Subject: Academic Program Inventory
Organizational Area: Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
Effective Date: 3/28/79
Review Cycle: Five year review cycle
Revision and Review History: Revised 7/15/19, revised 5/15/2026
Corresponding BOT Policies: Policy Manual Section 305: Program Inventory
Purpose of this APL
The purpose of this APL is to define the University of Maine System (UMS) Academic Program Inventory, specify the types of programs which are included, and outline the responsibilities of the UMS and administrative units in its maintenance.
Section One: The Academic Program Inventory
Board of Trustees policy section 305 states that the Academic Program Inventory is the definitive list of all academic programs of study offered by the institutions or units of the University of Maine System. The publicly available Academic Program Inventory draws from information included in the university catalog of each UMS institution. In cases where the online inventory and the university catalog conflict, the University catalog should be considered the document of record.
An academic program of study (sometimes called a major or program) is a defined set of credit-bearing academic requirements focused on a specific subject matter area.
Credit-bearing academic requirements may include:
- credit-bearing courses in any modality
- internships, externships, residencies, co-ops, and other types of experiential learning
- university-verified credit for prior learning (CPL)
- theses & dissertations
- formal examinations
- other academic experiences approved through the university curricular review process, defined in the academic plan, or recorded through the university catalog.
Section Two: Types of Programs of Study included in the Inventory
Within the UMS, academic programs of study are developed, reviewed, and recommended through a formal administrative process involving the academic unit, the university, and the UMS, and, often, the Board of Trustees. They are identified by a specific program title, described in the undergraduate or graduate catalog, and are documented on the student’s academic record or transcript. The UMS academic program of study review process is outlined in APL Section X, items P.1-P.7.
The following academic programs of study are included in the academic inventory within the UMS:
- credit-bearing undergraduate certificates
- undergraduate programs at the associate and baccalaureate levels, including 90-credit applied programs
- graduate programs at the masters and doctoral levels
- graduate and post-graduate certificates/ advanced certificates of study
- concentrations
- minors
Multi-University Academic Programs of Study
Multi-university academic programs are collaborative academic programs of study offered jointly by two or more UMS universities and/or the University of Maine School of Law. These academic programs are included in the academic inventory under the institution where the credential is conferred. Degrees shared across universities are listed under every participating school.
Availability and Maintenance of the Academic Inventory
The Academic Program Inventory is made publicly available on the UMS Academic and Student Affairs website. In order to successfully maintain the inventory, UMS institutions should annually review the inventory contents and ensure that their information is accurate and up to date. Updates should be submitted to UMS Institutional Research.
Section Three: Removal of a program from the Academic Inventory
The Academic Program Inventory reflects:
- all types of programs listed in section two, above,
- AND programs that are marked within the MaineStreet information system as ACTIVE in the ACAD_PLAN_TABLE,
- AND programs that are still allowing students to enroll as indicated by the LAST ADMIT TERM field. When the LAST ADMIT TERM field is empty, this will be used to indicate that this plan is still allowing students to enroll in it.
When a program is no longer enrolling at a campus, the date should be added on the Last Admit Term and all check boxes under the Advisement Tab of the Acad Plan Table should be unchecked. This will ensure the program is not listed on the UMS Academic Inventory site. In cases where the online Inventory and the University catalog conflict, the University catalog should be considered the document of record. UMS IR will email each registrar a list of plans where Last_Admit_Term is populated with zero enrolled students; registrars can then review and mark these plans as “I” on the Effective_Status field in the Acad_Plan_Tbl.
APL Revisions and Change Approvals
This APL provides guidelines for the collection and publication of the UMS Academic Program Inventory. Future modifications to this APL should be reviewed by UMS IR, university institutional research officers and registrars. Future modifications will be administered by the VCASA. The final authority for approving modifications sits with the VCASA. Any changes to this APL should be distributed to UMS and campus institutional research offices, chief academic officers, and university registrars.
The VCASA will determine if changes to the APL are substantive or non-substantive. Substantive changes are required to follow the APL creation and revision process. Non-substantive changes to this APL do not require any review beyond the VCASA. Non-substantive changes are minor changes that do not affect the overall purpose and instructions outlined by the document. Non-substantive changes may take many forms, including, but not limited to: grammar or spelling corrections, inclusive language, technical revisions, updated names and contacts of pertinent offices or departments, or reorganized APL sections.
Contact Information
For questions regarding the APL on the UMS Academic Inventory, please contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs.
Additional Resources
Please see the UMS glossary for a full list of definitions
APL X-P.1 Academic Program Approval
APL X-P.2 Substantive Changes to Existing Academic Programs
APL X-P.4 Academic Program Suspension
APL X-P.5 Academic Program Elimination
See: Policy Manual Section 305: Program Inventory