Minor modifications are part of the Curriculum Review process, and involve making changes to programs and courses that do not affect program learning outcomes (PLOs). If a change does affect PLOs, it goes through Academic Change.
Minor modification proposals are reviewed at Divisional Undergraduate Curriculum Committee meetings, and receive final governance approval from the UTM Academic Affairs Committee. Proposals must be submitted through the Curriculum Management (CM) system during the Curriculum Review Session to be considered for upcoming committee meetings.
Below are a list of minor modification types and the proposal process for each.
Curriculum Review Process for Minor Modifications
Curriculum review proposals submitted in the current period will be implemented in the 2026-2027 Academic Calendar (effective September 1, 2026). Proposals will be reviewed by the PCU on a rolling basis and brought to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee meetings in November.
Units are encouraged to review the Curriculum Review process steps below, and refer to the online guides. If you have any questions, please contact the PCU.
Timeline Overview
- CM Proposal Submission Period: April 16 to September 30, 2025
- PCU Review Period: October 2025
- Curriculum Committee Meetings: November 2025
- Governance Meeting: January 2026
- Calendar Publication: Spring 2026
Minor Program Modifications
Minor program modifications are changes to academic programs that do not affect learning outcomes. This may include:
- Changing pre-requisites, co-requisites, and/or exclusions
- Updating the terminology used in program descriptions
Any changes that impact learning outcomes would be considered Major Program Modifications, which are managed differently. The process for minor program modifications is described below.
After discussing changes with their own Departmental Curriculum Committees, units propose minor program modifications through the Curriculum Management (CM) system. All proposals must include a session start date to indicate when the change will take place, a brief description of the change being made, and an academic rationale for the change.
Please review the following resources for more information about minor program modifications:
Once units have submitted their proposals, staff from the PCU will check them for completion and clarity. PCU staff may follow-up with questions for units to ensure the proposals are ready for the review process. If a proposal requires significant further consideration, it may be recommended to withdraw the proposal and submit it at a later date.
Curriculum Committees (CC) meet to review minor modification proposals. Each unit must have faculty representatives present at their respective meetings (HUM, SCI, SSC, Graduate) to share the proposals with the committee and take feedback.
Proposals are compiled into reports for each meeting, which will be posted on the Meeting Dates & Documents page beforehand. Units should review these reports and inform PCU staff of any issues before the day of the meeting. Presenters should also print or download the reports the morning of the meeting in preparation for sharing the proposals.
Please review the following resources before attending the appropriate CC meetings:
Proposals that do not require changes after CC meetings are brought to the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) for final approval. Once approved, the proposed changes are applied in CM and updated in the Academic Calendar, making them available to students.
After discussion with their own Departmental Curriculum Committees, units propose new courses through the Curriculum Management (CM) system. All proposals must include a session start date to indicate when the course will first be offered and an academic rationale for the new offering.
The Program and Curriculum Unit (PCU) sets submission deadlines for proposals to ensure they are prepared in time for the full review process – these deadlines will be communicated to units via email.
Please review these resources before submitting a proposal:
- New Course Proposal Guide (PDF)
- How to Propose a New Course on CM (PPT)
- *NEW* Resource Implications Guide
- Online Learning Planning Guide (PDF) (if the course will be delivered online or hybrid)
Once units have submitted their proposals, staff from the PCU will check them for completion and clarity. PCU staff may follow-up with questions for units to ensure the proposals are ready for the review process. If a proposal requires significant further consideration, it may be recommended to withdraw the proposal and submit it at a later date.
Curriculum Committees (CC) meet to review minor modification proposals. Each unit must have faculty representatives present at their respective meetings (HUM, SCI, SSC, Graduate) to share the proposals with the committee and take feedback.
Proposals are compiled into reports for each meeting, which will be posted on the Meeting Dates & Documents page beforehand. Units should review these reports and inform PCU staff of any issues before the day of the meeting. Presenters should also print or download the reports the morning of the meeting in preparation for sharing the proposals.
Please review the following resources before attending the appropriate CC meetings:
Proposals that do not require changes after the UG CC meeting are brought to the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) for final approval. Once approved, the proposed changes are applied in CM and updated in the Academic Calendar, making them available to students.
After discussing the changes with their own Departmental Curriculum Committees, units propose course modifications through the Curriculum Management (CM) system. All proposals must include a session start date to indicate when the change will take place and an academic rationale for the change.
The Program and Curriculum Unit (PCU) sets submission deadlines for proposals to ensure they are prepared for the full review process – these deadlines will be communicated to units via email.
Please review these resources before submitting a proposal:
Once units have submitted their proposals, staff from the PCU will check them for completion and clarity. PCU staff may follow-up with questions for units to ensure the proposals are ready for the review process. If a proposal requires significant further consideration, it may be recommended to withdraw the proposal and submit it at a later date.
Curriculum Committees (CC) meet to review minor modification proposals. Each unit must have representatives present at their respective meetings (HUM, SCI, SSC, Graduate) who can share the proposals with the committee and take any feedback provided.
Proposals are compiled into reports for each meeting, which will be posted on the Meeting Dates & Documents page beforehand. Units should review these reports and inform PCU staff of any issues before the day of the meeting. Presenters should also print or download the reports the morning of the meeting in preparation for sharing the proposals.
Please review the following resources before attending the appropriate CC meetings:
Proposals that do not require changes after the UG CC meeting are brought to the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) for final approval. Once approved, the proposed changes are applied in CM and updated in the Academic Calendar, making them available to students.
Course Retirement
A course retirement may occur due to low enrolment, changes to the field, or resource limitations. The benefit of retiring courses is that it allows the course codes to be reused in the future.
Course retirement proposals can be submitted at any point, but the course must remain in the Academic Calendar for 3-5 years after retirement; this includes appearances in program requirements/elective buckets, and in course prerequisites, exclusions, etc.
After discussing the retirement with their own Departmental Curriculum Committees, units propose minor modifications through the Curriculum Management (CM) system. All proposals must include a session start date to indicate when the course will be retired and a rationale for the retirement.
Units must also check if the course is listed under specific programs on the Academic Calendar. If a course is listed in another unit's program, that unit must be consulted about the proposed retirement. The Course Modification Guide contains additional considerations for course retirement.
The Program and Curriculum Unit (PCU) sets submission deadlines for proposals to ensure they are prepared for the full review process – these deadlines will be communicated to units via email.
Once units have submitted their proposals in CM, staff from the PCU will review them for completion and clarity. The PCU may follow-up with questions for units to prepare proposals for the review process.
Curriculum Committees (CC) meet to review minor modification proposals. Each unit must have representatives present at their respective meetings (HUM, SCI, SSC, Graduate) who can share the proposals with the committee and take any feedback provided.
Proposals are compiled into reports for each meeting, which will be posted on the Meeting Dates & Documents page beforehand. Units should review these reports and inform PCU staff of any issues before the day of the meeting. Presenters should also print or download the reports the morning of the meeting in preparation for sharing the proposals.
Please review the following resources before attending the appropriate CC meetings:
Proposals that do not require changes after the UG CC meeting are brought to the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) for final approval. Once approved, the proposed changes are applied in CM and updated in the Academic Calendar, ensuring the course is no longer visible to students.
