FAQs

The Faculty of Medicine (FoM) Curriculum Team operates out of the Office of the Vice Dean, Education (VDE). The team was formalized in 2018 to support requests for curriculum, calendar change proposals and new programs/certificate proposals at all levels, including the FoM, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and UBC-wide. The team supports units within the FoM with the creation of new programs, certificates (including academic-credit certificates, non-credit program certificates and micro-certificates) and courses, and the process of updating or changing information for existing courses, certificates or programs. The goal of the FoM Curriculum Team is to promote greater clarity and consistency for all types of curriculum, academic calendar changes and new programs requiring Faculty approval while ensuring across-the-board Faculty awareness and transparent consultation.

The FoM Curriculum Team provides support with all aspects of proposal development, obtainment of Faculty endorsements and approvals, and submission of proposal to external approving bodies.

The best way to contact the FoM Curriculum Team is through the email: fom.curriculum@ubc.ca.

As early as the inception of an idea or as soon as there is an identified need to update or change information for existing courses, certificates or programs.

The timeline is dependent on the proposal type (Category 1 – new programs/certificates, Non-credit credentials, Category 1 – new course or major change, Category 2 – minor change). It is recommended that new program proposals be submitted at least 24 months prior to the desired first cohort start date. Please contact fom.curriculum@ubc.ca to discuss timelines in further detail.

Faculty of Medicine Finance 
Curriculum Pathways Advisory Council (CPAC)
Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Vice Dean, Education (VDE)
Educational Committees:
–Graduate & Post-doctoral Education Committee (GPEC),
–Health Professions Programs Committee (HPPC)
–Undergraduate Medical Education Committee (UGMEC)
–Dean’s Advisory Council (DEX)
–Department Heads and School Directors Committee (DHSD)
–Faculty Executive’s Committee (FEX)
–Full Faculty (FF)

Curriculum changes can be categorized into 5 different types : Category 1 –  new programs/academic-credit certificates, Non-credit Credentials, Category – 1 major changes, Category 2 – minor changes, and UBC Academic Calendar Proofreading, each navigating through the FoM curriculum pathway stages differently based on the proposal needs.

Category 1 – New Programs & Academic-credit Certificates: proposals include but not limited to new undergraduate and graduate degree programs, new academic-credit certificate programs.

Non-credit Credentials – proposals include new non-credit program certificates (150+ expected hours of learning activities), new non-credit program micro-certificates (50+ expected hours of learning activities, and non-credit letters of completion/participation (fewer than 50 expected hours of learning activities). 

Category 1 – New Course or Major Change proposals include creating a new course, or extensive changes to an existing course or program.

Category 2 – Minor change proposals are generally less substantive changes to existing courses and programs, or the closure of a course (that does not impact other Faculties).


Editorial Calendar Changes – UBC Academic Calendar Proofreading changes are non-substantive corrections to existing programs and courses, and include updating ‘broken’ URLs, spelling and grammar errors, change of names and change of contact information, and updating Academic Staff Lists.  Faculties are prompted by Enrolment Services to proofread their sections of the Calendar in advance of the UBC Academic Calendar deadline. This process occurs twice a year: before the February UBC Academic Calendar release and before the May calendar release. Programs will be prompted by FoM Curriculum to submit changes in advance of the UBC calendar deadline.

The identified pathway for FoM proposals will ensure that due diligence has been carried out at all stages with appropriate stakeholders and FoM leadership before the proposal has been endorsed/approved by the FoM prior to submission to UBC-V Senate for final approval. Communication with UBC-V Senate will be streamlined through the Office of the Vice Dean, Education with a single point of contact between the FoM Curriculum Team, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, UBC Provost Office and UBC-V Senate Office.

Yes. The documents required upon by the FoM Curriculum Team are the ones ultimately packaged for submission to external approving bodies and UBC-V Senate.

Most of the instructions you will need to fill out a Change to Course or Program (2-column) form appear on the form itself. Examples of how to properly format a Calendar change using this form can be found in the Examples of UBC Curriculum Proposal Form from Senate, or in the Guide to Curriculum Submissions for UBC Vancouver on pages 50-52 . A single form is used for multiple and all types of curriculum changes.

Any faculty, department, program school, or unit that would have an interest in the proposal.

For consultation requests intended for colleagues, and/or departments/programs/schools/units within UBC FoM, please reach out to  fom.curriculum@ubc.ca. Please note these requests typically take up to 4-6 weeks from time of submission to FoM Curriculum. 

For consultation requests intended for UBC faculties and/or departments external to UBC FoM, please reach out to these faculties and/or departments directly.

The FoM Curriculum Team will guide the proposal through the remaining endorsement and/or approval stages within the FoM, including external approvals where necessary. The FoM Curriculum Team will provide regular updates to proponents on the status of their submission.

No. The FoM Curriculum Team will take care of the submission process to external approving bodies. The FoM Curriculum Team will provide regular updates to proponents on the status of their submission.

Along the review pathway, there is a possibility where internal and external committees/councils may have additional inquiries and recommendations for the proposal. If necessary, proposal revisions may be requested before proceeding onto the next review stage.