Intent to Plan Outline

Follow the outline below when developing an Intent to Plan.

1. Summary of content and potential student learning outcomes: These should be clear, measurable, appropriate in number, and appropriate to the degree level. There should also be a brief description of the program's or major's content. This does NOT need to be an exhaustive list for the intent to plan but, rather, an idea of the major content areas the program or major will cover.
   1. For help writing strong learning outcomes, see the Provost Office’s resources.
2. Mission: Explain the relationship of the program to WVU's mission.
3. Commitment to assessment: This section should lay out the program's general anticipated assessment plan, including how it will gather and use direct assessment of the program's student learning outcomes for program improvement. 
4. Partnership agreements: Indicate whether any other departments within WVU (either at Morgantown, Keyser, or Beckley) will deliver required coursework and include plans that secure partnership agreements and/or letters of support with those units and the relevant dean’s office(s). Contractual or consortial agreements should also be disclosed here, if they exist.  Ensure that the program is being delivered at a currently approved location – Morgantown, Keyser, Beckley.
5. Disclose other institutions in West Virginia that offer similar programs.
6. Program necessity: Provide market analysis or other research that demonstrates a regional need for the program or major.  
   1. Programs must include the required information from JobsEQ. Sumbit a JobsEQ request form or contact your academic units licensed JobsEQ user for assistance.
      
   2. Programs and majors that will be delivered online may request WVU Online to provide them with an additional feasibility study.
7. Resources: Address any and all additional resources (faculty, space, financial) needed. If there are transitional monies and/or donated start-up fund connected to the new program or major, indicate how those resources will be replaced once they are depleted.
8. Modality: Indicate what portion, if any, of the program will be delivered through distance learning. If the program is intended to be delivered more than 50% online, a letter of support from WVU Online must be included.
9. Effective catalog term: The earliest effective catalog term is always the fall of the next academic year.
10. Effective enrollment management term: This is the earliest possible term for which the program will be included on the application and included in institutional strategic communications, marketing, and recruitment efforts. Full undergraduate proposals must be approved by the April Board of Governors meeting to be included on the application and included in institutional strategic communications, marketing, and recruitment efforts for the fall term of the next calendar year. For example, the earliest term for undergraduate programs approved by April 2026 will be fall 2027 for inclusion in application and included in institutional strategic communications, marketing, and recruitment efforts. Full proposals must be approved by the Board of Governors 90 days ahead of the application open date to be included on the application and included in institutional strategic communications, marketing, and recruitment efforts.
11. Proposed admission standards: Admission standards should be aligned with institutional, college, and departmental standards and should reflect the mission of the program and the level of the degree.
12. Academic market analysis: Programs should contact Darius Heffernan in the Provost’s Office for a three-year academic market analysis. Key components of this analysis to provide in the Intent to Plan are the number of total completions in the related CIP code, the three-year trend in completions, the type of institutions who deliver similar programs, and the approximate enrollment in programs at similar or peer institutions.
13. Minimum viable enrollment: Faculty should work with their department chair, their dean’s office, their business office, and the Associate Provost for Curriculum and Assessment to determine what the minimum viable enrollment will be for all new program proposals. This will be the target enrollment the program is expected to reach by the third year of having students enrolled and during its first Board of Governors program review.
14. Aspirational enrollment target: Faculty should work with their department chair, their dean’s office, and the Associate Provost for Curriculum and Assessment to use the academic market analysis to identify aspirational peer institutions and determine what this aspirational target should be in light of peer enrollment as well as dedicated instructional resources for the program.
15. Staffing chart and course rotation: Faculty should provide by way of attachment a staffing chart that shows:
1. The first three years of course and section offerings.
2. The faculty who will staff those offerings, including any new positions that are expected to teach in the program.
16. New required personnel: Program proposal initiators should indicate the number and type (tenure-track faculty, teaching faculty, student success staff, program coordinator, academic adviser, etc.) of new personnel needed to launch the program.
17. New required facilities and equipment: Program proposal initiators should indicate what new facilities and equipment are needed to launch the program.
18. Student support services: Program proposal initiators should indicate what college and department resources exist to provide student support services, including but not limited to academic advising and other student success-oriented services.
19. Administrative structure:  Program proposal initiators should indicate what college and department the new program will be housed in. Initiators should also indicate what new or existing personnel will serve as program director or coordinator, if any.
20. College and unit-level marketing plan and support: Program proposal initiators should indicate what college and departmental strategy and support will be used to market and recruit for the new program.
21. Tuition rate and non-standard tuition rate requests: Program proposal initiators only need to respond to this question if they are requesting a non-standard tuition rate. If an initiator is requesting a non-standard tuition rate, specify what that rate is and provided a rationale for that rate.
22. Specialized accreditation:  Will the new program have any specialized accreditation as an option? If so, will the new program seek specialized accreditation? At what cost and on what timeline? Who will be responsible for maintaining accreditation?
23. Potential internal collaboration and competition: Indicate if there are units on campus that offer programs with similar titles, CIP codes, etc. Letters of support are also to be included here.
24. Research expectations: What are the research expectations for the new program?