Setting the Stage for Success: Planning for Four-year Degrees

2023
Eastern Arizona College
www.eac.edu
ArizonaSusan Wood
High Level of Learning, Employer Partnerships and Collaborations, Regional Significance, and Labor Market Alignment
Eastern Arizona College was able to work through the process of proposing two new bachelor degrees, a BA in Music with an emphasis on Music Education and a BS in Health Sciences, relatively quickly and painlessly by articulating a vision and designing a clear plan before the actual proposal of the new degree. A generic flowchart was developed to plan and document the development and implementation of the degrees. Individuals included in the proposal process included the Chief Academic Officer, the Deans and Faculty from the Music and Health Sciences departments, the college’s Curriculum Committee Chair, the Registrar, the Director of Financial Aid, and the college’s Budget Director. Working together, the process of developing the degree proposals was not only collaborative but effective and timely. Three keys that have been identified as crucial in the process include understanding the importance of a feasibility study, the focus on engaging faculty in every step of the process and finding and using technology to stay organized so that no crucial steps are missed.
Program Planning, Feasibility Study, Faculty Engagement,