7210-14 Majors Policy

Purpose

To permit the development of groups of related courses reflective of community needs.

Policy

1. A "Major" is a cluster of at least four courses from three or more disciplines related by a common theme that may be taken by a student over several semesters within a regular program leading to a DEC.
2. The theme of the "Major" must meet the following criteria:
   1. It must be consistent with the academic goals and standards of Vanier College.
   2. It must be of sufficient generality and academic importance to warrant special recognition, within the regular program structure.
   3. It must be recognized in the Canadian academic community to the degree that the positive value of the Vanier certificates will be accepted by universities and/or industries.
   4. Several Vanier College faculty members must have recognized academic or experiential background in the theme area.
   5. The documented student demand for the course and the written commitment of the departments and faculty members to maintain a "Major" must be sufficient to ensure that the "Major" is not dependant on one cohort of students nor on one or two specific faculty members.
3. A "Major" receives certification only within Vanier College and thus does not appear on any official Department of Education documentation.
4. The establishment of a "Major" will not impose course scheduling constraints, nor can it result in students receiving course selection priorities. When possible, special consideration would be given at registration to students in Majors in their final semester.
5. The establishment of a "Major" will not lead to any assurance of teaching allocation in order to maintain the "Major" in the absence of student enrolment.
6. After one year of functioning, a review of the "Major" is to be done by the Academic Services. Subsequent to this review, "Majors" can request as part of the regular process allocation for coordination and/or teaching. The same criteria applicable to other areas will be applied to these requests.

Procedure

1. Establishing a "Major":
   1. All proposals for the establishment of a "Major" must include at least the following:
      • the general theme underlying the "Major";
      • rationale for the establishment of the "Major";
      • a list of courses from which required courses may be chosen;
      • description of each of the courses;
      • projected student demand for the "Major" with justification;
      • budgetary impact;
      • faculty allocation impact;
      • procedure for annual evaluation;
      • documents from universities and/or industries supporting the establishment of the "Major".
   2. Enrolments in "Major" courses are subject to College regulation.
   3. The proposal is presented to the appropriate Faculty Dean who shall ascertain that the proposal is a related multi-disciplinary cluster that meets the needs of a specific group of students.
   4. The Academic Dean, after appropriate consultation with Academic Council, shall approve the "Major". All appropriate people shall be informed of the decision.
2. Recognition of completion of a "Major": The Faculty Dean shall provide for the recognition of completion of a "Major".
3. Regular Evaluation of a "Major": Every "Major" shall submit a detailed report, equivalent to a program evaluation, to the Faculty Dean and Academic Council at least once every five years.