Definition of major/minor change
The authority to approve all programme change proposals rests with College Boards of Studies. College Board of Studies may find it convenient to consider major and minor changes through slightly different processes; for example, minor programme changes could be approved by the Convener of the Board of Studies rather than by the full Board. Consultation requirements for minor changes remain the same as for major changes, however.
For College Boards of Studies that decide to consider major and minor programme changes through a different process: in considering whether a programme change is major or minor, both the volume and nature of the changes should be taken into account, as follows:
| Type of Change/ Area of Change | Major Change | Minor Change | Additional Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programme Title | A major change to the title of a programme would normally be accompanied by major programme changes affecting its content, structure, assessment scheme, or mode of provision. | A minor change to the title (perhaps motivated by marketing reasons or by the need to reflect the programme's substance more accurately) would normally be accompanied by minor programme changes at most. | Note that consultations with External Relations, current students and, if necessary, applicants are required for a programme title change. |
| Programme Content |
A major programme content change would entail addition, deletion, replacement, or major changes of/to courses comprising a substantial proportion of the programme. Examples: - substantive changes to existing core courses (or their replacement by new core courses) comprising a substantial proportion of the programme |
A minor programme content change would entail addition, deletion, replacement or minor changes of/to courses comprising an insignificant proportion of the programme. This might involve the addition/ deletion of an optional course, small amendments to ILOs or additions to the syllabus. Examples: - addition or deletion of option courses comprising an insubstantial proportion of the programme, |
A substantial proportion should be taken to mean at least 1/6 of the total credit volume of the programme, or at least 1/2 of the credit volume in any single year of the programme. |
| Programme Structure | A major programme structure change would entail a substantial shift of credits between components of the programme.
Examples: - a substantial shift of credits between taught courses and the dissertation |
A minor programme structure change would entail an insignificant shift of credits between components of the programme.
Examples: - shifting small amounts of credit – for example, increasing one course from 20 to 30 credits or decreasing one course from 30 to 20 credits |
A substantial shift should be taken to mean that at least 1/6 of the total credits of the programme, or at least 1/2 of the credits in any single year of the programme, are moved between different programme components. |
| Assessment Scheme |
A major programme assessment change would entail a substantial shift of assessment weighting between components of the programme. Examples: - a substantial shift of weight between taught courses and the dissertation |
A minor programme assessment change would entail an insignificant shift of assessment weighting between components of the programme. Examples: - an insubstantial shift of weight between different programme components |
A substantial shift should be taken to mean that at least 1/6 of the total weight of the programme, or at least 1/2 of the weight of any single year of the programme, is moved between different programme components. |
| Mode of Provision | A major programme mode-of-provision change would be the introduction of a radically different mode of delivery.
Examples: - the introduction of delivery by online distance learning |
A minor programme mode-of-provision change would be the introduction of slightly different mode of delivery.
Examples: - the introduction of delivery by two-way video link in addition to conventional lectures |