March 4, 2026 – Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC) –Minutes

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Time:   Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location:         Microsoft Teams

Meeting was held online only.

Timothy O’Brien, 2025-2026 GCC Chair

Members Present:   Qingsu Cheng, Itziar Lazkano, Timothy O’Brien, Wilhem Peekhaus, Katie Vater

Absent:     Maria Novotny, Sara Vanderhaagen, Victoria Moerchen (Ex-Officio, Graduate School)

Guests:     Susan McRoy (College of Engineering & Applied Science); Mohammad Rahman (College of Engineering & Applied Science); Nadine Kozak (College of Engagement and Professions); Taylor Mathewson Levandoski (School of Biomedical Sciences & Health Care Administration); Douglas Ihrke (College of Letters and Science); Pamela Harris (College of Letters and Science); Alyssa Sheeran (Helen Bader School of Social Welfare); Kerry Korinek (School of Education); Kathleen Olewinski (School of Biomedical Sciences & Health Care Administration); Karl Wallick (School of Architecture & Urban Planning); Hanyong Park (College of Letters & Science); Melissa Armstrong (School of Biomedical Sciences & Health Care Administration); Suzanne Boyd (College of Letters & Science); Emily Kuhnen (Registrar’s Office); Nora Miller (College of Health Professions & Sciences); Alessandra Gillen (College of Letters & Science); David Clark (Division of Academic Affairs); Tiffany Nation (Graduate Programs Coordinator, Graduate School); Joan Hayes (Program Service Representative, Office of Grad Education); Riley Harrison (Policy and Appeals Coordinator, Graduate School); Bryan Porter (Graduate School Dean)

  1. Call to Order
    12:30 p.m.
  2. Announcements
    There were no announcements.
  3. Automatic Consent
    The following automatic consent agenda items which include meeting minutes, course actions, and program change requests were approved.
    1. Approval of meeting minutes from February 4, 2026
    2. Course Action Requests (table below)
    3. Program Changes
      1. Library and Information Science, MLIS: Archival Studies
        Adding two courses to electives INFOST 410G Database Information Retrieval Systems and INFOST 756 Community Archives.
      2. Library and Information Science, MLIS: Information Organization
        Adding eligible electives: INFOST 350G and INFOST 410G.
  4. New Business
    1. New/Substantially Revised Courses (table below)
  5. Program Changes
    1. Proposals Requesting Program Changes:
      1. Architecture, MArch

        Updating list of no granted course equivalencies for SARUP classes that satisfy NAAB requirements and portfolio requirement for non-UWM BSAS students.

        A motion was made and seconded to approve this program change.  Motion passed unanimously.
      2. Architecture, PhD

        ARCH 985 Research Methods in Architecture is required to be taken once a year during the first three years of the PhD program.

        A motion was made and seconded to approve this program change.  Motion passed unanimously.
      3. Criminal Justice and Criminology, MS: Crime Analytics

        The Criminal Justice and Criminology department proposes to change the criminology (MSCJC).  The proposed change is to replace the current requirement of CRM JST 795 or 850 with CRM JST 510G.  The rationale for this change is to provide students in the crime analysis concentration with a more focused set of skills and knowledge in crime analytic techniques that will better prepare them for a career in crime analysis.  We are also removing the advanced analytics track.  There is only one track that students in the crime analytics concentration currently complete.  Admin note: CRM JST 510G in workflow with proposed Fall 2026 effective term.  Updating CRM JST 520 to 520G as graduate students would take the G offering.

        A motion was made and seconded to approve this program change.  Motion passed unanimously.
      4. Digital Libraries, Graduate Certificate

        Add the list of Required and Elective courses for the Digital Libraries certificate:  Required – INFOST 682G, INFOST 714, INFOST 739, and Elective – INFOST 685G, INFOST 691G, INFOST 717, INFOST 774, INFOST 862, INFOST 990, and INFOST 999.

        A motion was made and seconded to approve this program change.  Motion passed unanimously.
      5. Educational Psychology, MS: School Psychology

        The Educational Psychology, School Psychology MS leads into the EdS program.  Students complete both sets of required courses to earn the EdS.  This change is a swap in course sequence.  ED PSY 710, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Issues in Schools, moves from the EdS sequence to the MS sequence.  COUNS 805, Consultation Strategies for Counselors and School Psychologist, moves from the MS to the EdS sequence.

        A motion was made and seconded to approve this program change.  Motion passed unanimously.
      6. Linguistics, PhD

        Proposed curriculum change to reflect current faculty resources and graduate student demographics, and to expedite graduate students’ ability to engage in focused, in-depth research within their chosen area of linguistics.

        A motion was made and seconded to approve this program change.  Motion passed unanimously.
      7. School Psychology, EdS

        The Educational Psychology, School Psychology MS leads into the EdS program.  Students complete both sets of required courses to earn the EdS.  This change is a swap in course sequence.  ED PSY 710, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Issues in Schools, moves from the EdS sequence to the MS sequence.  COUNS 805, Consultation Strategies for Counselors and School Psychologists, moves from the MS to the EdS sequence.  CURRINS 612, Collaborations for Teachers with Families, Schools, and Communities, is being replaced with EXCEDUC 612G, which is the current version of the course for graduate students.  Replacing UG courses in class lists with the G version of the courses.

        A motion was made and seconded to approve this program change.  Motion passed unanimously.
      8. Value-Based Healthcare, Graduate Certificate

        Removing HCA 871: MHA Capstone (1 credit) from the program curriculum and reducing the minimum credit hours required to 15 credits.  The HCA 871 course will no longer be offered in future semesters.

        A motion was made and seconded to approve this program change.  Motion passed unanimously.
  6. New Degree, Certificate, or Concentration
    1. Computer Science, BS / Computer Science, MS

      The faculty of the College of Engineering proposes an accelerated master’s degree in which students earn a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BS-CS) and a MS in Computer Science (MS-CS).

      The proposed degree is designed to make graduate education more appealing and cost-effective for students who would not otherwise consider it as an option, particularly for high-achieving students.  The MS-CS offers greater depth of content not available at the undergraduate level through courses such as Type Systems for Programming Languages and Intelligent User Interfaces and Computational Models for Decision Making.  In today’s competitive job market, the advanced MS courses will provide students with skills and credentials that set them apart from their peers.

      A motion was made and seconded to approve this new accelerated graduate degree program.  Motion passed unanimously.
    2. Computer Science, BS / Engineering, MS: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

      This proposal seeks to establish an Accelerated Graduate Degree (AGD) between the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and the Master of Science in Engineering with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

      A motion was made and seconded to approve this new accelerated graduate degree program.  Motion passed unanimously.
    3. Health Care Administration, BS / Healthcare Administration, MHA

      Proposal for accelerated Health Care Administration (HCA) BS and Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program.  The accelerated program consists of 3.5 years of undergraduate study in the HCA program and 1.5 years of graduate study in the MHA program.  The accelerated program would provide high achieving students a pathway to accelerate their education and career in health care leadership.

      A motion was made and seconded to approve this new accelerated graduate degree program.  Motion passed unanimously.
  7. Multidisciplinary Committee-Directed PhD Proposal
    1. Proposal for a Multidisciplinary Committee Directed PhD Program for Graduate Student, Fiona F. Abbott, DSL, Urban Studies Program
      This research study will explore an untapped aspect of global leadership communication for executive development and practice influence.  The proposed study will integrate multiple disciplines, and UWM offers the perfect platform for launching a real-world, pragmatic leadership and communication study of this kind.

      A motion was made and seconded to approve this multidisciplinary committee-directed PhD proposal.  Motion passed unanimously.
  8. Information Only
    1. Suspension of Admission to Programs:
      1. Interpreting, Graduate Certificate

        Suspending admission to the program.  WLC faculty voted 12/12/25 to suspend admissions to the graduate certificate in Interpreting for 2026-27 with a program inactivation target of Fall 2027.  Strategic shift in resources from graduate to UG curriculum in TIS to support ongoing realignment and experiential learning initiatives in WLC.  Proposed Effective Term: Fall 2026.
      2. Library and Information Science, MLIS / Translation and Interpreting Studies, MA

        Suspending admission to the program.  WLC faculty voted 12/12/25 to suspend admissions to the Coordinated MLIS/MA in TIS for 2026-27 with a program inactivation target of Fall 2027.  Strategic shift in resources from graduate to UG curriculum in TIS to support ongoing realignment and experiential learning initiatives in WLC.  Proposed Effective Term: Fall 2026.
      3. Student Success Advising and Technology-Based Services in Higher Education, Graduate Certificate

        Suspending admission to the program.  Pending edits to the Adult, Continuing, and Higher Education Administration specialization in Administrative Leadership will reduce many of the course offerings in the certificate program.  Proposed Effective Term: Fall 2026.
      4. Translation, Graduate Certificate

        Suspending admission to the program.  WLC faculty voted 12/12/25 to suspend admissions to the graduate certificate in Translation for 2026-27 with a program inactivation target of Fall 2027.  Strategic shift in resources from graduate to UG curriculum in TIS to support ongoing realignment and experiential learning initiatives in WLC.  Proposed Effective Term: Fall 2026.
      5. Translation and Interpreting Studies, MA

        Suspending admission to the program.  WLC faculty voted 12/12/25 to suspend admissions to the MA in TIS for 2026-27 with a program inactivation target of Fall 2027.  Strategic shift in resources from graduate to UG curriculum in TIS to support ongoing realignment and experiential learning initiatives in WLC.  Proposed Effective Term: Fall 2026.
  9. Other Business
    There was no other business.
  10. Adjourn
    1:07 p.m.

Course Action Requests

CourseActionType of Change
BMS 600 (BMS 600G / BMS 600X)DiscontinueDiscontinue
BMS 601 (BMS 601G / BMS 601X)DiscontinueDiscontinue
BMS 767DiscontinueDiscontinue
BMS 768DiscontinueDiscontinue
BMS 769DiscontinueDiscontinue

New/Substantially Revised Courses

Course NumberNewCourse Title
MATH 331 (MATH 331G)NewApplied Calculus and Linear Algebra
This new course is designed to ease the transition of transfer students or graduate students into more advanced mathematics, by introducing key concepts from single and multi-variable calculus, and from elementary linear algebra, in an accelerated one-semester course.  The course will focus on the concepts and their applications, rather than more theoretical “by-hand” calculations. GCC Feedback: The Following Information is Recommended for All Classes: (1) Add “G” to the course number to indicate this is a grad/undergrad course.  Should read “Math 331G”.  (2) Clarify what the sentence means?  “No credit towards any math major (Math, Act Sci, AMCS, or Data Science) or the graduate program in Mathematical Sciences.” A motion was made and seconded to contingently approve the new course. Motion passed unanimously.
MECHENG 541 (BME 541)NewAI For Rehabilitation Robotics
This new course is being offered to meet the rising demand for AI-enabled rehabilitation technologies and to prepare students with the interdisciplinary skills needed to design safe, accessible, and effective robotic solutions that address critical gaps in current healthcare practice. GCC Feedback: The Following Information is Required for All Classes: (1) Add placeholder for class location.  (2)  Attendance – Are there penalties for missing class?  (3) Add university policy links and consider adding hyperlinks for other policies mentioned.  (4) Clarify in the schedule table what “Ref. 1, 2, 3” etc. is.  (5) 33% different/more work isn’t specified on p. 4 where assignments and percentages are outlined.  It appears that graduate students only have a project worth 5% of their grade. GCC Feedback: The Following Information is Recommended for All Classes: (1)  Grading scale on p. 5 seems unnecessarily complicated.  Consider simplifying. GCC Feedback: The Following Information is Suggested for All Classes: (1) While this is a class about AI, a statement explicitly stating when/how students may use it would be helpful.  Currently there is no mention of avoiding “undisclosed AI use,” but a more complete policy would help. A motion was made and seconded to contingently approve the new course. Motion passed unanimously.