Academic Routing Procedures

Board of Regents Three-year Academic Plan Timeline 

2025 Academic Plan Update: The 2025 Academic Planning Cycle has concluded. If a new program proposal is submitted for a planned program that was not listed in Year 1 of the approved 2025 Academic Plan or a new program proposal is submitted early (the program was listed in Year 2 of the most recent Academic Plan, but is being submitted for consideration in Year 1) special approval from the Executive Vice President & Provost and the Board of Regents is required before the program proposal can be submitted. Contact Margaret Finch, Assistant Director for Academic Programs at margaret.finch@lsu.edu for assistance. 

The purpose of institutional academic planning is to facilitate the efficient statewide coordination of academic degree program offerings. The annual academic planning process provides the opportunity for collaboration among institutions, encourages innovation in program design to meet employer and student needs, and minimizes unnecessary program duplication. Each year, institutions must submit an updated three-year academic plan using the Regents template. See below for the three-year academic plan timeline.

Per Board of Regents AA Policy 2.04: Academic Planning and Degree Program Proposals, all planned degree programs must be listed in an institution’s Year 1 academic plan before the program proposal will be considered by Regents for final approval.

Date Description
Early April 2026 New academic plan campaign begins (new plan template will be made available to Deans in early April)
May 1, 2026 Academic plans due to the Office of Academic Affairs
May-June 2026 Office of Academic Affairs reviews academic plans for all LSU campuses
June 26, 2026 Academic Plans reviewed by the Board of Supervisors for approval
August 1, 2026 Academic Plans submitted to the Board of Regents for circulation to statewide constituents
September 24, 2026 Academic Plans reviewed by Board of Regents for approval 
Late September 2026 Planned degree programs listed in Year 1 of the Academic Plan can be submitted through the new academic program routing process for consideration

 

Internal Routing for New Academic Programs

Once the Academic Plan is approved by the Board of Regents, planned degree programs listed in Year 1 can be submitted via a full program proposal may be submitted. Please note, the process for new academic programs can take 12-18 months. The internal routing for a new academic program is as follows:  

  1. Departmental Faculty
  2. Department Chair
  3. College Courses & Curricula (C&C) Committee
  4. College Dean
  5. Faculty Senate Courses & Curricula (C&C) Committee
  6. Graduate Council, if applicable
  7. Executive Vice President & Provost, Office of Academic Affairs
  8. Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) for SACSCOC Substantive Change Review
  9. President
  10. LSU Council of Chief Academic Officers (CAOs), LSU Executive Graduate Council
  11. LSU Board of Supervisors
  12. Louisiana Board of Regents