Templates and timelines for academic proposals
In this section you will find page links to academic proposal templates, related resource documents, and submission deadlines.
Deadlines
The DVCs/PVCs Advisory Group, the Boards of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies (BUGS and BoGS), and Senate have approved University-wide deadlines for academic proposals. Select the relevant links below for academic proposal templates, examples, and submission deadlines.
Submission within these deadlines allows:
- Offerings to be set prior to the commencement of students enrolling for the following year
- Accuracy of information collection within Paper Management, eVision and publications
Academic proposals must first be approved by the relevant Divisional Board before progressing to the Board of Undergraduate Studies and/or the Board of Graduate Studies and to Senate. In some cases proposals will be seen by peers at the other New Zealand Universities through the Committee on University Academic Programmes' (CUAP) approval process. In all cases, proposals may be deferred for review. The impact of deferral should be taken into consideration when considering the most appropriate timeline for the submission of proposals.
Note: Academic proposals are not accepted for consideration at August Divisional Board meetings. This allows Divisional Boards and BUGS and BoGS to reserve meetings for APRs, GYRs, and any strategic or general matters arising.
If you have an urgent proposal that you wish to progress outside these deadlines, talk to your Associate Dean (Academic) or Associate Dean (Postgraduate) or embedded Specialist, Academic Committees and Services (contact details links are provided for each Division in the box below).
Staff members who are preparing academic proposals should seek advice from experts within their academic division as follows:
Commerce
Academic: Associate Dean (Academic) and/or Associate Dean (Postgraduate Programmes)
Specialist, Academic Committees and Services (Commerce)
Health Sciences
Academic: Associate Dean (Academic) and/or Associate Dean (Postgraduate)
Specialist, Academic Committees and Services (Health Sciences)
Humanities
Academic: Associate Dean (Academic) and/or Associate Dean (Postgraduate)
Specialist, Academic Committees and Services (Humanities)
Sciences
Academic: Associate Dean (Academic) and/or Associate Dean (Postgraduate)
Specialist, Academic Committees and Services (Sciences)
Proposal templates and related resource documents
- Indicative Proposal for a Programme (formerly Form 1S)
- New Programme Proposal (formerly Form 1)
- Programme Amendment Proposal (formerly Form 2)
- Curriculum Redesign Proposal
- New Paper Proposal (formerly Form 3)
- Empty-Shell Code Request Form (formerly Form 3ST)
- Special Topic Proposal (formerly Form DIV ST)
- Special Topic Transition Proposal
- Prescription Amendment Proposal (formerly Form 4)
- Deletion Proposal (formerly Form 5)
- New Mode or New Teaching Period Proposal (formerly Form 6)
- Reinstatement Proposal (formerly Form 9)
- New Micro-credential Proposal (formerly Form 10)
Further information and resource documents
If you have any questions related to the submission of proposals to the Board of Undergraduate Studies (BUGS) or the Board of Graduate Studies (BoGS), please feel free to contact:
Academic Committees and Services
- Level Descriptors and Principles – Undergraduate (Levels 5–7) (PDF)
- Level Descriptors and Principles – Postgraduate (Levels 7–9) (PDF)
- Advice for offering programmes in other languages (PDF)
- Clarification of Otago's use of the terms 'online' and 'distance' for administrative purposes (PDF)
- Teaching and Learning Plan/the University of Otago Graduate Profile and Graduate Profiles for University of Otago Postgraduate Research degrees
- Guidelines for the Assessment of Student Performance and
Best Practice for the Assessment of Student Performance (PDF) - University of Otago Academic Committee Nomenclature (PDF)
Graduating Year Review (GYR)
Following the "conditional approval" of any new programme/qualification, major subject, or endorsement, CUAP requires a Graduating Year Review (GYR) to be held within three years of the graduation of the first cohort of students. CUAP sets the schedule for the review; however, this is normally at least four years after the programme is introduced (depending on the programme structure).
A GYR is a programme review – please see the Graduating Year Review (GYR) Handbook which further outlines the process (link below). To adequately prepare for the GYR, programme coordinators and departments must monitor the new programme. Please gather and keep data relating to student numbers and information such as feedback from students, employers, accrediting bodies, and external assessors. This information helps prove that the programme is meeting its original aims and the Graduate Profile, and it explains any highs or lows.
Please be sure to document any changes made to the programme subsequent to its conditional approval by CUAP. Keeping this information/data/evidence securely stored in the department until the GYR is held is crucial.
The GYR Handbook outlines the process:
Self-review coordinators should use:
These documents are normally updated annually.
You may also refer to:
Additional information about the Graduating Year Review (GYR) process and about ongoing quality assurance and monitoring processes for academic programmes can be found on:
Quality Advancement Unit website
Annual Programme Reports (APRs)
The University of Otago uses Annual Programme Reports (APRs) to track the progress of new programmes in preparation for their Graduating Year Reviews (GYRs). Once CUAP conditionally approves your programme, you will need to provide an APR each year up until the GYR. Once CUAP approves a successful GYR, you no longer need to prepare and submit APRs. Academic Committees and Services will notify you regarding the timeframe for submitting the APRs each year.
- Annual Programme Report template (DOCX)
- Guidelines for Annual Programme Reporting (DOCX)
- Best Practice Guidelines – Evidence for the Achievement of the Graduate Profile (PDF)
Examples of Annual Programme Reports (APRs)
2020 reports for:
- Bachelor of Arts and Science (PDF)
- Bachelor of Health Sciences (PDF)
- Master of Education and Learning (PDF)
- Master of Chaplaincy (PDF)
External moderation
External moderation is an on-going commitment for all postgraduate programmes at the University of Otago and is required as an on-going annual commitment prior to the finalisation of marks for semester one, semester two, non-standard and full-year papers (including research projects and dissertations) that contribute to final year postgraduate honours, postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma, and master's programmes.
You may find more information in: