Graduate Affairs Committee Submission Forms
Accelerated degrees are programs in which academically qualified students earn both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in less time than pursuing them independently. Accelerated degree best practices documents are available upon request for our graduate and undergraduate faculty. Contact Dezra Despain for access.
Dual degrees allow graduate or professional students to earn two degrees in related areas of interest in fewer credit hours than if they obtained each degree separately.
The IU Graduate School Indianapolis must receive accelerated or dual degree proposals for review at least two (2) weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled Graduate Affairs Committee meeting. Please check the meeting schedule.
Although accelerated degrees and dual degrees use the same New Program Proposal Form as other degrees, not all documentation is required. Review the table of Required Documentation for Degree Proposals to know what is required for accelerated and dual degrees, then complete the required sections of the New Program Proposal Form. On the Required Documentation for Degree Proposals, both accelerated and dual degrees are considered Degrees: Dual Degrees (both existing).
Required Items:
- Dual Degree/Accelerated Proposal Form
Resources
Best Practices for Managing Accelerated Programs
Academic Leadership Council approval process and required documentation
Dual Degree/Accelerated Proposal Form
Required Documentation for Degree Proposals
There is additional information the IU Graduate School Indianapolis and the Graduate Affairs Committee require that is not included in the proposal. This information, along with the proposal, is requested via the online GAC Proposal Submission Form.
Please have the following information ready when submitting the online GAC Proposal Submission Form:
- The proposal
- A cover letter addressed to Dr. Janice Blum
Resources
Accelerated Degree Proposal Submission Form
Dual Degree Proposal Submission Form
The Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC) meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month between the months of August through May with the exceptions of September and December. In order for the proposal to be reviewed by the GAC, it must be received by the IU Graduate School Indianapolis no later than two (2) weeks prior to the GAC meeting.
Any questions about the GAC can be directed to Dezra Despain or Dr. Janice Blum
Resources
After the GAC approves the accelerated or dual degree and final documents are received, IU proposals will be entered into the APPEAR system by the IU Graduate School Indianapolis and forwarded to the Academic Leadership Council. Following approval at this stage, proposals are presented to the IU trustees.
Once final approval has been given, the chief academic officer will send notification of approval to the dean of the originating unit, the Office of Communications and Marketing, the IU Indianapolis registrar, the director of Student Financial Services, and the director of graduate admissions where the major will be coded for inclusion in the master inventory.
School representatives can review the status using APPEAR after a proposal has been submitted to the APPEAR system.
Resources
Academic Leadership Council
Board of Trustees Meeting Dates
Learn About APPEAR
Review Status in APPEAR
The designated Graduate Office Accelerated Program cover sheet and copy of the OVPIA international agreement application, including proposal form, draft MOU, and dean’s support letter, is submitted to the Graduate Affairs Committee.
Following GAC clearance, the OIA will clear the international agreement application for review by the IU Office of the Vice President for International Affairs (OVPIA), which is IU’s pathway for international MOU approval.
Upon final clearance of the MOU by IU legal, the IU Graduate School Indianapolis will enter the preparatory program request into APPEAR, enabling the Registrar to create the relevant program plan coding.
Resources
- Guidelines for Accelerated programs: Five-year bachelor’s /master's degree collaborations with international partners using a graduate preparatory program status (IU CAS Login required)
- Accelerated programs: Five-year bachelor’s / master's degree collaborations with international partners using a graduate preparatory program status (IU CAS Login required)