Periodic Program Review

Periodic Program Review plays a key role in the improvement of undergraduate and graduate education at California State University, Chico. The review process provides a framework for quality management in our program offerings and related educational activities.

The following figure summarizes what is typically involved in a periodic program review:

periodic program review diagram

The steps identified in the figure above are:

A program review requires the development of a Self-Study Report that provides information about the program, typically in a form that shows how a program satisfies a list of criteria.
A program review may require an External Review component where a subject-matter expert is invited to (remotely or in-person) visit the program and to evaluate the accuracy and completeness of the Self-Study Report relative to the criteria for review. In an internal program review, the program selects the External Reviewer pending campus approval. In an external program review, the accrediting agency sets up the external review team.
A program review requires a Reflective Essay. This Essay is a written response to the External Review portion of the program review process.
A Findings and Recommendations report will contain commendations and recommendations pertaining to all materials that the program has assembled for review. In an internal program review, this report is prepared by a (sub)committee identified by the corresponding campus process. In an external program review, this report is the same as the External Review report.
A program may write a Written Response to the Findings and Recommendations report, particularly if there are any disagreements or clarifications that need to be pointed out. There is usually a grace period that determines when such a response is due.
The Final Memo contains the official, final decision about the program. In an internal review, this memo will come from the Provost. In an external review, this memo will come from the accrediting agency.

Overall, the Chico State review process embraces an organizational learning approach in which the program regularly and systematically assesses its own performance and uses the assessment information to foster collective learning and improve the program’s capacity for educational effectiveness.

2024-25 Cohort

Our 2024-25 Periodic Program Review (PPR) Cohort consisted of the following programs (listed alphabetically; programs with * were delayed from a previous cohort):

Animal Science, B.S.
Asian Studies, B.A.
Exercise Physiology, B.S.*
German, B.A.*
Intersectional Chicanox/Latinx Studies, B.A.
Kinesiology, B.S.*
Latin American Studies, B.A.*
Liberal Studies, B.A.
Mathematics, B.S.*
Media Arts, B.A.
Physics, B.S.
Psychology, B.A.
Religious Studies, B.A.*
Social Science, B.A.*
Sociology, B.A.*

By the end of 2024-25, the following programs were reviewed by the campus Undergraduate Program Review Committee, with Final Memos reaffirming these programs through 2030-31 as issued by the Provost:

Exercise Physiology, B.S.

German, B.A.

Kinesiology, B.A.

Latin American Studies, B.A.

Mathematics, B.S.

Religious Studies, B.A.

Social Science, B.A.

Click on the Wildcat icon above to view a copy of that program's Self-Study Report. Additionally, the following program completed a successful reaccreditation effort in 2024-25:

Public Administration, M.P.A.
(NASPAA, National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration)

Contact our office for questions, additional information, or to request copies of submitted self-study reports.

Additional Information

Funding Model
Academic departments that submit a complete Periodic Program Review (PPR) packet are eligible to receive $2,000 from the Provost's Office, contingent on all required packet elements being included. Due to limited funding and to overlap in work involved, Departments submitting multiple packets in the same academic year qualify for an additional $1,500 for a second report, and an additional $500 for a third report, for a maximum total allocation of $4,000 per department in an academic year.
Note: Provost Leslie Cornick approved the current funding model in AY 2024-25.
Undergraduate Program Review
Per EM 22-015, our periodic program review (PPR) process for undergraduate programs is facilitated by the Undergraduate Program Review Committee(opens in new window) (UPRC).
Overview Slides
- From the 2025-26 program review kick-off meeting held Sept 19, 2025: meeting slides (PDF) (PDF)
Guidelines
Please review the following guidelines to familiarize yourself of our undergraduate PPR process.
- Undergraduate Program Review Guidelines
Template
Please use the following template when preparing the Self-Study Report for our undergraduate PPR process. We recommend that you download a copy of the document that you can edit on your machine. Note that links to campus reports (e.g., to our campus Fact Book or to Cognos reports) may not work if you click on the link while the document is loaded on the browser version of MS Word.
- Self-Study Report template
UPRC Evaluation Rubric
A subcommittee of two reviewers is assigned to review PPR packets submitted to the UPRC. To maintain consistency in our evaluation, the subcommittee uses a rubric to evaluate PPR packets. Subcommittee responses are evaluated, and any disagreements in assessed performance levels are resolved before forwarding a recommendation to the full Committee. A link to a copy of this rubric is provided below.
- Rubric used to evaluate PPR packets
Please submit Program Review packets to the Director of Assessment and Program Review.
Graduate Program Review
Information about our periodic program review process for graduate programs is available from our Graduate Studies website.
Template:
- Academic Program Review Report Template
Please submit copies of Program Review packets to the Director of Assessment and Program Review.
Requirements for Professionally (or Externally) Accredited Programs
For a list of professionally accredited programs on our campus, see the Academic Programs report on this website.
Although professionally accredited programs are not subject to our campus Periodic Program Review (PPR) process to avoid redundancy of work, to comply with our campus program review requirements, such programs are required to submit the following documents to the Director of Assessment and Program Review:
1. a copy of the self-study report submitted to the professional accrediting agency
2. a copy of all appendices and supplementary materials submitted along with the self-study report
3. a copy of the official notification from the accrediting agency stating the result of an accreditation review
4. copies of any interim reports or action plans required by the accrediting agency as a result of an accreditation review
Failure to provide copies of the documents listed above may result in the program being required to go through the campus PPR process or a variant (e.g. accelerated).
WSCUC Compliance
Our Periodic Program Review (PPR; formerly called Academic Program Review or APR) process addresses the following WSCUC 2023 Standards(opens in new window):
- CFR 2.1: The institution’s degree programs are appropriate in content, educational objectives, and standards of performance relevant to the level of the degree. All degrees are defined in terms of entry requirements and levels of student achievement necessary for graduation.
- CFR 2.2: Degree programs engage students in an integrated course of study of sufficient breadth and depth. These programs ensure the development of core and professional competencies relevant to the level of the degree.
- CFR 2.4: The institution conducts periodic reviews of its degree programs. The program review process includes analysis of student achievement of the program’s learning outcomes.
- CFR 2.5: The institution has faculty with the capacity and scale to design and deliver the curriculum and to evaluate, improve, and promote student learning and success.
- CFR 2.6: The faculty exercise effective academic leadership and act consistently to ensure that the quality of academic programs and the institution’s educational purposes are sustained.
- CFR 2.8: The institution has clear expectations for faculty research, scholarship, and creative activity that are commensurate with the mission and degree portfolio.
- CFR 2.10: The institution demonstrates that students make reasonable progress toward and complete their degrees in a timely manner.
Please visit our campus WSCUC website(opens in new window) for information on our WSCUC accreditation.