Concentrations consist of a series of designated courses within a major program. Their design should address the following elements:

• Should have some central purpose, with some unifying or integrative element specified
• Some sequential characteristics should be present, ensuring that depth rather than superficial contact with a series of related disciplines or courses is achieved
• Identifiable core of organized knowledge and principles should be included and should be reflected in the objectives and goals of the concentration
• Total credit hours required in the concentration should be reasonable and should be incorporated as part of the overall requirements for the major program
• Plan for assessing student learning outcomes
• CIP code for the new concentration. The school/college/department can consult with the Wayne State Office of Institutional Research and Analysis or U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to identify the corect code.

*Note: Effective with the implementation of the new SCT Banner Student Information System, the terms "concentration" and "specialization" will no longer be interchangeable. Only the term, "concentration" will be used to describe an official series of designated courses within a major.

Approval procedures

Before submission to the Graduate Council, a proposal must be approved in its entirety by:

• Departmental faculty and chair (in non-departmentalized colleges the proposal must be approved in its entirety by the school/college faculty)
• School/college faculty governing body
• School/college dean

Upon submission to the Graduate Council, the New Programs and Program Review Committee will review. After approval from the New Programs and Program Review Committee, the proposal is also evaluated and reviewed by:

• Dean of the Graduate School
• Provost