Overview
When an academic unit proposes to create a new graduate degree program or modify an existing program, the proposed program may bear resemblance to an existing program in another unit in terms of program content, outcomes, or title. This occurs more often between programs on separate UW campuses but can also occur between programs on the same campus. This document will refer to these programs as duplicative graduate degree and certificate programs.
Process for evaluating duplicative programs
Units developing a new graduate degree or certificate program should communicate and coordinate, prior to submitting a PNOI, with units that run existing programs that may be considered duplicative of the proposed program. Establishing how the new program meets unique Washington State and local needs (see below) should be the major focus of this coordination. This preliminary work will assist in avoiding substantial delays that occur when potential duplication is identified later in the process. Early coordination should be described in the PNOI.
As dictated by standard protocol for new graduate degree and certificate programs, faculty across the institution are invited to submit stakeholder feedback during the planning notice of intent phase (PNOI). When the Graduate School receives feedback regarding potentially overlapping content or degree title, the following steps will be taken:
Step 1. The proposing unit will be asked to communicate and coordinate with the commenting unit(s) in order to clarify differences between the programs.
- If both units come to an agreement that the programs are not duplicative, or that both programs can co-exist based on the considerations listed in the next section, the proposing unit will include documentation of this in the full program proposal and notify the Graduate School (with copy to the unit with the existing program) at progprop@uw.edu.
- If there is disagreement as to whether the proposed program is duplicative of an existing program and/or if it should move forward, either the proposing unit, the unit with the existing program, or both should contact the Graduate School at progprop@uw.edu. The Graduate School will then initiate step 2 below.
Step 2. In those situations where the units are unable to come to a resolution, the Graduate School will contact the deans of the proposing unit and of the unit with the existing program for further discussion.
- If an agreement is established, the dean of the unit with the existing program should send any agreed upon conditions required for the full proposal to move forward to the proposing unit, cc’ing the Graduate School at progprop@uw.edu and the dean of the proposing unit. When a full proposal is submitted, it should include these conditions and signatures from both deans.
- If the deans are in disagreement about whether the programs are duplicative and/or if the proposed program should move forward, the Graduate School will initiate step 3.
Step 3. In those situations where the deans are unable to come to a resolution, both the the provost and Senate Committee on Planning & Budgeting (SCPB) will be consulted. The Graduate School will bring the new program proposal and related materials to a SCPB meeting for a final determination. If the SCPB and/or Provost require certain conditions be met for the full proposal can move forward, both the dean of the proposing unit and dean of the unit with the existing program must sign the final proposal to indicate that conditions have been met.
Factors used in evaluating potentially duplicative programs.
Demonstrated Local or State Need
The presence of a Washington State or local workforce need that is unmet by the existing program (e.g. in a particular region or providing accessibility for a target student audience) is required to justify a duplicative program. Potentially duplicative program proposals should include analysis of state and local labor statistics, market analysis, and/or admissions data from the existing program to support this justification.
Context: The University of Washington Mission Statement, as well as those of UW Tacoma and UW Bothell, emphasize the institution’s role as a public institution serving the common good and the economic vitality of the state and region. As a result, graduate degree programs often respond to workforce needs at state and local levels.
Additional Considerations
Even in cases where a program meets the state of local need criterion, the following characteristics of the proposed duplicative program require consideration. If any are relevant to the program, they must be outlined in the program proposal. None of these factors alone will prevent a proposed program from advancing but may merit consideration as they arise in combination.
- Degree Program Title: In some cases, proposed duplicative graduate degree programs have a degree title identical to an existing program. Faculty in an existing program with high national rankings, for example, may take exception with a separate degree program being developed with the same exact name in another academic unit. However, if a proposed program is responding to a workforce need or special accreditation, it may be important to conform to the industry-recognized standard. In most cases, this should be the discretion of the faculty and care must be taken to ensure the duplicative programs are clear in their marketing, communications, and recruiting to avoid confusing prospective students.
- Specialized Accreditation: If a proposed duplicative program will also require application for a specialized accreditation, it may require further discussion between programs. Some specialized accreditations can be obtained by multiple academic units independently of one another, but some may require joint accreditation.
- Program Length, Credits, and Curriculum: While possessing similar degree title or content areas, a duplicative program may vary in terms of length, total credits, or other features such as internships or research opportunities. A duplicative program is not required to match the existing program in these areas but significant differences may be further examined as part of the approval process.
- Fee Structure: Fee-based programs often carry higher costs to students than state-supported programs. When two or more duplicative programs exist with different financial structures, faculty in one academic unit may express concern that another unit is undercutting and competing for the same students.
- Mode of Delivery: Programs delivered via distance learning are uniquely positioned to avoid geographical limitations and reach a different audience. However, this also means a duplicative program delivered via distance learning can be perceived to compete for the same students while offering a different educational experience than an in-person program.
- Highly Specialized Programs: Faculty at UW are global leaders and innovators in their disciplines. Some research-intensive or doctoral degree programs draw on this expertise to such an extent that the degree program may be valued by the institution as a form of intellectual property that should not be duplicated. In these cases, extra scrutiny is warranted, even if the proposing unit presents a compelling justification driven by workforce needs.
Updated: August 2025