Graduate Admissions Guide and University Catalog

Introduction

Every program that is actively admitting new students is required to publish an entry in the public-facing Graduate Admissions Guide.  A full program description and curricular requirements that must be fulfilled to complete a degree program or certificate (including all course and elective requirements) will be housed in the University Catalog.  

The Graduate Admissions Guide is intended to:

  • Inform prospective students of admissions requirements and procedures specific to the program.
  • Provide contact and directory information for the program and department.
  • Provide a public record of these program requirements to the State of Arizona, the State Approving Agency, and other accrediting organizations.

Managing the Graduate Admissions Guide 

Graduate Admissions Guides are currently managed within the Admin tools in GradApp, and are refreshed once daily, which means updates made in GradApp will appear on the public-facing website the next day.

Important: Department ownership of Academic Plans is maintained in UAccess and governed by Curricular Affairs. The Graduate College is not able to change ownership of plans. 

All academic plans governed by the Department are listed near the top of the form, as well as in the summary. If you are not the person responsible for all of the plans, please coordinate with your departmental colleagues to be sure the department description is representative for all.

Steps for managing your Academic Plan Information:

  1. Login to GradApp.
  2. Expand the Admissions Guide module and open the Admissions Guide Entries link.
  3. Click on the Graduate Admissions Guide - Admin Tools link and open the Academic Plan you wish to configure.
  4. On the Academic Plan Information tab, choose the View button to open the plan and use the Editing Options dropdown to Edit Plan Info.  
  5. Admission requirements specific to the plan that are in addition to minimum Graduate College requirements. These should include minimum GPA, minimum English proficiency scores, earned degrees, or coursework in required areas of study.
  6. Application deadlines should be included for each term to which students may apply (Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter). Be sure to indicate if there are separate deadlines for International applicants.
  7. List any standardized tests that are either recommended or required to be considered for admission.  
  8. Funding opportunities unique to the academic program (for example, teaching or research assistantships).
  9. ETS Subjects: A comma-separated list of ETS/Subject codes that are relevant to the program. Please refer to the ETS Department & Major Field Codes for the complete list.  
  10. When you are satisfied changes are complete, click the Update button.
  11. You may return to the Editing Options dropdown to Preview changes that will display on the public facing site the next day. 

Managing your Department/Academic Unit information:

  1. Choose the Department/Academic Unit Information tab and choose Edit Department to make change to edit the website URL that displays for your Department/Academic Unit.  The Department Information you enter will change the display on all Academic Plans under the Unit.  An important warning will be displayed to alert you of all the associated plans that changes will affect.

A small number of academic units serve as the parent units for multiple, unrelated academic programs - mostly in cases where the academic program is attached directly to a College rather than a more traditional department or department-like entity. In such cases you will not be able to edit the Department description. Please contact the Graduate College if vital information needs to be updated.

Managing the University Catalog 

Important: Requests for Non-Substantial curricular changes can be submitted here and are completed on an annual basis.  All curricular changes must receive approval from Curricular Affairs and/or the Graduate College before they are updated in the Graduate Catalog. For information about the approval process for curricular changes, please review the Curricular Affairs Dates and Deadlines page. Upon receiving official university approval of curricular changes, programs should also make edits to the Graduate Admissions Guide if applicable.  It is the responsibility of the program to ensure the Graduate Catalog is current. 

Elements of the Academic Plan Description

  • General Description: A succinct description of the academic plan or subplan, comprised of one or two paragraphs that summarize the program's objectives and career options. Please note that this is distinct from the Department description previously listed (e.g., it addresses the specific Master's or Doctoral objectives and career options).
  • Contact Information: Contact names, email address, and/or phone numbers for both Admissions and Advising contacts are pulled directly from the information that is managed in GradPath rather than in GradApp. Please contact your program's degree counselor if you need to request a change.
  • Student Handbook URL: The full website address of your program or department Graduate Handbook. Please review the Graduate College guidelines for Departmental Graduate Handbooks for complete information. Best practice is to link directly to the PDF.
  • Core Coursework Requirements: A comprehensive list of all required coursework for program completion including each course prefix, course title, minimum units required from each, and when relevant, the minimum grade required. It should also include the minimum GPA in core courses.
  • Elective Coursework: A comprehensive list of elective coursework required or recommended for this program, including each course prefix, course title, minimum units required from each, and when relevant, the minimum grade required. If students have the choice of elective options, please provide a comprehensive list of options. 
  • Additional Requirements: Any of the following that apply: Specific language requirements, Internships, Practica, Qualifying exams, Recitals, Non-thesis options, Capstone experiences, Limits on transfer, Required minor area, etc.
  • Minor Requirements: Displayed only for doctoral programs. Should list or describe any requirements of doctoral students enrolled in the program beyond the Graduate College minimum of 9 credit hours.
  • Keywords: A comma-separated list of any topical keywords that may help prospective students discover the program when performing web-based searches.

When to Make Revisions

  • Annually: All of the information in the University Catalog and Graduate Admissions Guide should be reviewed and updated by the program annually. Please note that changes to the curriculum must be approved by Curricular Affairs and/or the Graduate College in advance and are subject to these dates and deadlines. 
  • Program Disestablishments: Please note that the University Catalog will remain visible and accessible while the program is active and while there are students enrolled in the program. If a program is in the process of disestablishing, or teach-out mode, the program will remain visible in the Catalog, however, you may request the entry in the Graduate Admissions Guide and the application itself be removed. Please update the Graduate Admissions Guide to indicate the program is disestablishing. If you wish, recommend another program for the applicant. Contact your Student Support Specialist for more information. 
  • Program Name Change: Please note that the University Catalog and Graduate Admissions Guide will remain visible and accessible while the program is active and while there are students enrolled in the program. If a program undergoes a name change, and there are students still active under the original plan name, both programs will show in the University Catalog. If a program is in the process of disestablishing, or teach-out mode, the program will remain visible. Please update the Graduate Admissions Guide on the original name to indicate the program is changing to the new name and invite applicants to apply to the program under the new name. You may also contact the Graduate College to disable the application. 
  • Curricular Changes: If you have received approval from Curricular Affairs and the Graduate College for changes to curriculum (e.g., changes to minimum credits required), please immediately make those changes on the Graduate Admissions Guide. 

Previous Revisions

Each time edits to the Graduate Admissions Guide are saved, the previous information is saved as a revision, up to four previous revisions. You may review a former revision by clicking the Revision History tab while editing in GradApp.  While reviewing a revision, you may also restore that revision by clicking the Restore This Revision button at the top of the page. You will then be prompted to make any edits and then save the description.