This outline for the self-study document is designed to provide guidelines and to assist the department not to prescribe a rigid format for its content. Copies will be distributed to members of the review team one month prior to the on-campus evaluation.

Listed below are major topics and data that the self-study should contain. The documents should describe the program within the life of the university but also indicate plans for the short-term and long-range future. In this sense, the self-study should reveal both the track record and aspirations of the program. it may be useful to answer questions such as the following:

1. What have been the three or four most critical events in the history of the program? Who or what was responsible for them? Were they planned or did they "just happen?"

2. What specific actions should be taken, and by whom, to achieve the goals identified for the program? Are there undecided issues in the definition of program goals? How will these be addressed, by whom, and in what time frame?

3. What are the major concerns that the faculty or staff wish to see addressed in the program review?

The narrative of the self-study, as it speaks to these questions, can obviously be constructed only after an open and frank discussion by the program faculty or staff members as they prepare for the review. 

 Specify clearly the primary function of the academic unit, including immediate and long-range goals and/or objectives for instruction, research and public service, within the broader context of the college and the total university.

 Program Overview

 Provide a brief statement describing the academic program, including: role, scope, breadth, and depth. Also, describe the program and its components in terms of emphasis on preparation for teaching, research and/or professional service. Assess demand for the program in the community, state, and/or region.

 Faculty

Provide a brief vita for each faculty member. Describe the faculty in terms of strengths and weaknesses, particularly as related to the role and scope of the academic program. Include in the summary information concerning the past five years for the following:

1. Special teaching, research, or professional practice awards to the faculty.

2. Publications in refereed journals.

3. Books published.

4. Monographs or manuals published.

5. Journals edited or number of faculty members serving on editorial boards.

6. Grants and contracts awarded from agencies external to the University.

7. Presentations at national meetings.

8. Any information about faculty quality collected from students, alumni, or professional colleagues.

9. International experience.

10. Faculty development activities.

 Student

 Provide student information for the past five years. Include any information considered appropriate, but at least the following, if available.

1. Number of applicants.

2. Number of students admitted.

3. Number of women, minorities, and international students enrolled.

4. Number of students graduated.

5. Number of students who dropped out.

6. An assessment of the quality of students as indicated by test scores, gradepoint averages, or other data.

7. Financial assistance available, including number of students awarded assistantships and fellowships.

8. Description of student recruitment procedures.

Provide an assessment of the adequacy of library holdings for the program.

 Provide a brief summary of the physical facilities and describe their effect on the academic program. Include a statement concerning any pertinent equipment needs.

 Program Content and Direction

1. Admission procedures--Describe how students are selected for the program.

2. Statement of desired outcomes of instruction for students.

3. Innovative, unique, or outstanding features of the program.

4. Breadth and depth of program--Include in this statement any special degree requirements, requirements for courses outside the academic unit.

5. Selection of a graduate student's committee, the nature of the comprehensive examination, and the culminating experience.

6. Research in the program--Include any information concerning how students are involved in research, whether research assistantships are available, how the research is funded, the emphasis on research as a component of the program.

7. Public Service--Include specifically the interrelationships between public service activities and research and other aspects of the program.

8. Teaching--Include information concerning any innovations, as well as assessments by students, faculty, or alumni.

 1. Evidence of student demand for transfer into the program and/or retention in the program.

2. Evidence of effectiveness of the curriculum, including scores and/or other measures.

3. Evidence of the achievement of desired outcomes of instruction for students, including results of comprehensive examinations and regional/national competitions, and documentation of placement and career success by graduates.

4. Evidence of program quality derived from surveys of enrolled students and graduates.