When EWU plans to launch a new program or modify an existing one (including making such minor adjustments as changing the program’s name or adding a new delivery modality), we are required to inform our accrediting body, NWCCU, so that the programs can be included under the umbrella of Eastern’s institutional accreditation.
We need to submit only an official notification to NWCCU for most new programs or program modifications. Notifications are free, and the form takes just a few minutes to complete.
If, however, 25% or more of the credits in the new or modified program come from newly created courses, EWU needs to submit a minor substantive change request. The substantive change request has three components. One is the application, which is an online form requiring more detailed information than the notification form. The second is a budget worksheet, in which the new or modified program’s costs are tallied. And the third component is the change fee, which is typically $1000. (Complex changes may cost more.) The materials should be submitted to NWCCU at least ten weeks before the inauguration of the program.
Contact Jake Morrison, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness for any questions regarding a substantive change. Forms below can help guide the process. Official submission is through the University processes of curricular changes using CourseLeaf Management System and accepted through our shared governance committee approvals. See the Curricular Change webpage to submit changes.
