Proposal and approval process
Review guidelines for submitting proposals, access links to proposal forms, and find information about approval paths for academic programs.
COMING SOON: Updated program guidelines and forms!
The processes for academic program proposals are currently being updated. Updated forms and associated guidelines will be launching in September 2026. In the meantime, you can continue to use the existing forms. If you have questions or concerns, please teaching_programs.provost [at] mcgill.ca (contact us).
New programs and program components
Strong academic program proposals should demonstrate a clear educational need, academic distinctiveness, student demand, alignment with institutional priorities, and the availability of sufficient resources to support implementation and ongoing delivery.
Proposal documents
- Guidelines: New programs / components
- Form: New program / component proposal
- Instructions: For completing the New Program Form
- Appendix templates:
Approval process
| 2. Internal approval | 3. External approval |
|---|---|---|
Leadership support is crucial! Annual central program planning exercise involving APB and TAP/GPS Financial review (if applicable) OOE evaluation (for online modalities) | Proposal form and required documents are submitted Depending on program type, proposals are approved by:
| Government approval required for new degree programs, self-funded programs, majors/options Level depends on type of proposal TAP/GPS can assist with the documents and coordinate the process |
Approval timeline
- Internal approval only: 6 - 9 months
- Internal approval with MES consultation: 6 - 12 months
- Full external approval: 18 - 24 months
Programs should not be advertised until final approvals are granted. academic.programs [at] mcgill.ca (Contact us) for status updates.
Program revisions
Revisions are often made to maintain a program's relevancy, accuracy, and responsiveness to labour market trends. All revisions must go through the standard process, which is necessary for keeping our records and public information up to date. The approval process program revisions varies depending on the type of revision, e.g., major vs. minor revisions.
If you are proposing any major or complex revisions, please book a consultation to discuss your proposal before submitting the Program Revision Form.
Proposal documents
- Guidelines: Program revisions (coming soon)
- Form: Program revision
- Instructions: For completing the Program Revision Form
- Attachment templates
Major revisions
- Degree program credit weight changes
- Changes to honours requirements in undergraduate programs
- Changes to project, thesis, and special activity requirements in graduate programs
- Changes to the minimum program GPA requirement for honours programs (as long as the GPA requirement remains at 3.0 or greater)
- Restructuring the program requirements, either by introducing new courses that make up more than one-third of the program’s total credits, or by incorporating existing courses (from other programs) that make up more than two-thirds (requires MES approval). These proportions are calculated based on the total number of credits offered within the program, not the total credits required to graduate.
Minor revisions
- Degree program title changes
- Changes to required course lists in a program
- Changes to complementary course lists that do not affect the credit weight of the program
- Course changes within the offering unit’s own subject code
- Credit weight changes to program components (excluding degree programs)
- Changes in program modality only are made teaching_programs.provost [at] mcgill.ca (by memo) (not the program revision form)
Approval timeline
- Major program revision proposals: 6 – 12 months
- Minor program revision proposals: 2 – 4 months
teaching_programs.provost [at] mcgill.ca (Contact us) for status updates.
Program retirements
A program retirement is the formal process by which the University removes an academic program (e.g., degree program, certificate, diploma) and/or program component (e.g., major, minor, concentration) from its active curriculum offerings. Retiring programs is crucial to keep our Course Catalogue up to date, and to avoid including inactive programs in our system.
Proposal documents
- Guidelines / instructions: Program retirement
- Form: Program retirement
Approval process
| 1. Unit approval | 2. Council of Graduate and Postdoctural Studies | 3. Academic Policy Committee (APC) |
|---|---|---|
| Both offering and administering units | Graduate programs only | TAP approves program retirements on behalf of APC |
Approval timeline
- Requests for program retirements are usually processed and finalized within 2 to 4 months.