Policy: Academic programs and courses accreditation

Purpose

To describe the standards which underpin the University’s introduction, modification, review and disestablishment of academic programs and courses.

Overview

This policy includes:

• categories of awards
• program design principles
• priorities for the approval of new coursework programs
• coursework program accreditation
• coursework program reaccreditation
• disestablishing coursework programs
• coursework courses
• combined programs
• ANU academic programs design principles
• ANU combined degree design principles

Scope

This policy covers all award programs, majors, minors, specialisations, and courses and all ANU staff with educational responsibilities.

Policy Statement

1. ANU accredits and reaccredits programs, majors, minors, specialisations, and courses that:

• align with the strategic directions of the University;
• are consistent with the Australian Qualifications Framework; and
• are consistent with the academic standards of the University, as set out in University policies.

Categories of awards

2. ANU may offer programs that lead to the following awards:

• Diploma
• Associate Degree
• Bachelor Degree
• Bachelor Honours Degree
• Graduate Certificate
• Graduate Diploma
• Master Degree (Coursework, Extended, and Research)
• Doctoral Degree

Program Design Principles

3. ANU programs are consistent with the design principles outlined in Table 1. In rare cases where an exception is required, a case that includes documented evidence of need must be made to the Academic Quality Assurance Committee for coursework degrees and to University Research Committee for research degrees. Each unique award will have only one set of orders, duration, and units required. Multiple awards will not be accredited with the same name.
4. In rare cases, University Council may approve the offering of a non-Australian Qualifications Framework award.

Priorities for the approval of new coursework programs

5. In the coursework program accreditation process, evidence of alignment with the ANU Strategic Plan, demand, academic merit and of research-led approaches to education is provided in program proposals.

Coursework Program Accreditation

6. Academic Board, on advice from the Academic Quality Assurance Committee, accredits new coursework programs and amendments to coursework programs for a maximum period of five years. Program amendments are accredited until a program is due to be reviewed. Professional accreditation is the responsibility of the relevant managing ANU College(s).
7. Enrolled students must be informed of an amendment to an academic program by the relevant managing ANU College(s) through the usual University means of communication and must be notified of their options and the transitional arrangements that will be put in place.

Coursework Program Reaccreditation

8. Each of the University’s academic programs will be reviewed at least every five years, although the Academic Quality Assurance Committee may trigger a shorter review cycle for particular programs on the basis of evidence relating to viability, quality assurance, or student outcomes or experience. All program reviews must include an academic external to the University who is a subject matter expert; and additionally for graduate program reviews a person who is a non-academic practitioner in the area. In rare cases where an appropriate practitioner cannot be identified, AQAC may provide an exemption. Programs subject to professional accreditation follow the review schedule of the relevant external accreditation body. Academic Board, on advice from the Academic Quality Assurance Committee, reaccredits coursework programs for a maximum period of five years. The Academic Quality Assurance Committee determines the regular review cycle and also recommends programs for early review, which may be based on a commencing EFTSL under 5, or based on the following criteria:

• evidence of student retention rates under 80%; and
• a majority of the courses within the program with an agreement rate of <50% for overall satisfaction in SELT for the past three years.

Disestablishing coursework programs

9. Coursework programs may be disestablished by Academic Board on the advice of the Academic Quality Assurance Committee. If an academic program is to be disestablished, the relevant managing ANU College(s) must investigate any possible adverse effects that the change may have on students currently enrolled in the program, with particular regard to:

• any transitional arrangements required; and
• time-limits on the transitional arrangements.

10. Where an academic program is disestablished, students will be assisted to complete the program of study within a designated period or be offered the opportunity to transfer to another program of equivalent nature. Enrolled students must be informed of a disestablished academic program by the relevant managing ANU College(s) through the usual University means of communication and must be notified of their options and the transitional arrangements that will be put in place. The default period for transitioning students out of a disestablished program is the full-time duration of study for the final cohort of students admitted, where an equivalent program for students to transition into can be identified, and the part-time duration of study for the final cohort of students where no equivalent program can be identified.
11. The relevant managing ANU College(s) must seek to identify potential enrolments or potential student cohorts in pathways programs who may be affected by the decision to disestablish an academic program and notify them of their options and any transitional arrangements that will be put in place.

Major, Minor, and Specialisation Accreditation

12. Academic Board, on advice from the Academic Quality Assurance Committee, accredits new majors, minors, and specialisations for a maximum period of five years. Professional accreditation is the responsibility of the relevant managing ANU College(s).
13. Academic Board, on advice from the Academic Quality Assurance Committee, approves amendments to the admission requirements for Honours Specialisations; the host ANU College will approve all other amendments to majors, minors, and specialisations.

Major, Minor, and Specialisation Reaccreditation

14. Majors, Minors, and Specialisations are reviewed as part of the review process for each program for which they are listed in the program orders.

Disestablishing majors, minors and specialisations

15. Majors, Minors, and Specialisations may be disestablished by Academic Board on the advice of the Academic Quality Assurance Committee. If a Major, Minor, or Specialisation is to be disestablished, the relevant managing ANU College(s) must investigate any possible adverse effects that the change may have on students currently enrolled in the program, with particular regard to:

1. any transitional arrangements required; and
2. time-limits on the transitional arrangements.

16. The disestablishment of a major, minor, or specialisation automatically removes it from the program orders of all programs in which it is listed. A program amendment proposal is not required.

Coursework Courses

17. New courses are approved by the relevant ANU College for a period of five years. Amendments to a course are approved for the period to the next review date of the course. Disestablishment of courses is permanent on approval. Academic Board will approve the University ‘Vice-Chancellor’s’ courses on advice from the Academic Quality Assurance Committee.
18. Each taught course (that is, excluding administrative codes, codes for exchange, etc), other than special topics courses, must be taught at least once over each three calendar year period. If a course is not taught at least once in a three calendar year period, it is to be disestablished as at 01 January of the year following that period unless the College Education Committee in rare instances approves a case as to why the course should not be disestablished. A list of any retained courses together with the rationale for retention of each is to be tabled at the second meeting each year of AQAC for discussion. For clarity, co-taught courses are not aggregated for this process.
19. A shorter review and reaccreditation cycle for courses may be triggered by the ANU College Education Committee or equivalent on the basis of evidence relating to viability, quality assurance, or student outcomes or experience.
20. Proposals to establish, modify or disestablish courses that involve either the academic content or resources of another ANU College must include documentary evidence of consultation with that ANU College. Applications for the reaccreditation of courses are approved by the ANU College Education Committee or equivalent according to ANU College processes.
21. Colleges will report their list of new, reaccredited and disestablished courses to the Academic Quality Assurance Committee once a year.
22. Alpha codes for coursework courses are University-wide, discipline based codes, and are not exclusive to particular programs, contractual arrangements, or organisational structures.
23. The creation of new alpha codes must be approved by the Registrar.
24. The first digit of the numerical component of course codes is determined by the overarching principle that learning outcomes must demonstrate the appropriateness of the coding to a particular level. Specific course-level principles are:

25. All course credit codes must begin with the word “Credit:” and refer to the course-code level at which the credit is awarded.
26. All exchange codes must begin with the word “Exchange:”
27. Co-teaching is where any course shares any teaching events, other than special events such as guest lectures by non-ANU staff or staff research seminars, with any other course.

Combined Programs

28. ANU offers combined programs on its own, and in partnership with universities of outstanding reputation, both at undergraduate and graduate level (table 2).
29. In order to graduate with two awards from a combined degree program the core requirements of both individual awards must be met in their entirety.
30. The minimum length of an undergraduate combined degree program must be at least as long as the longest of the two component award courses plus 48 units. The minimum length of a double Master program must be at least as long as the longest of the two component degree courses plus 24 units, or at least 96 units, whichever is longer. No degree in a double Master program will be shorter than 48 units.

Table 1: ANU Academic Programs Design Principles

Table 2: ANU Combined Degree Design Principles

Master Degree (Coursework) Structural Requirements

31. Admission will normally be available directly into a 48 unit Master’s degree that requires cognate entry; or to a 72 or 96 unit Master’s degree that either does or does not require cognate entry.
32. The cognate requirement may be met by a Bachelor degree, Bachelor Honours degree, Graduate Certificate, or Graduate Diploma, or equivalent work experience. Cognate disciplines must be specified for each Master degree at the time of accreditation.
33. Masters degrees (coursework):

• are constituted by 6000-, 7000-, and 8000-level courses only;
• must require completion of at least 24 units (non-Advanced) or 48 units (advanced) of courses that are not co-taught with 1000-, 2000-, or 3000-level courses (to meet this requirement, all standard teaching events must be separate, but special events including guest lectures may be co-taught);
• have minimum GPA entry requirement of 5.0 in the program used as the basis for admission for a non-Advanced Master degree;
• have a minimum GPA entry requirement of at least 6.0 in the program used as the basis for admission for a Master Degree (Advanced); exemptions in place as at 01/01/2019 are grandfathered; and
• may state additional entry requirements as relevant to the program.

34. A Master degree must require students, amongst other things, to “demonstrate the application of knowledge and skills to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship” (Australian Qualifications Framework: Addendum to the Second Edition January 2013, p. 6).
35. A Master (Advanced) degree includes a thesis of at least 24 units.
36. For a 48-unit Master degree, each individual program may specify its own credit limits that are up to but that do not exceed each of the following:

• No credit for any prior qualification in a non-cognate discipline;
• No credit for any prior AQF Level 7 or AQF Level 8 qualification in a cognate discipline an/or for non-formal or informal learning;
• Up to 24 units credit may be awarded under the ANU Credit Policy for courses completed towards an incomplete AQF Level 9 or above qualification; and
• All credit must be either specified credit or must state to which program requirement the credit relates.

37. Not more than a cumulative total of 24 units credit may be given towards a 48-unit Master degree.
38. For a 72 Master degree, each individual program may specify its own credit limits that are up to but that do not exceed each of the following:

• No credit for any prior qualification in a non-cognate discipline;
• Up to 24 units specified credit for AQF Level 7 or AQF Level 8 qualifications in a cognate discipline and/or for non-formal or informal learning;
• Up to 48 units credit may be awarded under the ANU Credit Policy for courses completed towards an incomplete AQF Level 9 or above qualification; and
• All credit must be either specified credit or must state to which program requirement the credit relates.

39. Not more than a cumulative total of 48 units credit may be given towards a 72 unit Master degree.
40. For a 96 unit Master degree, each individual program may specify its own credit limits that are up to but that do not exceed each of the following:

• No credit for any prior qualification in a non-cognate discipline;
• Up to 48 units credit for AQF Level 7 or AQF Level 8 qualifications in a cognate discipline and/or for non-formal or informal learning;
• Up to 72 units credit may be awarded under the ANU Credit Policy for courses completed towards an incomplete AQF Level 9 or above qualification; and
• All credit must be either specified credit or must state to which program requirement the credit relates.

41. Not more than a cumulative total of 72 units credit may be given towards a 96 unit Master degree.