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Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Off-Campus Instructional Sites

Purpose: 

The purpose of this process is to articulate expectations and procedures for establishing an off-campus instructional site or making changes to existing off-campus instructional site (e.g.,relocating and closing off-campus instructional sites, expanding program offerings at previously approved off-campus sites, or reopening a previously closed off-campus instructional site).

SACSCOC Definition

An off-campus instructional site is a teaching site located geographically apart from the main campus. A site at which an institution provides electronic delivery and where students go to access the support services needed is also considered an off-campus instructional site. The site is not independent of the institution’s main campus.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Establishing a new off-campus site or discontinuing an existing off-campus site is a substantive change and SACSCOC must be notified before anything is to be implemented (for programs offering 50% or more of a credential, submission for SACSCOC approval needs to be six months prior to the intended implementation) .

Any department planning to offer a degree or certificate program at an off-campus instructional site or discontinue an existing instructional site must adhere to the timelines and requirements of the SACSCOC Substantive Change and follow the following approval process:

Process for Establishing, Changing, or Discontinuing an Off-Campus Site

Departments planning to establish an off-campus instructional site or make changes to an existing off-campus instructional site for a degree or certificate program will follow the process below to seek appropriate approvals from the department, college, university, the UNC system, and SACSCOC. 

  1. Prior to the formal planning, programs are strongly encouraged to consult with the Office of Instructional Programs (OIP) and the Office of Assessment and Accreditation (OAA) to discuss requirements and timelines required by NC State, UNC system, and SACSCOC. 
  2. Programs submit the Off-Campus Instructional Site Approval Routing Form which moves forward through the following campus routing.
    • Department head reviews
    • College Curriculum Committee recommends 
    • College Dean reviews 
    • University Courses and Curriculum Committee or Administrative Board of the Graduate School recommends
    • Substantive Change Review Team (SCRT) reviews
    • Deans’ Council recommends
    • The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost approves
    • OIP prepares documents to send to the UNC System’s Office 
    • OAA prepares documents for Chancellor to send to SACSCOC
  3. Upon receiving the System Office’s and SACSCOC’s decisions, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost will notify the department and its associated college. 

Periodic Review of Off-Campus Instructional Site Agreements

Unless the agreement specifies a date, all off-campus instructional site agreements will be reviewed within five years of the date of implementation and every five years thereafter. OIP is responsible for maintaining and tracking these agreements. When a review is required, OIP will notify the program director and collect documents from the program to start the review process. Whether or not a new MOA is required for renewal will be at the discretion of the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost.

Current Off-campus Sites

NC State has twelve off-campus instructional sites that are supported by the main campus. Members of the NC State community can view a complete list of off-campus instructional sites below.