Restricting Access to Majors

I. Policy for Restricting Enrollments in Majors 

1.1 Schools, departments and programs wishing to limit enrollments in their majors (but not alter the prerequisites for the major as currently constituted) shall submit a written request documenting current resources (including student/faculty ratio, faculty instructional loads, course and section enrollments) and explaining their inability to meet present student demand and explaining the proposed method for implementing the restriction. The rationale for limiting enrollment shall address the following criteria: 

1. Unavailability of (sufficient number of) faculty possessing proper expertise; 
2. Unavailability of faculty in related disciplines to provide teaching services; 
3. Unavailability of courses of other departments or programs with similar content; 
4. Too heavy a workload for faculty (e.g., maximum consolidation of small sections and realignment of graduate/undergraduate offerings has taken place); 
5. Critical student/faculty ratio (departments/programs with low student/faculty ratios will not qualify); 
6. Unavailability of TO/TA support (Provost certifies that 01 and 03 funds cannot be reallocated within the University); 
7. Inappropriate space (e.g., absence of rehearsal facilities, wet labs, etc.); 
8. Insufficient space (alternate times for using existing space have been exhausted: e.g., evenings, Saturdays, intersessions, and summer sessions); 
9. Unavailability of equipment or supplies (Provost certifies that 15 funds cannot be reallocated within the University).

The request shall be submitted first to the appropriate Dean and, if the Dean approves, to the Faculty Senate for review and recommendation. 

1.2 If the Faculty Senate recommends to restrict student enrollment in a major, the recommendation shall be submitted to the Provost for action. The Provost may determine that an emergency exists and may take appropriate action for one academic year and may seek consultation of the Faculty Senate accordingly. 

1.3 Notification of approval to restrict enrollment in a major shall be forwarded by the Provost to: 

• The appropriate Dean 
• The Department
• Freshman Admissions and Transfer Affairs Offices 
• Other counseling and academic units that historically have fed students into the academic program.

1.4 Students currently enrolled in a major shall be accommodated by those departments and programs that move to restrict enrollment. Thus, each newly approved decision to restrict majors shall apply only to those students who have yet to elect that particular major. 

1.5 When the Provost and the Rules Committee agree that an emergency exists, they may take appropriate action for one academic year. 

II. Policy for Using Prerequisites for Entrance to a Major 

2.1 Departments and programs wishing to alter the prerequisites (including predictor courses, grades in those courses and grade point average) for entrance to a major shall submit a document which:

1. describes the department’s situation with respect to the number of majors and faculty and the existing criteria used for admission to the major
2. states the rationale for using additional or different criteria
3. presents in full the intended admissions policy
4. lists the departments whose courses are being proposed for predictor courses, with documentation of reactions from these departments
5. indicates when the proposed criteria would go into effect. 

2.2 This document shall be reviewed and commented on by: 

• The Dean of the School or College of that Department 
• The School or College Curriculum Committee 
• Staff in the Offices of Freshman Admissions and Transfer Affairs 
• The Provost

2.3 A document of intention to use academic criteria for admission to a major shall be submitted to the Rules Committee for action by the Faculty Senate. 

2.4 Notification of approval to use prerequisites for entrance to a major shall be forwarded by the Provost to: 

• The appropriate Dean 
• The Department
• Freshman Admissions and Transfer Affairs Offices 
• Other counseling and academic units that historically have fed students into the academic program.

Source: Sen. Doc. No. 82-064A