Program Reviews

Program Review Purpose

The primary purpose of program review at WSU is to improve academic programs. An academic program may consist of an entire department which houses several majors, or an academic program may be a component of a department. Program reviews are not conducted to expressly identify individual programs for discontinuance. Reviews will result in an identification of program strengths, weaknesses and recommendations for change. The program faculty, responsible academic dean and provost will respond in writing to these recommendations as part of a program improvement plan.

Program Review Structure

Program review is a three-semester process that is completed approximately every five years for each degree-granting department and/or program. When possible these reviews are timed to coincide with outside accreditation processes if applicable. Each program faculty must complete a self-study report, schedule and host an on-site visit, review and respond to site visit recommendations, commendations, and suggestions, and forward their response to the program dean. Each dean crafts a response to the faculty response for submission to the provost. The process concludes with a program/department presentation to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (for undergraduate programs) or the Graduate Council (for graduate programs). Those bodies will review each program review including recommendations and faculty/department responses to those recommendations to make a final recommendation to the Provost. A report summarizing each program review is submitted to both WSU's Board of Trustees and the Utah State Board of Regents.

Important Dates

Programs participating in the review process should plan to complete the self-study document by November 15. Site visits should be completed sometime between February 1 and March 30, and all reports completed and filed by May 1. See the checklist below for a detailed breakdown of the process.

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