Programme Management - Frequently Asked Questions

Answer 1:  The following types of proposals have to be submitted to the Programme Management Committee for consideration and approval before they can be progressed and implemented:

• New Degree Programmes (i.e., a new Undergraduate (UG) or Postgraduate Taught (PGT) programme.)
• Programme Withdrawals (i.e., an existing UG or PGT, which the School, in the near future will no longer wishes to offer.)
• Programme Suspensions (i.e., an existing UG or PGT, which the School wishes to defer or suspend for a specific period of time.)
• Programme Amendments (i.e., any changes to an existing programme, for example a change of title (e.g., changing the title of an MA in Latin and Greek to an MA in European Classical Languages (noting this is a hypothetical example.)
• Stand-Alone Courses (e.g., a new short course, CPD course (regardless of the level at which these programmes are taught)).
• Future Learn Courses (e.g., a new online course that will ultimately be delivered via the Future Learn platform).

Answer 2: The following types of proposals DO NOT have to submitted to the Programme Management Committee for consideration and approval before they can be progressed and implemented (where available the committee, teams or colleagues who do have to be consulted about these types of proposals has been provided):

• Proposals for new courses that would form part of a UG, PGT or PGR programme.
• Proposals to change the assessment methods utilised in a programme and/or it’s component courses.

Answer 3: The Programme Management Committee meets on regular basis throughout the academic year. There are specific submission dates, for different proposal types, for each of the scheduled meetings of the committee. Please see more information about the schedule of meetings and relevant submission dates here.

Answer 4: The answer to this query can vary depending on what type of proposal you hope to submit to the Programme Management Committee and when you hope to introduce or start what you are proposing.

What is important to note here is that no matter what type of proposal you are working on, please aim to submit it well in advance of an intended start date or when you would like the change to take place.

For New Programmes you should aim to give yourself 18-24 months to develop these.

For all other proposal types, we would recommend, if possible, giving yourself a development submission window of 8-12 months depending on the time of year. 

It is also important, when developing a proposal, that there is other timetables or submission dates that you have to take into account like your schools internal committee timelines, QAC committee deadlines and more.

The Programme Management Committee recognises that there can be scenarios where proposals have to submitted at the “last minute” or considered outside of the normal meeting schedule (i.e., by circulation), due to pressing issues, however this is not encouraged. For any questions about the timeframes required for a proposal please initially contact the clerk for the Programme Management Committee at pmc@abdn.ac.uk.  

Answer 5: The answer to this query can vary depending on the proposal type and the feedback from the committee (e.g., a request for further information or specific instructions).

Please see a basic breakdown of possible next steps, by proposal type, if approved, below:

• New Programmes: If approved then your proposal will initially be given Development Consent by the PMC. Please see more information about what this means here. In order to get Final Approval and launch the programme (i.e., admit students onto it) you will need to fulfil these subsequent stages.
• Programme Withdrawals: If approved, then, unless there is specific feedback from PMC, that requires follow up action(s) then the processes required to withdraw the programme in question can be carried out.
• Programme Suspensions: if approved, then, unless there is specific feedback from PMC, that requires some follow up action(s), then the processes required to suspend the programme in question can be carried out.
• Programme Amendments: If approved, then, unless there is specific feedback from PMC, that requires some follow up action(s), then the processes required to amend or modify the programme in question can be carried out.
• Stand-Alone Short Courses: If approved, then, unless there is specific feedback from PMC, that requires some follow up action(s), then the processes required to take forward launch of the new Stand-Alone short course in question can be carried out.
• FutureLearn Courses: If approved, then, unless there is specific feedback from PMC, that requires some follow up action(s), then the processes required to take forward and launch the FutureLearn Course in question can be carried out.

Answer 6:  Yes, you have to get the approval at a School level for any proposal type BEFORE it is submitted for consideration by the Programme Management Committee.

This approval process varies from School to School. Please contact your School Administration Manager for more information and guidance.

Please also note that although approval at a School level is required before a proposal is submitted, it is not essential in order to have an initial discussion with colleagues about your proposal. The Dean for Portfolio Development and Programme Promotion, the clerk for the Programme Management Committee, your School’s Marketing Manager and other colleagues can provide you with assistance during the initial development stages of your proposal.

Answer 7: No, if your proposal is approved by the Programme Management Committee, that does not mean that activities like the hiring of staff to teach on a New Programme has also been approved. The normal processes (either at a University wide or School level) for taking forward the components of your proposal (e.g., Hiring new staff, seeking QAC approval for individual courses) still apply.

Answer 8: The timescales for a response can vary depending on what type of proposal you have put forward and the subsequent feedback from the committee.

Approved:  If your proposal has been approved then you should receive formal confirmation of this within 2-3 working of the relevant meeting of the Programme Management Committee. Please note, for New Programme proposals, if it is successful then it will be approved for Development Consent. If this is the case, then you will be sent information on the next steps required in order for your New Programme proposal to be given Final Approval.

Note approved: If your proposal is not approved then, again you should receive formal confirmation of within 2-3 days of the relevant meeting of the Programme Management Committee. Please note that a “not approved” message will always be accompanied with feedback from the Committee. The Dean for Portfolio Development & Programme Promotion, the clerk for Programme Management Committee and a number of other colleagues can help you to take forward your proposal, based on the committee’s feedback, and if you and your School chooses to do so, re-submit it to PMC.

Answer 9: There are a number of colleagues who can help you to develop a proposal for the Programme Management Committee. This include, but is not limited to, the following of colleagues:

• The Dean for Portfolio Development and Programme Engagement.
• The clerk to the Programme Management Committee
• Your School’s Administration Manager
• Your School's Marketing Manager

Please note that the University is committed to developing an exciting and robust portfolio of programmes and Stand-Alone courses. The University is also equally committed to the encouragement and development of its staff community and their ideas.

Answer 10: A programme, in the context of the Programme Management Process, refers to entire Undergraduate, Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research programme. This includes all programmes that are delivered by both on-campus (incl. blended learning) and online learning delivery modes.

Courses, in this content, could refer to either a component of a programme or a Stand-Alone Course (incl. FutureLearn course).