At AU, academic regulations are published on 1 December the year before they take effect. This is preceded by an approval process, which is described in the ministerial order, and which serves as a framework for the pre-publication process. Moreover, the prior process is aligned with other parallel processes relying on information from the academic regulations.
The timings of the various steps in the process are indicative, and faculty-specific deviations may be seen.
Process step | Role | Description | Indicative timings |
Start-up and development of academic regulations | |||
Start: Request for new academic regulations is received | Requests can come from many sources. Requests for revisions most commonly concern the academic content, but may also concern other types of wishes or requirements following from changes to ministerial orders or revisions based on financial considerations. | Ongoing until March | |
Review request | Faculty administration | The administration receives the request and ensures that the initiation of a process is approved by the relevant management levels (department management team, the Dean’s Office etc.). The ongoing review of legal issues (overall framework and direction), manageability assessment and policy considerations are initiated in connection with the review of the request. The work continues during the development of the new academic regulations. | |
‘Initiate’ preparation of draft for new academic regulations | Board of studies | The board of studies is responsible for initiating work on the new academic regulations. | |
Prepare a draft for new academic regulations | Responsible for academic content: Faculty administration | Draft for new academic regulations is prepared. The faculty administration coordinates the task and helps to ensure that all elements of the academic regulations are prepared. Internal stakeholders are involved on an ongoing basis to ensure that the academic regulations are both financially sustainable and administratively manageable. This happens continuously in this part of the process. | |
Consideration of draft academic regulations | Board of studies | The study board is responsible for ensuring that the draft is considered. | |
Consultations and final adjustments | |||
Send draft for consultation | Faculty administration | The draft is sent for consultation to external parties such as the body of external co-examiners, prospective employers, external examiners, special consultants, other universities etc. | March to June |
Receive consultation results | Faculty administration | ||
Consider consultation results | Board of studies | The board of studies is responsible for ensuring that the consultation results are considered. | |
Finalise draft for new academic regulations | Responsible for academic content: Faculty administration | Those responsible for the academic content, possibly together with others from the academic environment and in collaboration with the faculty administration, continue work on the academic regulations based on comments from the consultations. | |
Approval of academic regulations | |||
Approve academic regulations | Board of studies Dean | Draft for new academic regulations is approved and recommended by the study board and then for approval by the dean. | June to October |
Creating academic regulations | |||
Create/revise academic regulations in system | Faculty administration | The new academic regulations are created in the systems. | October to November |
Create/edit and publish admission pages | Faculty administration Responsible for academic content | The content of the admission pages (Study Guide) is updated in relation to any changes to the academic content of the new academic regulations | |
Publication of academic regulations | |||
End: Academic regulations approved and published | Academic regulations approved and published | 1 December | |
