Curriculum Implementation Committee

Proposals for new and revised courses received after each semester's published deadlines will be reviewed by the CIC in the order they were received after all proposals received by the deadline are reviewed.

The CIC will not review any proposal until after all relevant chairs/directors have reviewed and approved the proposal to move forward to CIC. Please note that an unusually high number of submitted proposals may require multiple meetings before all proposals are reviewed.

Questions about the course proposal process may be addressed to courses@bowdoin.edu.

Relevant Dates and Deadlines

February 1: extended deadline for departments/programs to submit proposals for new/revised major/minor requirements to CIC for the 24-25 academic year.
- No major/minor changes can be implemented during the 25-26 academic year.
February 2: fall 2024 course proposals and revisions, including first-year writing seminars, due

Oversees curricular implementation, including: approval of all new and revised courses, revisions to individual majors/minors, implementation and evaluation of distribution requirements. Oversees Off-Campus Study curricular issues. Evaluates and approves self-designed majors (with advice on petitions from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs). Oversees the execution of policies re: grading, honors, transfer of credit and progress towards degree (in consultation with CEP as necessary). Sends a faculty representative to meetings of the Calendar Committee. Subcommittees may be formed as needed. This committee will meet at least once per semester with CEP. During discussions involving personnel matters, the committee may exclude student members.

The CIC's charge is included in the the Faculty Handbook. See section VI.D., pp. 66-7 and note that page numbers may shift in future editions of the handbook.

CIC Procedures and Principles (PDF)

Fall 2023 CIC Meeting Dates:

Wednesday, August 30
Wednesday, September 6
Wednesday, September 13
Wednesday, September 20
Wednesday, September 27
Wednesday, October 4
Wednesday, October 11
Wednesday, October 18
Wednesday, October 25
Wednesday, November 1
Wednesday, November 8
Wednesday, November 15
Wednesday, November 29
Wednesday, December 6

Spring 2024 CIC Meeting Dates:

Wednesday, January 24
Wednesday, January 31
Wednesday, February 7
Wednesday, February 14
Wednesday, February 21
Wednesday, February 28
Wednesday, March 6
Wednesday, March 27
Wednesday, April 3
Wednesday, April 10
Wednesday, April 17
Wednesday, April 24
Wednesday, May 1
Wednesday, May 8

All new courses and substantial revisions of existing courses are first reviewed and approved by the Curriculum Implementation Committee (CIC). Then they are approved by the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee (CEP) and then by faculty vote at a faculty meeting.

The CIC reviews all proposals submitted by the published deadlines before any proposals received after the deadlines.
- All relevant approvals must be received before the proposal will go before the CIC, e.g., approvals from the department chair or program director of any cross-listed subjects.
- Course proposals are reviewed in the order they are received.
- An unusually high number of submitted proposals may require multiple meetings before all proposals are reviewed.
Instructors or department chairs/program directors may be contacted for supplemental information or clarification before final approval is granted.
Once the CIC has approved a course proposal, it is added to the next CEP meeting agenda.
After the CEP has approved a proposal, it is voted on at a faculty meeting.

In general, faculty should plan to submit proposals for new and revised courses at least six months before the start of the term in which they want to teach the course.

For more details about the curricular approval process, please visit the Faculty Handbook. Relevant sections include "Approval of Courses to be Offered for Credit" and "Curricular Committees." Academic Affairs posts a PDF of the current academic year's handbook on this page of their website.

Official committee membership information is available here and maintained by the Office of the Dean for Academic Affairs.

Course Proposal and Revision Form

Guide to Course Proposal/Revision Form (PDF)

Course Description Style Guidelines (PDF)

Guide to Distribution Proposals (PDF)

Guide to First-Year Writing Seminar Proposals/Revisions (PDF)

Major/Minor Proposal and Revision Guidelines (PDF)

A new course is one that has never previously been taught at Bowdoin or an existing course where the content has changed so much that a student could take it again without earning credit for the same material twice.

Note: as long as a course was previously taught at Bowdoin and was not approved for a limited duration, it may be reintroduced into the curriculum without another approval.

Revisions requiring approval include

changes to the course description;
significant change to the course title;
cross-listing changes;
change to allow a course to be repeated for credit;
change in prerequisites that makes it more, rather than less, restrictive;
changes in registration restrictions, e.g., majors only, seniors only, that are more, rather than less, restrictive;
change in numbering that reflects a change in level;
change in credit value;
change in grading option;
change in distribution designations.

A course proposal is submitted by a faculty member or a department chair after a department/program committee has discussed how the course will contribute to the department/program's offerings. The approval of the chair or director is required on all proposals and they will be notified by email that their approval is needed after the course proposal form is submitted.

A cross-listed course is one that is listed in more than one department or program and has more than one subject code and course number attached to it. Students register for the course as a whole and it is taught as one cohesive unit. All subject codes and course numbers associated with the course appear on official transcripts.
New cross-listed courses and substantial revisions must be approved by all relevant department chairs and program directors.

Bowdoin's Standard Course Registration Limits:

First-Year Writing Seminars numbered 1000-1049: 16
Non-major courses numbered 1050-1099: 50
Introductory courses numbered 1100-1999: 50
Intermediate courses numbered 2000-2969 (35)
Advanced courses numbered 3000-3999: department/program discretion

Requests for exceptions to the standard course registration limits are made for a wide variety of reasons. The CIC and CEP must always judge whether a request is reasonable and appropriate. In the past, exceptions have been approved due to limited lab or studio space, due to limited space in vans for field trips, to make an experimental course more workable, and when dividing a course into multiple sections is accompanied by a different use of faculty resources in the department.

First years only is the restriction appropriately used for first-year seminars.
There is precedent for non-major and introductory-level courses having a restriction of first years or sophomores only, particularly when there is history of similar courses filling to their limits.
There is also precedent for advanced-level courses being restricted to majors only; the capstone course in a major is often restricted to senior majors only.
These precedents indicate that previous requests for such restrictions have been viewed as reasonable and appropriate; the CIC and CEP base decisions on current issues and registration patterns.
The permission of instructor only restriction is allowed only under exceptional circumstances. An instructor must have a very good reason to be allowed to select students outside of the usual mechanisms of course prerequisites, registration restrictions, and registration preferences.
Registration preferences ensure fair access to courses by determining the registration priority when demand for a course exceeds its registration limit during the first round of registration processing.
Registration preferences are based on student class standing and major declaration status, e.g. junior majors or first-years.
Registration preferences can be different for fall and spring semesters.

Curriculum Implementation Committee

CIC Charge

CIC Meeting Dates

Timing and Process of Approval

Committee Membership

Forms and Resources

Definition of "New" Course

Revisions Needing Approval

Submission of Proposals

Definition of Cross-Listed Courses

Exceptions to Standard Course Registration Limits

Registration Restrictions and Preferences