Suspension, Moratorium, and Closure of a Major, Concentration, Minor, or Certificate

The purpose of a one-year admissions suspension is usually to allow a program¹ to address short-term issues, the need for curricular redesign, or to resolve temporary financial pressures. An admissions suspension only applies for one year.

A recommendation that admissions to a program be suspended for one year can be made by filling out the necessary information in the program form in our Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system.

A notice of suspension will be placed on the program webpage and other admissions-related web pages. During the period of suspension, the faculty and staff remain responsible for providing the appropriate curriculum and resources for the education of currently enrolled students.

A request via CIM to the UCDC or the Graduate Subcommittee to lift the one-year suspension by providing information about the capacity and interest of the college in reopening the program to new applications.  The UCDC or Graduate Subcommittee will agree to lift the suspension only if it receives convincing information that the program can be offered in a way that ensures quality and sustainability given the faculty, staff and financial resources available to the program.  In this case, the suspension will be lifted and applications will be reopened for the next available term in the following academic year.  In the absence of such a request, a moratorium (see Admissions Moratorium section below) will be placed on admissions for a period of five years.

¹ The University of Michigan-Dearborn defines a "program" as any series or sequence of courses that when successfully completed results in the issuance of a degree or diploma from that program by the university registrar. For the purposes of this policy, certificates are also included in the definition of a program.

Under an Admission Moratorium no new admissions will be accepted for a period of up to five years. The purpose of a moratorium is to allow the college time to reassess the purpose and goals of the program and to address issues such as declining and insufficient enrollments for a sustainable and successful student community; deficiencies in resources, including funding or faculty availability; or other areas that require planning and recalibration of resources to ensure that the program can be successful. An admissions moratorium can be requested without the program first going through an admissions suspension.

A recommendation that a moratorium on admissions to a program be applied can be made by filling out the necessary information in the program form in our Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system.

The program will be removed from relevant webpages. The program will be responsible for informing current students about the moratorium, and for continuing to provide appropriate curriculum, advising and resources to currently enrolled students.

A request to lift a moratorium can be made by using the CIM system. The UCDC or Graduate Subcommittee will agree to lift the moratorium only if it receives convincing information that the program can be offered in a way that ensures quality and sustainability given the faculty, staff and financial resources available to the program.

After an admissions moratorium has been in place for five years, a program will automatically be considered for closure unless UCDC or Graduate Subcommittee has received and approved a request to lift the moratorium.

Program faculty or the college dean where the program is located may recommend to UCDC or Graduate Subcommittee that a program be closed because enrollment activity has stopped or because the program is no longer viable for lack of resources, qualified faculty, student demand, or commitment by faculty or the school(s) or college(s) where it is located.²

A request that a program be closed can be made by filling out the necessary information in the program form in our Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system. The request should include the reasons for the closure along with the term and the year it is to take effect, and evidence that all students have graduated or transferred into another program. The CIM form should be submitted to the UCDC or the Graduate Subcommittee by January for the action to take effect by the fall term.

A recommendation by UCDC or Graduate Subcommittee to the provost is required to close a program. The UCDC or Graduate Subcommittee will recommend the closure if it is satisfied that the program has no active students or if it concludes that the program cannot be offered at an acceptable level of educational quality under the current circumstances.

Upon approval of the program closure the program may no longer be advertised or admit students and will be removed from admissions and program websites, as well as the catalog.

A request to reopen a program that has been closed, even if it is to have the same name as the one that was closed, must contain all information and supporting letters required for new program proposals.

² Please note that the outlined procedures in SPG 601.02 “Discontinuance of Academic Programs” should be followed.

This fast-track closure is the most suitable option for programs that have no active students and for which the college does not believe that the program will be viable. A request for a fast-track program closure can be made by filling out the necessary information in the program form in our Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system