast numbers and room requirements until relatively late in the year. They are, however, able to
model the timetable, and Faculties have until the end of May to review it and make changes before
rooms are finally allocated. As noted above, it is important for information to be on the system (and
checked) as early as possible so that module choices can be made by students before the deadlines,
and timetabling/rooming modelling processes can be initiated.
The examination timetable is published in week 7, with the information for this needed by week 4 - it is
helpful if the Timetabling and Examinations teams in Academic Office can be notified of the development
of new (or potential changes to) programmes or modules which involve changes to examinations or
timetabling.
COLLABORATIVE PROVISION APPROVALS – KEY MILESTONES
The procedures governing the approval, monitoring and review of the University’s collaborative
arrangements can be found in Chapter 5 of the Quality & Standards Handbook. As an example of the
timescales involved in the approval of collaborative arrangements, the key milestones in the approval
process for the addition of a Brookes programme to the Associate College partnership portfolio are
outlined below:
Activity
Indicative timescale
Liaison Manager consults with colleagues at Brookes and at partner
college, and completes the Collaborative Provision Proposal Form
(CPPF)* for approval by Faculty Executive Group [see section 4 of the
Q&S Handbook chapter referenced above]
Aug/Sept
Project Development team (PDT) is formed [see section 5.2] and the
CPPF form is submitted to the Learning Partnerships Advisory Group
(LPAG)
Sept/Oct
PDT works to produce the programme documentation for submission to
the approval panel [see section 5.7.8]; APQO convenes a panel [see
section 5.7.5 - 5.7.6]
Sept/Oct
Approval event is held at partner premises - where several colleges are
involved in the delivery of a new programme, the event may be held at any
of the delivery sites, or at Brookes, provided that site visits to all other
delivery locations have taken place prior to the event [see section 5.7.11]
Oct/Nov
(Approval events must
be held by end of Feb
at the latest)
Conditions of approval (if any) are addressed by PDT and signed off by
panel and Chair of Academic Enhancement and Standards Committee;
Dec/Jan
‘Subject to validation' tag can be removed from marketing materials and
offers to students can begin;
UCAS code (if applicable) set up by Admissions Office;
Details are passed to Legal Services so that legal agreement can be
drawn up.
Programme delivery commences
Updated August 2015
Sept
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*For renewal through the five-yearly periodic review, the Collaborative Provision Renewal Form (CPRF)
is completed instead of the CPPF, but the subsequent approval process is broadly the same (although it
may begin later in the year).
August 2015
Updated August 2015
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