Timing and Scope of Review
- Units that have an academic program with a graduate degree component are reviewed at least once within a seven to ten-year period. The term “Unit” may refer to a single program or cluster of degree programs, or may span the offerings of an entire department, school or college. This allows for the range of organizational hierarchy, which may differ across the various colleges at Kent State University.
- Units containing programs that hold specialized program accreditation may choose to submit the most recent self-study, action letter(s) and final report(s) from the accrediting organization and complete an abbreviated internal review report in lieu of conducting a full academic program review.
- The Office of Accreditation, Assessment and Learning (AAL) determines the schedule of reviews and coordinates the academic program review process. AAL works in close consultation with deans, department chairs, school directors, and program directors/coordinators of that unit to ensure that all deadlines are met and the process flows as smoothly as possible.
- In general, the review process begins when the unit receives notification of an impending review from the Office of AAL. This notification takes place twelve to fifteen months prior to the anticipated campus visit.
- It is a best practice for units to keep the requirements of academic program reviews in mind throughout each year, given that the review requires ongoing data collection, tracking initiatives, and identifying and pursuing goals.