CLAS Undergraduate Curricular and Policy Updates

To: Departmental Executive Officers
From: Helena Dettmer, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum, and the Humanities
RE: CLAS Undergraduate Curricular and Policy Updates

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Significant curricular additions and revisions to CLAS undergraduate programs and policies approved during the 2016-2017 academic year are summarized below.

  • These additions and changes are effective beginning with the fall 2017 semester, unless otherwise noted.  
  • Please refer to the General Catalog 2017-2018 for the requirements of new programs of study.
  • Thank you for updating any websites or other materials that might refer to these related changes.
  • The Catalog represents the official requirements as approved by the College. Please check your websites against the Catalog to make sure they are identical.
  • If you are considering the addition of a new major, minor, or certificate in the next several years, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can help guide the process and timeline.

If you have corrections or additions to suggest concerning this memo, please let us know. We generally send out an updated memo after the fall semester begins.

New Major
On September 8, 2016, the Board of Regents approved a major in Social Justice (BA). The program of study is administered by the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies and encourages students to explore issues related to social justice through interdisciplinary avenues, including the arts, political science, and history. A minor in Social Justice has also been approved.

Changes to Existing Majors
A new publishing track has been approved for the English major and for the English and Creative Writing major. This track is open to any student with a declared major in English or in English and Creative Writing.

The American Studies major will no longer require a focus area of 12 s.h., effective for students declaring the major during the Fall 2017 semester or after. Instead of completing a focus area, a student in the American Studies major will be encouraged to meet with an advisor to select five American Studies courses which speak to the student’s interests.

The Russian Program within the Department of Asian and Slavic Languages and Literature is in the process of changing its course subject acronym. Effective for Fall 2018, most SLAV courses will be offered using RUSS as the course signifier, and students registering in April for Fall 2018 will find most courses for the Russian major under the RUSS acronym.  

Certificates: New Offerings
A new certificate in Geographic Information Science provides training in geospatial technologies, including related foundational theories and application of techniques and best practices. The certificate is administered by the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences and will also be offered online.

The Certificate in Political Risk Analysis, offered by Political Science, helps to prepare students to work in security, analyzing risks that institutions and businesses may face while in other countries. The certificates requires 25 s.h.

The name of the Aging Studies program has been changed to Aging and Longevity Studies, with the minor and certificate also renamed to Aging and Longevity Studies. There have been no changes to the requirements of either of these programs of study.

Updates on the General Education Program
New Name for GE Program
The CLAS General Education is in the process of being renamed as the CLAS Core. During the 2017-2018 year, the program will be referred to as the GE CLAS Core or the General Education CLAS Core and at some point in the future will move to the shorter name of CLAS Core. Please visit the new GE web site.

Reminder of new GE Requirements
Students entering UI Summer 2017 are held to the new GE requirements, with students completing 3 s.h. in each of the new GE areas of Diversity and Inclusion and of Values and Culture. These two requirements replace the former area of Values, Society, and Diversity. Continuing students will complete the GE requirements as currently listed on the degree audit and will not complete the new requirements. Related ACE questions are on this page.

Call for GE Proposals in Diversity and Inclusion
Proposals for courses with GE status in the new Diversity and Inclusion area are welcomed and encouraged by the College; for more information about the requirements for a proposal, see this page. CLAS also welcomes proposals from instructors wishing to further develop student engagement within a GE course, with a small amount of funding available for those interested.                                                                                                                   

Undergraduate Policy Revisions

  • CLAS is now requiring that all departments drop membership in UI Honors as a requirement for pursuing Honors in the Major; any student who wishes to earn both may still do so. The Honors in the Major thesis or other project will be accepted by UI Honors for the 12 s.h. of experiential learning required for graduating with UI Honors. CLAS departments may continue to set GPA expectations and other standards and requirements for Honors in the Major, with a minimum UI cumulative GPA of 3.33 suggested.
  • Starting with Fall 2017, there are new textbook ordering deadlines. All instructors will be asked to order textbooks each semester before the start of Early Registration for the following semester so that UI complies with the HEO Act. The law does allow for some exceptions. If placing the textbooks online is “impractical,” the tag of “To be determined” may be added to the course schedule instead. However, the law also indicates that institutions (rather than each individual) defines more specifically what is considered “impractical” and when “To be determined” may be used.  At the University of Iowa, “To be determined” may be used in these circumstances:
    • If an instructor has not yet been hired
    • If the instructor has not yet been assigned to a course
    • If the course is new and still under development
    • If the textbook is new and still under development

Departments should use these exceptions judiciously and should submit the bulk of orders by the deadline.

  • There is now an additional statement required on the syllabus concerning nondiscrimination in the classroom. This statement has also been included on the CLAS syllabus insert at this web page, a useful template of all required statements that may be attached the syllabus.

Nondiscrimination in the ClassroomThe University of Iowa is committed to making the classroom a respectful and inclusive space for all people irrespective of their gender, sexual, racial, religious or other identities. Toward this goal, students are invited to optionally share their preferred names and pronouns with their instructors and classmates. The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination and harassment against individuals on the basis of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, and other identity categories set forth in the University’s Human Rights policy. For more information, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, diversity@uiowa.edu, or visit diversity.uiowa.edu.

  • The CLAS grade distribution guidelines for undergraduate courses have been modified to better reflect grading practices by CLAS instructors. Please see this web page for the revised grading guidelines.

Online Offerings of Majors and Certificates: Related Policy and Procedures
Online Programs Offered by CLAS

  • Sport and Recreation Management (BS)
  • Enterprise Leadership (BA)
  • Political Science major (BA)
  • Certificate in Aging and Longevity Studies
  • Certificate for Interscholastic Athletics/Activities Director
  • Certificate in Museum Studies (effective Fall 2017)
  • Certificate in Geographic Information Science (effective Fall 2017)
  • Certificate in Museum Studies (effective Fall 2017)
  • Certificate in Writing (without the choice of the Literary Publishing track)

Related Policies

  • CLAS policy requires that all online credentials have the same name, requirements, and standards as the on-campus counterpart. However, the menu of courses or the availability of tracks may be fewer in an online program.
  • Off-campus students earning a degree or certificate online must declare the program of study with the “online qualifier.” This qualifier allows distance learners to be identified and for related data to be collected. Before proposing that a certificate moves to an online offering, CLAS units must discuss the matter with the College which will authorize the online qualifier.
  • Both distance learners and on-campus students may earn a certificate without earning or having a degree.

CLAS Online Program Admission Standards: Majors and Certificates
In order to earn a CLAS major and degree or a certificate online, all distance learners must apply and be admitted to CLAS.

Students applying for admission to an online major and degree program in CLAS should be admitted to UI and CLAS following the existing standards used by the Division of Continuing Education to admit students into the BLS program.

  • Students must have completed a high-school degree at least three years before admission and have at least 24 semester hours of graded college-level transfer credit with a GPA of 2.00 or higher.
    OR
  • Students must have earned an Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate of Science (AS), or Associate of Arts (AA) with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above for all college-level transfer credit.
  • International students must meet UI admissions standards for international students with the appropriate TOEFL score for the Internet-based test (iBT) of 80 with no subscore lower than 17 or for the paper-based test (PBT) of 530. One of the acceptable alternatives to the TOEFL may also be used.
  • Any student may also enter UI to take individual courses as a non-degree seeking student.

Distance learners wishing to earn an online undergraduate certificate and who are not also seeking a degree are admitted to UI and CLAS according to the existing standards for non-degree seeking students:

  • Students still in high school who wish to apply to the university as a non-degree student must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.50 or higher.
  • Students who have taken course work at another college must present a cumulative grade-point average of 2.50 or higher.
  • International students must meet UI admissions standards for international students with the appropriate TOEFL score for the Internet-based test (iBT) of 80 with no subscore lower than 17 or for the paper-based test (PBT) of 530. One of the acceptable alternatives to the TOEFL may also be used.
  • Students may earn a certificate without also earning a degree.
  • See this page for more information.

Online Tuition
The online tuition and fees paid by undergraduate students who are admitted to CLAS with the purpose of pursuing a program of study online (and thus are flagged with the online qualifier), such as the BA in Political Science or the Certificate in Writing, are charged tuition according to the Liberal Arts and Sciences Resident tuition rate with the technology fee added. The other fees are not charged. An undergraduate distance learner, for example, admitted to CLAS for Fall 2017 who enrolls in one online course for 3 s.h. will pay $936.00 in tuition plus the $124.25 technology fee. The tuition and fees are the same for both resident and non-resident students.