When planning a new academic program or changing an existing program, please be aware that SACSCOC and MTSU policy may require us to notify or obtain SACSCOC approval. This webpage includes information about the common types of substantive change, including adding or closing a program’s method of delivery, creating a new academic program, closing an academic program, and opening or closing an off-campus instructional site. You can see a full list of substantive change types here. Depending on the change you are planning, we may submit a letter of notification, a prospectus for approval, or have no need to make a report. Note that the SACSCOC timelines for approval and implementation described below are very different from MTSU and THEC academic program timelines.
If you contact Layne Bryant ([email protected]; 615-898-5426) or Jeff Gibson ([email protected]; 615-898-5806) at the beginning of your planning process, we can navigate the reporting process for you.
*Programmatic or specialized accreditors have their own policies and procedures for reporting and approving substantive change. Please contact Jeff Gibson as you prepare those documents and prior to submission.
SACSCOC defines substantive change as a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution. Substantive changes are organized in to three categories: institutional changes, program changes, and off-campus instructional site changes. The tables below summarizes types of changes in each category, as well as the requirements for institutions not on substantive change restriction.
Institutional Changes
Change Type
Requires
Site Visit
Acquisition
Approval by SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Change in measure of student progress to completion
Approval by SACSCOC Senior Staff
Competency-based education by course/credit approach institution level
Approval by SACSCOC Senior Staff
Distance education institution level
Approval by SACSCOC Senior Staff
Governance change
Approval by SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Institution closure/teach-out plan
Approval by Executive Council of SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Institutional contingency teach-out plan
Approval by Executive Council of SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Level authorization addition
Approval by Executive Council of SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Level change to higher level
Approval by SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Merger/consolidation
Approval by SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Mission change
Approval by Executive Council of SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Ownership, form of control, or legal status change
Approval by SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Prison education program – best interest review*
Approval by Executive Council of SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Prison education program – institutional-level approval*
Approval by Executive Council of SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Program Changes
Change Type
Requires
Site Visit
Adding a method of delivery*
Notification by Institution
Competency-based education by direct assessment (each program)
Approval by SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Cooperative academic arrangement with non-Title IV entities*
Notification by Institution
Closing a program/closing a method of delivery and teach-out plan
Approval by Executive Council of SACSCOC Board of Trustees
New program*
Approval by SACSCOC Senior Staff
Program length change*
Approval by SACSCOC Senior Staff
Off-Campus Instructional Site Changes
Change Type
Requires
Site Visit
Off-campus instructional site by extensive review (first two sites approved after January 2021)*
Approval by SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Yes
Off-campus instructional site closure
Approval by Executive Council of SACSCOC Board of Trustees
Off-campus instructional site (all sites after first two approved)
Notification by Institution
* Change has different and/or additional requirements for institutions on substantive change restriction
MTSU must notify and/or receive approval from SACSCOC before implementing a substantive change. The Office of the University Provost prepares and submits all notifications and prospectuses for approval. See “Reporting the Various Types of Substantive Change” above for a full list of the types of substantive changes and their respective requirements. Deans, department chairs and directors of schools, and administrative officers must inform the University’s accreditation liaison in writing of any planned substantive change by the deadlines shown in the tables below.
Changes requiring approval by the Executive Council of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees or by SACSCOC Senior Staff
For implementation in
Inform Liaison by
SACSCOC deadline is
January-June
May 1 of preceding year
August 1 of preceding year
July-December
November 1 of preceding year
February 1
Changes requiring approval by SACSCOC Board of Trustees
For implementation in
Inform Liaison by
SACSCOC deadline is
January-June
June 1 of preceding year
September 1 of preceding year
July-December
January 1
March 15
Changes requiring notification by the institution
For Implementation In
Inform Liaison By
Liaison Notifies SACSOC By
January-April
November 1 of preceding year
December 1 of preceding year
May-July
March 1
April 1
August-December
June 1
July 1
If an institution is non-compliant with Substantive Change Policies and Procedures or Standard 14.2 (Substantive change), its accreditation may be in jeopardy. An unreported substantive change may require a review of the institution’s substantive change policy and procedures document by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees. Non-compliance subjects the institution to monitoring, sanction, or removal from membership. Failure to secure approval, if required, of a substantive change involving programs or locations that qualify for title IV federal funding may place the institution in jeopardy with the U.S. Department of Education, including reimbursement of funds received related to an unreported substantive change. For additional information, refer to Unreported Substantive Change in the procedures section of the Substantive Change Policies and Procedures.
MTSU’s open off-campus instructional sites, including those for which the university submitted a notification and those that SACSCOC has approved, are outlined in the table below.
OCIS Name
Address
Program
OCIS Type
Blackman High School
3956 Blaze Drive Murfreesboro, TN 37128 United States
Dual Enrollment Courses
25-49%
Page High School
6281 Arno Road Franklin, TN 37064 United States
Dual Enrollment Courses
25-49%
Riverdale High School
802 Warrior Drive Murfreesboro, TN 37128 United States
Dual Enrollment Courses
25-49%
Rockvale High School
6545 State Highway 99 Rockvale, TN 37153 United States
Dual Enrollment Courses
25-49%
Siegel High School
3300 Siegel Road Murfreesboro, TN 37129 United States
Dual Enrollment Courses
25-49%
SACSCOC OCIS Types:
25-49% of a program offered at the site: requires notification to SACSCOC prior to implementation
50-100% of a program offered at the site: requires approval by SACSCOC if the institution has not had two OCIS approved by extensive review
