To assure that its degree programs are based upon fields of study appropriate to higher education, the College adheres to the curriculum standards approval and review process required by North Carolina State General Statutes (3), the North Carolina Administrative Code (4), and criteria established by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges (5).

The curriculum standards approval and review process requires that the College offer only approved degree programs from the North Carolina Community College System’s (NCCCS) Curriculum Program Groups (6). Each degree program offered by the College is structured according to a Curriculum Standard approved by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges. To provide a framework for a coherent course of study, each curriculum standard delineates the minimum and maximum credit hours and the number of “general education,” “major hours,” and “other major hours” required for the program of study. For example, the Early Childhood Education Curriculum Standard (7) specifies 15 credit hours of general education, 49 major course hours, and 0-7 hours from other required courses. All degree programs offered by the College (8) reflect a course of study that is consistent with the requirements of the related state curriculum standards (9).

Each curriculum standard mandates specific major courses that must be included in the degree program and identifies approved subject prefixes from which the College may select additional courses to complete the program of study. All courses included in degree programs are identified in the North Carolina Community College Common Course Library (10). The Common Course Library is a central pool of courses approved by the NCCCS to ensure consistency among course titles, descriptions, and credit hours among North Carolina community college programs.

The appropriateness of College programs for higher education is further demonstrated by the inclusion of Associate in Arts programs in the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement with four-year institutions (11). The general education core (44 credit hours) and Associate in Arts degrees, if completed successfully by a community college student, are portable and transferable as blocks across the community college system and to all 16 University of North Carolina institutions (12) and 22 independent colleges and universities (13). This agreement is approved by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina and the NCCCS Board. The existence of the agreement indicates colleges’ and universities’ willingness to accept degrees from the College as coherent courses of study to satisfy general education/ liberal arts requirements in baccalaureate degree programs.

While the NCCCS provides central oversight to the structure and approval of all degree programs, it defers to individual colleges the responsibility for proposing and adopting programs relevant to their local missions:

At the local level, programs of study at the College are developed (adhering to state curriculum standards) and added to program offerings upon approval of the state Board of Community Colleges (15).

Example: Adding a new degree program in Outdoor Leadership

The process for developing the Associate in Applied Science degree program in Outdoor Leadership is an example of how the College proposed and gained local and state approval for a new program of study. The college responded to needs in the local workforce for a degree program to prepare individuals to be professionals in outdoor adventure, education, and leadership.

A planning and advisory group of area outdoor leadership professionals was formed to assist the College with identifying major areas of study and key competencies for Outdoor Leadership. Additional planning meetings were held with faculty and staff from interested North Carolina community colleges to review program need and draft program competencies. A survey of area employers was conducted to quantify employment opportunities and salary ranges for outdoor leadership professionals. Potential students were also surveyed to measure interest in the degree program. These activities are documented in the curriculum program application for Outdoor Leadership (16).

The proposed Outdoor Leadership program was presented to the College’s Board of Trustees (17) and received its approval as an additional program of study (18). Additionally, the program was presented to the College Curriculum and Instruction Committee (19). The Curriculum and Instruction Committee is responsible for reviewing matters related to the operation of the college's educational (curriculum) programs. Some of the specific duties of the committee are to make recommendations regarding the approval of new programs, the approval of curriculum revisions for existing programs and to provide guidance/positions on related academic matters (20). The committee approved the proposal to develop and implement an Outdoor Leadership program at the College (21).

To gain final approval for an Outdoor Leadership program of study, the College submitted a curriculum program application to the state Board of Community Colleges. That application provided documentation of the planning and development processes including the purpose of the proposed program and how it related to the College mission; the availability of employment for graduates; involvement of an advisory committee of industry representatives in program development; adequate faculty, budgetary, and other resources; appropriate curriculum design; and acceptance by representatives of other community colleges. Following a review by NCCCS staff, the program of study was approved by the state Board of Community Colleges (22).

Existing programs of study may be modified with changes verified by the NCCCS staff to ensure compliance with state curriculum standards (23). Modifications to degree programs are proposed by program faculty and instructional administrators (24) and must be approved by the College Curriculum and Instruction Committee.