Program Planning and Approval
New program proposals must be approved by the Board of Governors and Senate, subject to recommendation by Curriculum Committee and Planning and Priorities Committee, both Standing Committees to Senate. Details of Standing Committee membership and terms of reference can be found on the Senate Standing Committee web page.
Review and Approval Process
The review and approval process varies according to whether the proposed program is a degree program 
, or non-degree program . For information on the approval of non-credit programs, please see the Curriculum Committee web page. For more detailed information on the Program Planning and Approval process, please see the Handbook for the Review of New Program Proposals.
Stage 1: Faculty wishing to propose a new program for consideration must first draft a conceptual program design using the Program Priority Planning Template 
for Program Priority Planning.
In order to complete the template, faculty must address questions related to estimated student demand, employment and educational opportunities for graduates, and evidence of labour market demand.
Links to tools and online services are maintained by the Office of University Planning & Analysis. See the current list of links for assistance and reference sites for labour market demand.
Stage 2: After approval in principle, faculty then prepare a detailed proposal as detailed in the Curriculum Committee procedures and templates for new degree and non-degree programs.
Related Information:
Concurrent with the development of an academic plan, a resource plan must be approved by the Vice-President Academic and Provost and includes a 
Multi-Year Program Budget. All budgets must be developed in consultation with Joanne Brocklebank, Manager, Budgets & Financial Planning.
The Degree Quality Assessment Board has provided guidelines to assist with preparing New Degree proposals. These guidelines correspond with the templates found on the Curriculum Committee website.
Proposals for new Master's degrees must also be approved by the provincial Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB). A description of the DQAB can be found on the Ministry of Advanced Education website, along with their terms of reference for program approval.
Program Implementation:
Program implementation is a lengthy process and there are many stages to consider when building the timeline. Please see New Program Approval Process - New Program Approval Process - Guidelines for Scheduling Program Development to assist with this.
Current and Planned Programs:
The recommendations of Planning and Priorities Standing Committee, following review and approval by Senate, form VIU’s plan for Three-Year Program Priorities . These priorities guide the allocation of new funding for instructional programs and inform the program approval process.
To view a listing of VIU's current course and program offerings, please see the online calendar.
To view historical lists of programs implemented at Vancouver Island University, refer to:
- Degrees That Have Been Approved at VIU
- Diplomas/Certificates That Have Been Approved at VIU
- Programs Initiated but Withdrawn Prior to Approval
For more information on the program approval process at Vancouver Island University, contact Kathryn Snow.