Course Approval

Course approval is obtained through the Integrated Curriculum Management System (ICMS) system.

ICMS is your means to create new courses or modify existing courses and have the information appear in the General Catalog and Schedule Builder.

ICMS proposals are completed online and submitted electronically into the approval process. The system notifies the members of the next level in the routing structure (e.g. College Committee Members) when a course has been submitted to their level.

Initiating, modifying and discontinuing courses of instruction shall require the approval of the Faculty of the College/School initiating the action and the Committee on Courses of Instruction. Graduate courses shall, in addition, require the approval of the Graduate Council.

You must have an ICMS account to access the system. Check with your department chairperson or staff regarding departmental access policies.

Course scheduling changes need to be communicated to the Scheduling Unit in the Office of the University Registrar.

It is important to review your course information carefully and to correct any typos or mistakes prior to submitting. Errors, including typos on the course form, can significantly delay the approval of a course. To minimize the amount of time it takes for a course to be approved, make sure you are familiar with the Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI) policies and procedures. These policies include information on how to complete course approval forms, general education requirements, requirements for Web-based courses, and deadlines for forms to reach the committee.

Curriculum course approval forms must arrive at the Academic Senate at a specified date to ensure that the update will be approved in time for publication in the General Catalog for the coming year, usually in early-December of the year before publication. You must allow time for the form to work its way through the departmental committee and the college committee(s) so that it is received by the Academic Senate Committee on Courses of Instruction by the deadline. The committee sometimes convenes only once a month, so allow plenty of time for a course approval form to complete the approval process. You can continually track the progress of your courses through the ICMS Curriculum system.

Approved forms are sent to the Office of the University Registrar where the information is entered into the General Catalog and into the Banner Student Information System. Departments are automatically notified, via email, when a course is approved.

All approved course forms are available through the ICMS Curriculum system.

All courses must be approved prior to any publication.

For information on access, training, and help, see ICMS or contact icms@ucdavis.edu.