Handbook Table of Contents | Constitution | Faculty Policies | Degree Policies
It is the responsibility of the College Council of the Mellon College of Science to examine interdepartmental graduate degree programs proposed by and involving at least one department of the College (whether all the involved units are within the College or not), as well as any proposed changes in such programs, and to authorize, by its approval, the participation of MCS departments in such programs.
While respecting traditional departmental autonomy in determining the substantive content of graduate degree programs and most of their procedural framework, the College Council shall condition its approval on the presence, in each proposed program, of acceptable provisions for student admission, adequate balance of breadth and depth in content, sufficient faculty presence for predictable program stability, permanence and effectiveness of mechanisms for supervision and monitoring, reasonable compliance with MCS College-wide requirements on graduate degrees, and appropriate degree designations (incorporating home-department field designation or not, as appropriate for each program).
The College Council may make its approval of the program, or of specific aspects of it, provisional for a reasonable stated period, at the expiration of which the approval shall be confirmed or rescinded; in the latter case this shall be done without prejudice to the students enrolled in the program at that time.
For a program in place, the College Council reserves its right and responsibility to monitor the program's functioning and effectiveness, to request changes, and to consider for approval any proposed changes in the program's content or structure.