Monmouth College Guidelines
for Approving Off-campus Programs

(approved by the Curriculum Committee, September 2000;
amended, March 2002)

Click here the an Application for an Approved Program

New Off-Campus Programs (domestic or international) can be proposed as Pilot Programs by an individual faculty member, an academic department, or a group of faculty. After a three-year period as a pilot program, the program can be reviewed for permanent status.

A proposal to the Curriculum Committee to establish such a program should be the result of information-gathering and consultation with various constituencies. Appropriate constituencies may include academic departments, area studies programs, interested students, etc. The deadline for approving pilot programs in any given year will be at least one month before the deadline for filing applications.

Ideally the information-gathering stage should include a site visit by one or more Monmouth College faculty or staff. If such a site visit is impractical, then there should be evidence of extensive communication by telephone, ground-mail, e-mail, etc. A program cannot move from pilot to permanent status without such a site visit.

Information-gathering will lead to a proposal for pilot status. This proposal will include:

  • A. The proposed program title accompanied by a brief abstract stating the purpose of the program.

  • B. A summary of discussion with department and/or area studies faculty about how the proposed program fits into the Monmouth College Statement of Purposes, the MC curriculum overall and particular programs of study (majors, minors).

  • C. A statement of support for the proposed program from the sponsoring department(s) and/or program(s). This statement shall indicate the extent of support for the program by individual faculty in the department or program.

  • D. A statement by the co-ordinator of off-campus studies indicating the relationship of the proposed program to current and projected international studies programs. The co-ordinator will also provide a report summarizing the experiences of other ACM schools with this program.

  • E. A statement by the MC business office describing possible financial agreements between the college and the proposed program.

  • F. A description of the academic program:
    1. Length
    2. Focus
    3. Courses Offered, including titles, level, credit, prerequisites, course descriptions and links with general education and major requirements.
    4. Academic calendar of program and analysis of its suitability for Monmouth College students
    5. Staff and their qualifications
    a. faculty
    b. administrators
    c. other professional staff
    d. MC faculty program advisor
    6. Plans for program evaluation
    a. academic
    b. logistical

  • G. A description of program facilities and services
    1. library
    2. computer
    3. banking, health insurance, etc.

  • H. A description of the risk management issues regarding health and safety for students and/or faculty
    1. housing
    a.) type
    b.) insurance coverage on such housing
    2. Insurance coverage on planned transportation
    3. Special needs for health and safety related to sites
    4. Ability to accommodate students with disabilities

  • I. Identification of student audience(s)
    1. Anticipated number participating
    2. Number eligible to participate
    3. Areas of study they are expected to come from
    4. Criteria for selecting participants

  • J. Institutional Affiliation(s)
    1. Information about host institution(s)/sponsoring organization(s)
    2. Expectations and responsibilities of host institution(s)/organization(s)
    3. Expectations and responsibilities of Monmouth College
    4. Proposed agreements (student/scholar exchanges)

  • K. A Budget
    1. Program cost and explanation of how it has been determined
    2. List of what is included in program cost (transportation, lodging, meals, etc.)
    3. Indication of out-of-pocket cost to Monmouth College per student

  • L. A description of the program suitable for inclusion in the Off Campus Programs section of the Monmouth College Catalog. (See a current catalog for samples of entries.)·

  •  M. A copy of the host institution’s student application application procedures and application form.

The Curriculum Committee will review this proposal and decide whether or not to grant pilot status to the program for three years. If the proposal is not approved, the committee will provide a written rationale for its decision.


Moving from Pilot to Full Program Status

In the third year of pilot program status, the faculty program advisor can submit to the curriculum committee a recommendation to drop the program or move it to permanent status. A proposal for permanent status shall include the following:

  • 1. evidence of departmental or area studies program concurrence;
  • 2. enrollment pattern by MC students during the pilot program;
  • 3. feedback from returned students;
  • 4. relevant host institution and program materials such as catalogues, syllabi, course descriptions, etc.

The co-ordinator of off-campus programs will supplement this proposal with the following information:

  • 1. full cost of the program per student for Monmouth College
  • 2. assessment of the administrative structure of the host institution, its logistical capacity, and any problems encountered during the pilot period (billing, correspondence, orientation, receipt of grades, etc.)

After receiving the above information, the Curriculum Committee will vote to:

  • 1. recommend to program to the faculty for approval as a permanent program
  • 2. continue the program on pilot status for a specified further time, no longer than three years;
  • 3. discontinue the program

This webpage was prepared by Professor Thomas J. Sienkewicz of Monmouth College.
If you have any questions, you can contact him at toms@monm.edu.

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