Processes are in place to ensure that graduate programs are of sufficient substance and rigor. When new graduate programs are proposed, both on- and off-campus reviewers are involved. Before courses can be offered for graduate credit, they must receive several levels of approval.

Degree Programs

The process of new program development can be illustrated with the procedure used to obtain approval for the Master of Science in Marine and Environmental Biology. The University's Master of Science in Marine and Environmental Biology was granted by the Board of Regents (BOR) in April 2002, after their internal review, after a BOR-sanctioned external review, and after reviews by the University's Graduate Council and Courses and Curricula Committee. Documents on the approval of the program are located in the departmental office, 114 Gouaux Hall [1]. In the fall semester of 2003, students were first accepted into the program.

The lengthy process of creating the degree began with on-campus consideration and approvals by the Head of the Department of Biological Sciences, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate Council, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the President. The request to offer the degree was then considered and approved by the Board of Trustees of the University of Louisiana System, followed by the Board of Regents. Before approving the proposal, the Regents required that outside consultants examine the proposed program and evaluate areas including need, feasibility, adequacy of support, and appropriateness of curriculum.

In June 2000, consultants from Rutgers University and the University of Texas at Austin submitted their "Assessment of the Proposed Letter of Intent for a Projected M.S. Program in Applied Marine and Environmental Science at Nicholls State University." Addressing the appropriateness of the curriculum, the authors wrote, "Although the curriculum is clearly aimed at a terminal M.S. degree, particularly competent and motivated students who decide to later enter a Ph.D. program, with proper advising, would be prepared to do so." After making recommended changes, including course revisions, the new program was approved by the Board of Regents. The curriculum and new graduate courses were brought before the Graduate Council for approval and inclusion in the Bulletin.

In order to be admitted to any graduate degree program, applicants must meet entrance standards [2] that are intended to provide evidence of the promise of success in a graduate program. Along with other indicators such as undergraduate grade point average, scores on standardized tests are also used to screen applicants [3]. The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is used for admission to the Master of Business Administration degree program [4], and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is used in education [5], biology [6], and mathematics [7] to screen applicants.

Further evidence of the difference between graduate and undergraduate levels is that instructors of graduate courses must be members of the Graduate Faculty [8]. Candidates must apply for membership [9], have appropriate degrees, and provide evidence of recent scholarship. Applicants must be recommended by the appropriate department head and dean before being recommended by the Graduate Council.

Graduate Courses

Evidence that courses within graduate programs are more advanced than their undergraduate counterparts can be found in course syllabi [10] and in the approval process. In order for a course to be offered for graduate credit, it must be approved by the appropriate department head and dean. Consideration of the course is then placed on the agenda of the Graduate Council. Upon formal approval by the Council and the Director of Graduate Studies, the course description is sent to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for publication in the Bulletin.

Approval by the Graduate Council is not automatic. For example, minutes of the September 16, 2002 meeting [11] indicate disapproval of a request to create Biology 565. Council members found that a graduate course in mathematics provided the same material and that a new course was unnecessary.

Courses in the 400 series that are to be offered at both the graduate and undergraduate levels (shown in the Bulletin with an asterisk [12]) must be approved by both Courses and Curricula and the Graduate Council. Before being presented to the Graduate Council, the Courses and Curricula Committee must have first approved the course for undergraduate credit. To gain approval for graduate credit, there must be evidence in the course syllabus that there is a clear difference in work required of graduate students versus that of undergraduates. The University Bulletin Change form [13] contains the following statement: "If a *400 course, the undergraduate course must have been approved by Courses and Curricula and the syllabus must show distinction between undergraduate requirements and grading." Minutes of the November 1, 2004 Council meeting [14] show approval for adding graduate credit to Computer Science 420 (Computer Gaming I).

A syllabus for Accounting *401 (Advanced Accounting) describes the advanced level of performance required for graduate credit [15]. Concerning work required, the graduate student is to "demonstrate a mastery of the subject matter at the graduate level" through additional avenues such as research papers, presentations, and problem assignments. The added work for graduate credit is also reflected in assignment of letter grades at the end of the course. The following table contains examples of graduate and undergraduate courses with similar content but different requirements: