Last updated: July 15, 2025
This material is intended for staff curriculum representatives and Undergraduate Affairs Group (UGAG) members, but may be shared with others involved in curriculum development.
NOTE: Please report any changes in UGAG membership/representation, and undergraduate co-ordinator or similar admin staff roles, using the Report Change in Staff/Faculty to AUO form. This will ensure they receive access to the appropriate systems and resources needed.
Handbook contents
Dates and Deadlines
The Approval Process
Consultations and Rationales
- Research and consultation
- Composing rationales
Courses and Plans
- General Information
- Course field details
- Plan-level learning outcomes
- Cross-listing guidelines
- Plan modifications
- Plan retirements
- New Plans
About UGAG
- Terms of reference
- Membership and composition
- Curriculum responsibilities and expectations
- Procedural notes
- Meetings
Contacts
- AUO curriculum team
- Other
UGAG and curriculum MS Team
Access is restricted to UGAG members and staff curriculum reps, in order to keep the Team size manageable and the curriculum submission process streamlined. Some sections of this handbook link to channels and materials that are only found in the Team. If you are involved in curriculum development for your academic unit, please contact your corresponding staff curriculum rep or UGAG member, or ugagadmin@uwaterloo.ca, to access these resources.
Support Links
- UGAG Meetings - Agendas, Minutes
- Training, Resources, Documentation
- Academic Calendar & Curriculum Management Resources (Registrar's Office)
- Kuali CM
- Writing Style Guide
- Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar
Acronyms
- AUO = Arts Undergraduate Office
- UGAG = Undergraduate Affairs Group
- AFC = Arts Faculty Council
- SUC = Senate Undergraduate Council
- AFIW = Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo
Dates and Deadlines
- See [current year] UGAG-AFC-SUC Meetings, Due Dates, Effective Dates for a complete list of submission deadlines, meeting dates, and effective dates.
- Dates and deadlines Outlook calendar
- Once an item has started in the approval process, changes cannot be made at later UGAG meetings without fully withdrawing the item and starting again. Once the item is approved further changes can begin.
- Courses and plans (new, changes, retire) will be effective 01 September of a future year, normally 1.5-2 years from UGAG submission date, which aligns with the start of a new academic year in the Undergraduate Calendar.
The Approval Process
See Governance to understand the governance of academic programs.
UGAG members and staff reps may be contacted at any stage of the process.
Consultations and Rationales
Research and consultation
Even a seemingly minor curricular change at the academic unit level can have far-reaching consequences.
Any changes which may have an impact on other units or which are shared with other units (Arts units, affiliated and federated institutions of Waterloo, other faculties, Co-op Education, etc.), or introductions of new courses or plans in which other units may have an interest, should be communicated to those groups prior to submission to UGAG. It is the responsibility of the unit making changes to contact the affected discipline(s).
If your submission involves or affects another faculty, contact the AUO curriculum team prior to submission to the AUO, as inter-faculty co-ordination is required. This includes cross-listed courses.
Consultation is essential because:
- Of possible overlapping content in existing or upcoming courses and/or plans.
- It clarifies potential impacts for all units involved including ownership, timetabling, instructor availability, room caps, course reserves, budget, etc.
- Related curricular business must all move forward at the same time to the subsequent approval bodies. E.g., courses that are cross-listed between two faculties must be presented at the same SUC meeting.
When is consultation required? Some examples:
- When adding courses to a plan (required or elective) from another discipline, consultation with the other discipline, and their approval, is required.
- Before agreeing to an addition, disciplines should consider:
- Will there be an increase in the demand for the course? Can this be accommodated?
- Will enrolment reserves be needed to accommodate these students?
- Do the requisites of the course need to be modified?
- Before agreeing to an addition, disciplines should consider:
- When removing courses from a plan (required or elective) belonging to another discipline.
- When courses or plans are shared between main campus academic units and AFIW academic units.
- When changing the learning outcomes of a course that is listed in a plan(s) outside the originating unit.
- When inactivating a course that is listed in a plan(s) outside the originating academic unit.
- When adding or removing a cross-listing.
- When making any type of change to a course that is already cross-listed.
- When changing requisites for a course that is listed in a plan(s) outside the originating academic unit.
- When creating a course that other academic units might be interested in teaching/cross-listing or deemed to have research expertise.
- When the content of a course or plan might overlap courses or plans in other units.
Composing rationales
- Rationales should reflect the need for the proposed curricular change in terms of the plan and/or discipline to which the course belongs and anything about the process that might affect decision-making by UGAG or SUC members (e.g., consultation, demand, student experience).
- Rationales should be composed with different audiences in mind such as students and members of SUC. They are less familiar with individual disciplines or units than members of UGAG or AFC, and value process, consultation, academic excellence and coherence, pedagogical effectiveness, and student experience.
- Rationales should be student-centred. Tell the audience how students will be affected by the changes and what actions result from the changes (e.g., how current students on the old plan will complete the plan when changing the required courses).
Courses and Plans
General Information
When starting a proposal in Kuali, ensure you have chosen the correct starting point.
- New version – select this option for most submissions. This would be a change to the record with a new effective date.
- Revision – select this option if you are making a change to an item that is already in the approvals process. If you think you need to make a revision, please contact the AUO first to make sure this is the correct starting point. This option will overwrite changes already in the system.
If retiring a course, in Kuali you must select Retire as the change type and also change the status to Retire.
Consultations must be complete before submission to UGAG. See Consultation and Rationales section.
See Plan Definitions and Guidelines for details regarding plan definitions, student audience, range of courses, average, parchment listing, and titling conventions.
The Faculty of Arts offers Majors, Specializations, Minors, and Diplomas. It does not offer any Options or Certificates.
Consult the Associate Dean of Arts – Undergraduate Programs before proceeding with any new programming.
Contact the AUO with questions or see further information in the links in the Support Links section of this website.
Course field details
Visit the Types of course proposals: New, change, retire website for more details about types of course proposals:
Subject Code; Title; Unit Weights; Components; Course Number; Description; Topic Courses/ Repeatable Courses; Grading; Cross-Listed Courses; Arts Cross-Listing Guidelines; Course Notes; Requisites; Consent (Enrolment)
Plan-level learning outcomes in course descriptions
All Ontario universities build their programming around undergraduate degree-level learning expectations (UDLEs). For UWaterloo there are six UDLES that are common to all universities, and two which are unique to UWaterloo. Major plans are built around UDLEs with specifics appropriate to the field and its methodologies and techniques. When program reviews are conducted we map curriculum against these expectations and identify whether a course provides introductory, intermediate, or advanced training towards these goals. This mapping represents curriculum as a bridge between faculty expertise, and student apprehension and application of that expertise.
Plan-level learning outcomes are usually found in Volume 1 of the last self-study. Course descriptions must include plan-level learning outcomes, to achieve the following goals:
- Help the university audience understand how individual courses fit with the overall objectives of major plans.
- Help students understand what they will learn, how they will learn it, and how they will apply it.
- Help instructors conceptualize their teaching in terms of student learning, in addition to subject-area content and disciplinary methodologies.
For more information about integrating plan-level learning outcomes into course descriptions, including effective and ineffective examples, please review the Plan-level learning outcomes workshop (PDF) content in Teams. The Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs is happy to meet with you or your Undergraduate Curriculum Committee about integrating plan-level learning outcomes in your course descriptions.
Arts cross-listing guidelines
See the Cross-listing Guidelines - For Departments (PDF) in Teams for more details. See Cross-listed-Courses-vs-Held-with-Courses-A-Brief-Guide (PDF) to understand the difference between cross-listed and held-with courses.
The Faculty of Arts has about 600 cross-listed courses currently in the Undergraduate Calendar. A cross-listed course is offered for registration under more than one subject indicator. Students may use any one of the course codes (subject indicator + course number) towards their degree requirements.
If you plan to submit proposals for new cross-listed courses or new cross-lists for existing courses, it is expected that consultation will occur before submission, and that consultation will periodically be renewed to ensure that the course still meets the objectives of the cross-list.
We require that the course take up, in a significant fashion, shared content, tools, or methods between the subject areas involved. UGAG members should address how the course fulfils this criterion in the rationale and be prepared to speak to the requirement at the meeting at which the cross-list is proposed.
Other factors may support the adoption of a cross-list and should be cited in the rationale. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Many Arts departments are small and making them larger is neither affordable nor warranted. To ensure that courses are available to students in majors and with interests in the topics, it is sometimes appropriate to cross-list. A cross-list may be supported where students need courses to fulfil plan requirements, but numbers do not justify a section and therefore instructor resources.
- Interdisciplinary programs may use cross-lists to build their plans. A cross-list may be supported because it contributes to the range of content, tools, and methods covered by the program.
- Course owners may seek a broader audience for their courses through cross-lists. A cross-list may be supported because it appeals to a broader audience.
Plan modifications
- Plan changes can be either Major Modifications or Minor Modifications, not to be confused with a Major plan and a Minor plan. See Academic Quality Enhancement for determining whether your program or plan is a major or minor modification. Contact Maysah Eid.
- If you are making major edits/large changes, consult the Associate Dean of Arts - Undergraduate Programs/AUO Curricular Team before proceeding.
- If plan requirements change, students who began working towards that plan in an earlier year must either 1) still be able to complete the original requirements, or 2) be able to switch to the more recent requirements, without being disadvantaged.
- Courses within plans should be reviewed regularly to ensure the content is still relevant. When courses come to UGAG for changes that is a good time review plans.
Plan retirements
- How will students currently enrolled in the plan be able to complete it?
- Will courses continue to be offered until no longer needed?
- Is there a need for a course substitution plan?
- How will the academic unit handle inquiries to enrol in this plan until the retirement becomes effective and the plan is removed from the next publication of the Undergraduate Calendar?
- How will the unit handle inquiries to enrol in this plan after the retirement becomes effective, since it is listed in the Undergraduate Calendar requirement term the student is following?
New plans
New programs or majors
- Please consult the Associate Dean of Arts - Undergraduate Programs before proceeding.
- Approval processes for new undergraduate programs and majors are governed by Waterloo’s Institutional Quality Assurance Process. Quality Council evaluation criteria stipulate key areas to be addressed in any proposal.
- The Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations (UDLEs) provides the framework within which program design and learning outcomes are to be devised.
- The New Program Proposals webpage provides essential information such as the new program approval flowchart, phases of new program development, external review of the proposal plan, etc.
New minors and diplomas
Please consult the Associate Dean of Arts – Undergraduate Programs/the AUO Curriculum Team before proceeding.
A new Minor of Diploma requires a completed Faculty of Arts Statement of Interest, an IAP review, documentation about teaching resources, and other information.
Other new programming
If you are considering 2 plus 2 agreements or articulation agreements, consultation with Associate Dean of Arts – Undergraduate Programs is required. These agreements do not follow the same curriculum approval process.
About Undergraduate Affairs Group
Terms of reference (per Arts Faculty Constitution)
The Arts Undergraduate Affairs Group is a standing committee of Arts Faculty Council. Its work involves discussion of all undergraduate matters including:
- Admissions
- Examinations and academic standings
- Curriculum and academic regulations
- Program development
- Undergraduate advising
UGAG receives submissions on these matters from the academic units of the Faculty and from the UGAG standing subcommittees.
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Following deliberation by the membership on these submissions, UGAG makes recommendations for transmission to the legislative body of the Faculty, Arts Faculty Council.
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Once items are approved by Arts Faculty Council, they proceed to Senate Undergraduate Council Subcommittee, Senate Undergraduate Council, and then Senate if applicable.
Membership and composition
The membership of the Undergraduate Affairs Group is drawn from among the key persons in Faculty of Arts academic and administrative units, and in associated areas (e.g., the standing subcommittees, the Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo, the Registrar’s Office, Co-op Education), who are assigned primary authority and responsibility in the undergraduate matters of admissions, examinations and promotions, curriculum, academic regulations, program development, and undergraduate advising.
Two categories of UGAG membership are defined, voting and non-voting.
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Voting members are primary decision-makers and policy-makers in Arts undergraduate matters.
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Non-voting members are those whose roles make desirable their direct contact with the proceedings of UGAG and/or whose regular input to UGAG deliberations is of particular relevance and usefulness to the membership.
The most recent membership list can be found in the UGAG & Curriculum MS Team.
Curriculum responsibilities and expectations
UGAG members
Each member of the Undergraduate Affairs Group and its subcommittees (Examinations and Standings, and Regulations) serves not only the interests of their own academic unit or school, but also of the entire Arts Faculty through their activity on the committee. This includes close examination of all proposals brought to these committees by any unit and from any other source.
- Communicate with the AUO Curriculum Team throughout the curriculum change process.
- Prepare curriculum materials for UGAG approval.
- Be familiar with curriculum change processes, considerations, and information required for UGAG submissions, as well as due dates, meeting dates, and corresponding effective dates.
- Understand the academic unit's plan-level learning outcomes and ensure that they are reflected in new course descriptions or changes to course descriptions.
- Liaise with own unit and its curriculum or undergraduate committee (if applicable), providing leadership, guidance, and best practices in the preparation of courses and plans (new, changes, inactivations) for submission to UGAG.
- Consult thoroughly and proactively with other academic units that may be affected by the proposed curricular changes. Consultation, satisfactory to all parties, should occur before submission of materials to the AUO Curriculum Team. Please contact the AUO Curriculum Team and/or the Associate Dean Undergraduate Programs for support with consultations.
- Provide rationales for all course and plan submissions.
- Collaborate with the unit's curriculum staff rep and work together to draft materials and create submissions.
- Attend UGAG meetings
- Review agenda and materials shared prior to the meeting.
- Present curricular items on behalf of the academic unit.
- Make motions at UGAG (PDF) for courses and plans (new, changes, inactivations).
- Second motions and vote on motions made by other UGAG reps.
- Participate in discussions about curricular and other matters.
- Communicate pertinent information shared at UGAG meetings to the unit they represent.
- Review and comment on further changes or questions identified prior to Senate Undergraduate Council approval stage.
Staff curriculum representatives
- Communicate with the AUO Curriculum Team throughout the curriculum change process.
- Prepare curriculum materials for UGAG approval, with guidance from the UGAG member.
- Be familiar with curriculum change processes, considerations, and information required for UGAG submissions, as well as due dates, meeting dates, and corresponding effective dates.
- Be familiar with writing and style guide conventions, curriculum processes and procedures, and other processes detailed in training and resource documents.
- Work with the UGAG member to draft materials and create submissions.
- Liaise with staff curriculum reps in other academic units to coordinate submissions for shared plans and courses (e.g., cross-listed courses).
- Act as a resource to the UGAG member and academic unit, advising on these matters as needed and providing support to the curriculum change process.
- In collaboration with the UGAG member, review and comment on further changes or questions identified prior to Senate Undergraduate Council approval stage.
- Complete accuracy checks and proofreading of approved undergraduate calendar text, within time limits (prompted by AUO Curriculum Team).
Procedural Notes and Meetings
Frequency
UGAG meets once per term (Fall, Winter, and Spring). According to need, additional meetings may be scheduled.
Meeting dates are determined based on the schedules of university-wide and faculty-wide committees responsible for the approval of curricular matters (AFC, SUC).
The October/November meeting in a given year (e.g., 2024) is normally the last meeting at which submissions will be considered for inclusion in the Calendar of the following year (e.g., 2025/26).
Meeting materials and minutes
UGAG submissions are due several weeks before each meeting (see [current year] UGAG-AFC-SUC Meetings, Due Dates, Effective Dates for due dates and corresponding effective dates). This allows time for review of submissions and any discussion and edits required to finalize them. The agenda and materials are normally distributed one week before the meeting. UGAG Agendas typically follow the format laid out in the Meeting Procedures and Agendas below.
Meeting procedures
- UGAG Meeting Procedures (PDF)
- Guests may be called upon for special presentations or reports, or to answer questions in more detail about curricular matters (e.g., if involved in their unit). If a UGAG rep is unable to attend, the unit may choose to send an alternate rep for that meeting if representation from that unit is essential. However, only UGAG members may vote.
- If a UGAG rep is unable to attend, the unit may choose to send an alternate rep for that meeting if representation from that unit is essential. However, only UGAG members may vote.
Contacts
Associate Dean – Undergraduate Programs (Arts)
Katherine Acheson – koa@uwaterloo.ca
Curriculum Manager and Academic Integrity Co-ordinator
Emily Hudson – e4hudson@uwaterloo.ca
Undergraduate Operations Manager, Arts Undergraduate Office
Stefania Stachura – sastachu@uwaterloo.ca
Common UGAG admin Email Address: ugagadmin@uwaterloo.ca
- Use for inquiries and communication with Arts Undergraduate Office curriculum admin staff
- Monitored by the Undergraduate Operations Manager and the Curriculum Manager within the AUO
- NOT accessed by other UGAG members
Other contacts
See Training, Resources, Documentation channel files for: UGAG Membership, Staff Curriculum Reps List, Curriculum Contacts by Academic Unit – Course Subjects, Plans