Graduate Program Contact
Overview

The purpose of Graduate Program Review is to promote excellence in graduate programs at UC Riverside. The review, conducted by the Graduate Council of the Academic Senate, is an opportunity for programs to evaluate past achievements, current status, and future directions related to graduate education.

Approximately 7 - 8 programs are reviewed each year, with the expectation that each graduate program be reviewed every seven years. Occasionally, a program may be reviewed more frequently by administrative request or where problems have arisen that require Graduate Council’s (GC) consideration. Where opportunity for improvement is identified, the review will give guidance to the program and to administrators about how such opportunities may be pursued. Where programs are inadequate, the review will suggest concrete steps to rectify weaknesses and enable a return to an acceptable standard. In some cases, Graduate Council may recommend closure of a program. For those programs that are excellent, the review process will endorse this excellence.

Documents
Read the graduate program review flowchart as text

The Process of a Graduate Program Review

  1. Program materials are submitted to the Graduate Council. Due mid-October.
  2. The Senate Analyst forwards the program review materials to the Graduate Council Review Subcommittee for review. The Subcommittee may suggest revisions to the program. When the materials are finalized, the Senate Analyst compiles the program binder and sends it to the program for final review and approval before forwarding it to the extramural review team and the appropriate administrators.
  3. Confidential questionnaires are sent by C&C to all faculty, graduate students and former students. Questionnaires open by early October and close mid-October.
  4. The extramural review team visits. The external review team's report is due 2 weeks after the review.
  5. The review team's extramural report is sent to all program faculty for "corrections of fact" (usually a brief document). Due from the program 2 weeks after receipt of the report.*
  6. The Graduate Council prepares a Findings & Recommendations (F&R) document, which includes actions that should be taken by the program. Due from the Graduate Council 2-3 weeks after receipt of the program's "corrections of fact".
  7. The F&R document is sent to the program. The program's detailed response should respond to each point of the F&R in detail. Due from the program 4 weeks after receipt of the F&R.
  8. The Graduate Council votes whether or not to accept the program's response document "as is". Further communication between the Council and the program may be necessary before the review process is formally closed. Due from the Graduate Council at the next monthly meeting.

* After the site visit, the timeline assumes a simple review and may be adjusted if complications arise.