Named Options for Academic Degree/Major Programs

Layout for printing
Policy Number:
UW-1004
Responsible Office:
Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

This policy establishes standards for named options for academic degree/major programs.

Definitions:
Academic Division (School/College)
An academic group of the university, defined in UW-803, Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 3, that serves as a school, college, or like unit and is led by a dean or director who reports to the provost.
Academic Plan
An area of study, such as a major, minor, or certificate, that is within an academic career.
Academic Program
An area of study that leads to a degree/major, certificate, minor, or named option.
Academic Subplan
A strand of activity within a degree/major/plan that comes in two varieties: 1.) named option, and 2.) honors in the major.
Academic Structure
The organization of the university by careers, academic divisions, departments, plans and subplans, and subject listings.
Career
A broad classification in the Student Information System that designates a student's level of study as Undergraduate, Graduate, Law, Medicine and Public Health, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, or University Special Students.
Degree/Major
Combination of the degree and the major, represented in the academic plan code, that signifies a credential that has been authorized for UW-Madison by the UW System Board of Regents.
Named Option
A formally documented sub-major (sub-plan) within an academic major program. For example, FB038BS Food and Bioprocess Engineering is a subplan under the major ABE 038 Biological Systems Engineering.

 

 

Scope:

This policy applies to academic divisions and units that offer named options for all degree/majors at UW-Madison.

Policy:

  1. Overview

    1. A named option is an available component of an academic degree/major program's curriculum; degree/majors are not required to have named options.
    2. Named options formally document an area of curricular emphasis within a degree/major and/or to distinguish one option/subplan from another relative to tuition structure, mode of delivery, location of instruction, etc. While named options are subject to faculty governance like other academic programs, they are not recognized by nor reported to any entity outside of UW-Madison, except as noted on the student transcript.

  2. Required Features/Components of All Named Options

    The following provisions apply to all named options at UW-Madison:

    1. In technical terms and related to the university's academic structure, named options are a type of subplan (OPT) associated with a plan type of major (MAJ).
    2. Named options must carry the same number of total credits as their associated degree/major program. The total credits required to complete the degree/major is set at the degree/major level and any/all associated named options must require that exact same number of total credits.
    3. Named options provide a mechanism to denote an area of curricular emphasis within a degree/major but must retain the core curriculum of the degree/major program. A minimum of six credits shared with the degree/major across associated named options must be identified by subject and course number. Named options implemented with a first term for student enrollment on or before fall 2025 are exempt from these credit requirements unless a new named option is proposed for the same associated degree/major program. The new area of curricular emphasis must be built on the core curriculum of the associated degree/major program.
    4. Named options appear on the student transcript and are formally documented by the university on the student record. They are encoded in the Degree Audit System (DARS) for undergraduates and in the Graduate Student Tracking System (GSTS) for graduate students. Named options do not appear on the undergraduate application for admission.
    5. Program learning outcomes are established at the degree/major level and all associated named options are assigned those same program learning outcomes, no more and no less.
    6. The Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code is established at the degree/major level and all associated named options are assigned that same CIP code.
    7. Accreditation is established at the degree/major level. If a degree/major is accredited, all associated named options must also be accredited. It is not possible for an accredited named option to exist if the degree/major is not accredited.
    8. At the undergraduate level, the admission requirements (i.e., How to Get In in Guide) are established at the degree/major level.
    9. The tuition structure can vary between the degree/major and each associated named option.
    10. Named options are commonly deployed as a way to segment a degree/major program that will offer instruction at an additional location, instruction via different modes of delivery (e.g., some face-to-face, some distance), and/or different tuition structures.
    11. A named option cannot be elevated to a standalone degree/major until it has been offered for at least five years and a five-year academic program review has been completed.
    12. Students can only earn one named option associated with a degree/major program, as earning two named options would be aking to earning the same degree/major twice.
    13. New named options and/or changes to existing named options must be proposed via the Lumen Program form.
    14. Proposals to establish, rename, suspend/reinstate admission, and/or eliminate named options are reviewed/approved by the department, school/college, Service-Based Pricing Program Committee (if applicable, for programs featuring service-based pricing), the Graduate Faculty Executive Committee (GFEC) (as applicable, for graduate programs), and the University Academic Planning Council (UAPC). UW System Board of Regents do not review, approve, or recognize named options.
    15. All requirements to earn a named option must be published in the Guide, including requirements such as specific courses, total credits required, grade point average, etc.
    16. Named options are subject to the university's academic program review policy. New named options are subject to the GFEC Three-Year Check-In (as applicable, for graduate programs) and the university's first formal review five years after implementation. After the initial five-year review, named options are reviewed with their associated degree/major on the ten-year review cycle.
    17. Per the university's Guidelines for Accurate Use of Academic Program Names, when referring to a named option in print and electronic materials (e.g., handbooks, applications for admission, social media, websites, the Guide, etc.), both the full degree name and the named option must be clearly stated in relationship to one another. It is not acceptable to refer to only the named option. For example, the MS-Engineering Mechanics has a named option titled "Aerospace Engineering." The College of Engineering cannot talk about or promote its "aerospace engineering program." It must indicate it offers MS-Engineering Mechanics with an option (or area of emphasis) in aerospace engineering.
    18. Degree/major programs with named options and/or individual named options must adhere to the university's Tuition/Service-Based Pricing Programs policy, as applicable.

  3. Named Options Associated with Graduate-Level Degree Programs

    The following specifications are unique to named options for graduate programs:

    1. Named options must carry the same:
      1. Minimum graduate degree credits,
      2. Minimum graduate residence credits, and
      3. Minimum graduate coursework (50%) credits as their associated degree/major program.
    2. If a degree/major has associated named options, there must be at least two named options. A lone named option cannot be proposed for a graduate-level degree/major.
    3. To facilitate the addition of a single named option, the program may create a new named option, which essentially converts the existing degree program into a named option, moving admissions, enrollment, and degree awarding to the subplan level.
    4. If a degree/major has associated named options, all students must be declared in one of the available named option(s) under the associated degree/major.
      1. When named options are added to a degree/major that previously had none, continuing students must be given the choice to remain in the degree/major or move to the new named option.
      2. If a named option is proposed for elimination, a teach-out plan must be established to enable students to complete their studies in the named option if they so choose.
    5. Individual named options at the graduate level may have distinct admission requirements from the degree/major and from other associated named options.
    6. If a single named option for a degree/major remains active because of the elimination of a named option, subsequent action to either establish one or more additional named options or to eliminate the lone remaining named option must be taken within three years of the approval action for the other named option.
Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Policy Manager:
Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research
Contact:
Institutional Academic Planner I -- Karen Mittelstadt, MITTELSTADT@WISC.EDU, (608) 265-5079
Effective Date:
04-21-2016
Revised Dates:

08-08-2019, 11-29-2019, 03-20-2025

Retrieved:
06-06-2025 04:49:59