Senate Policy 06-20 Articulation Agreements
Register of authorized Penn State articulation agreements
Preface:
Articulations are formal signed agreements that establish expectations and procedures between Penn State University and another university, college or educational institution to enable students to complete their academic work at Penn State and to earn a Penn State degree. The implementing document is referred to as a Memorandum of Agreement Regarding Articulation. Articulation agreements, both global and domestic, are established by University Faculty Senate Policy 06-20 and implemented through AAPP A-11 and A-12. The executive vice president and provost maintains authority for administratively authorizing, extending, and terminating articulation agreements. The office of the vice president for undergraduate education serves as the provost's signatory agent.
All requests to establish, renew, or terminate articulation prospectuses, proposals and agreements must be initiated by the appropriate office of a degree-granting unit.
The articulation process involves several components, including:
International articulations (see AAPP A-12) are subject to procedures and sign-offs in addition to those required for domestic agreements and require close collaboration with Penn State University Office of Global Programs throughout the process.
New Undergraduate Articulation Agreements:
As early in the process as is feasible a Penn State degree-granting college must submit a brief ACUE Articulation Agreement Prospectus utilizing the on-line submission form. Prospectuses initiate effective preliminary consultation within disciplines and across the breadth of the University utilizing the ACUE membership.
Prospectuses should be submitted by ACUE deans a minimum of one week before the next ACUE meeting and will be distributed electronically by the Office of Undergraduate Education to the ACUE membership. International agreement proposals also will be copied to the University Office of Global Programs. The prospectus process provides an early opportunity for formative consultation with appropriate colleagues. Each prospectus is placed on the ACUE agenda.
The ACUE prospectus review committee provides a brief recommendation to the submitting college, taking into consideration the ACUE discussion and strategic and curricular university resources and needs. Copies of the memo are provided to the vice president and dean for undergraduate education, and others as appropriate. A college may begin its articulation proposal and memo of agreement once the ACUE Prospectus Memo has been received and reviewed. That memo will become part of the articulation process record maintained by the Office of Undergraduate Education. Issues raised in the ACUE Articulation Memo must be addressed within the Articulation Proposal.
Consultation is expected during the Articulation Proposal writing stage between the proposing college and those likely to have a shared interest, and those who may be impacted by the articulation. Consultation should include all ACUE deans, academic units within the college from which the proposal is generated, and other colleges in which the proposed program is or may be offered.
ACUE deans are the primary academic conduit among Penn State schools and colleges for purposes of consultation. As such, consultation should be conducted via electronic media. A current ACUE roster is maintained by the Office of Undergraduate Education and is available for purposes of consultation as a LISTSERVE.
It is during the consultation process that the office of the dean/chancellor of a proposing college (including University College) has responsibility for securing evidence, normally through consultation, of course equivalence for courses that are program requirements, prerequisites to those requirements, and other courses required by Penn State, such as General Education requirements in writing and speaking and in quantification.
The determinacy of course equivalence must be conducted by an appropriate disciplinary community. Penn State has long relied on communication arts and sciences in the College of the Liberal Arts, for example, to judge the equivalency of courses under consideration for substitution for CAS 100, which is required of all Penn State baccalaureate students. Likewise, equivalency in other disciplines must be conducted by faculty in the discipline. A math equivalency must be recommended by math faculty, chemistry equivalency by chemistry faculty, etc. The Undergraduate Admissions Office will maintain a record of course equivalency between institutions and Penn State to enable continuity. Once a specific course from a specific institution has been found equivalent, the admissions office will assume that equivalency for future articulations and equivalency determination will be binding across Penn State colleges.
Following receipt of ACUE prospectus recommendations, the ACUE dean(s) of the college(s) seeking to enter the articulation agreement may submit an articulation proposal and a draft Memorandum of Agreement Regarding Articulation to the Office of Undergraduate Education.
Simultaneously, an articulation proposal and draft Memorandum of Agreement Regarding Articulation also must be submitted to the University Faculty Senate where the Senate Committee on Admissions, Records, Scheduling, and Student Aid (ARSSA) will conduct an expedited review. The Senate will then forward its suggestions directly to the proposing academic unit with a copy to the Office of Undergraduate Education.
The proposal must include supporting documentation, including evidence of consultation, responses to issues generated by consultation, and response(s) to the ACUE Prospectus Memo. Course equivalency evidence must be specific and must show approval from the disciplinary unit authorized to deliver the Penn State course or reference to the Undergraduate Admissions Office course equivalency tables. Newly approved equivalencies must be added to the university course equivalency tables maintained by the Undergraduate Admissions Office.
Articulation proposals are reviewed on a variety of other criteria as appropriate, including:
An Articulation Agreement Memorandum draft should not carry the signatures that will be required on the final document. The proposal must carry the signature of the appropriate associate dean (see Preface above). The draft provides an opportunity for the proposing college and the Office of Undergraduate Education to ensure the development of an accurate and complete document in alignment with all Penn State policies before the document is signed by the participating parties. The Office of Undergraduate Education will not begin a review of the proposal and draft Memorandum of Agreement Regarding Articulation prior to receiving the Senate's expedited review recommendations.
Following agreement by the Office of Undergraduate Education and the proposing college on a final draft of the Memorandum of Agreement Regarding Articulation , the submitting college must (1) prepare an Articulation Agreement Memorandum, (2) must secure necessary signatures prior to submitting it to the vice president and dean for undergraduate education for university approval, and (3) must submit the signed document to the vice president and dean for undergraduate education for a final review and signature.
Each Memorandum of Agreement Regarding Articulation requires, in addition to an appropriate authorized signature from the partner institution,
A copy of the final agreement will be maintained by the Office of Undergraduate Education. The vice president and dean for undergraduate education also maintains a register of University Approved Articulation Agreements.
Approved: ACUE (3-4-99)
Approved: ACUE (2-4-10)
Revised: ACUE (10-6-11)