Courseleaf is the GW online platform used for course and program approvals and bulletin management. This system is managed by the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment (OAPA).
Program Approvals
All new programs and changes to existing programs must be made through Courseleaf. Program proposals and all required supporting documents must be completed and submitted early enough to allow for sufficient review and approval by the program or department, the school, the Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment, and other pertinent departments (where applicable) prior to the requested effective semester. Retroactive approvals will not be granted. New programs or revisions cannot be publicized to current or prospective students until the program or revisions have been approved. The Office of Academic Planning and Assessment will make every effort to promptly review and provide feedback on completed submissions that meet the submission requirements.
Proposing New Programs
All submissions for new graduate programs must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee before entering into Courseleaf. If you would like to propose a new program please reach out to the Associate Dean directly.
All new program proposals must be accompanied with a budget, business plan, admission requirements, curriculum map, course syllabi and market analysis. More information can be found in the Guide to Modifying and Proposing Programs in CourseLeaf.
Changes to Existing Programs
Any changes to the program curriculum must be submitted in Courseleaf before the effective semester, and preferably no later than January. Submission before January will allow the new curriculum to be published in the following Bulletin.
Any changes to the admission requirements for your program should be sent to OGS, there is no need to update CourseLeaf.
Changing the Program Name
Program names cannot be changed. If you wish to change the name of your program you must submit a new program proposal. When approved in Courseleaf you must submit a Deactivation proposal for the old program name.
Deactivating a Program
All program deactivations must be submitted in Courseleaf. Deactivating a program does not deactivate or remove course codes, this must be done separately.
Course Approvals
All new courses or changes to existing courses must be submitted through the Courseleaf Course Inventory Management (CIM) System.
CIM should be used for the following:
- Propose a new course
- Modify an existing course
- Modify a course description
- Reinstate a course
- Terminate an existing course
- Change a course number
OAPA provides a comprehensive guide to using Courseleaf. Please refer to this for a walkthrough of the system.
Syllabus template
To expedite the approval process please use the syllabus template provided by OAPA. Your syllabus must contain all required information for it to be approved.
Thesis and Dissertation Courses
All Thesis (6998, 6999) and Dissertation (8999) courses must have a minimum of 3 credits. Any course proposal to suggest 1 or 2 credits will be denied. Thesis courses must be graded CR/NC. OGS will enter grades for these courses.
Course Restrictions
The course restriction Instructor Approval Required/ Department Approval Required should be used sparingly. You may set your course restrictions so only graduate students or students in certain programs may register online. A course that requires Instructor or Departmental approval requires the student to submit a paper registration form.
Bulletin Updates
All program and course submissions will be automatically updated in the Bulletin for the following academic year. All changes must be submitted before February for it to be included in the Bulletin. The university Bulletin is the official record of all program requirements including admission and curriculum information. Information in the Bulletin is linked to DegreeMap and graduation clearance.
