The Office of Instruction and the Graduate School are partnering to support the exploration, development, and implementation of new graduate programs with the potential for high enrollment, such as those designed for working professionals. Proposed programs must fulfill our land-grant mission and grow graduate education at UGA.
More specifically, we are seeking proposals for graduate programs that meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Expanding access to high-demand graduate degree programs for working professionals by delivering the programs at multiple campuses, completely online, or a combination of online and on-campus instruction.
- Developing new master’s degrees, including interdisciplinary degree programs, that address immediate and future needs in the labor market; or
- Exploring new models for master’s degrees and graduate certificates, such as stackable certificates, partnerships with industry or government, and intersection with non-degree educational and training opportunities.
A set of resources have been created to assist departments and faculty as they navigate the challenges in developing such programs. These include:
- A dedicated contact person to assist with all aspects of program design, development, market research, and implementation. Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director of the Gwinnett Campus, Dr. Laura Crawley, will serve as the primary liaison for these efforts and can be reached at lcrawley@uga.edu.
- Resources to evaluate the viability of proposed programs, instructional delivery models, assessment of workforce needs, or broader market analyses.
- Start-up funding to assist with costs required for the initial launch of online graduate programs. This funding is designed to minimize the financial risks for individual departments/colleges and will be based on a review of program viability, enrollment projections, and program needs.
- A revised credit-hour production (CHP) return model for online programs, with CHP funding returned to the college(s) being calculated on an annual basis. This is different from the standard CHP funding for residential instruction, which uses a 3-year average in calculating the funding amount. The more rapid return will help colleges ensure these online programs reach financial sustainability quickly. The per-credit-hour amount will remain the same as current practice.
To access these resources, we invite you and your colleagues to submit your ideas and suggestions to implement new and innovative graduate programs. Please send a narrative proposal of no more than 300 words to Dr. Crawley (lcrawley@uga.edu). These brief proposals should describe the new graduate program or proposed changes to an existing program, including anticipated demand for the degree. Expanded support will be prioritized for programs that meet one or more of the criteria stated above. We strongly recommend that proposers discuss their ideas with Dr. Crawley prior to submitting their summaries.
While these resources will remain available as needed throughout the current and subsequent fiscal years, narrative proposals for initial review will be accepted through Monday, December 6. Additional dates for 2022 will be announced later.
Dr. Crawley will work with the Graduate School and the Office of Instruction to select projects for further development. She will then help assemble teams of department, college or school, and central support office representatives to facilitate the development of a complete proposal for resources to develop these programs.
