We at the Graduate School’s Office of Academic Affairs seek to make the academic unit review process useful and informative to the academic unit under review. The goal of this process is to provide an opportunity for reflection and visioning: What has worked well? What can be improved? Where would the unit like to be in five or ten years? It is in that spirit that we provide detailed information on the academic unit review process and instructions on writing a self-study.
Process Overview
Five-Year Reports of New Graduate Programs
Resources for units under review
About Academic Unit Review
The University of Washington conducts academic unit reviews as stipulated in the University Policy Directory (Presidential Orders: Executive Order 20.4): Reviews of all academic units including the graduate and undergraduate degree programs offered by these units are required at least every ten years and are conducted jointly by the Dean of the Graduate School and the Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs in cooperation with the relevant School or College Dean.
While academic unit review is required by university policy and the university’s accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), the process also provides units an opportunity to reflect on strengths, challenges, aspirations, and strategic planning. The primary objective of the review is an assessment of the academic and educational quality of the unit. Units are encouraged to approach the review as an opportunity to engage an expert committee of consultants who can provide insight on trends in the discipline and across the University of Washington.
Key areas of focus for every review include:
- Educational program quality, sustainability, and prominence (regional, national, or international) in relation to the unit’s peers at other institutions and to the unit’s stated goals.
- The extent to which the unit prepares its graduates for civic life, careers, and future academic pursuits.
- Scholarly and civic influence and prominence (regional, national, or international) in relation to the unit’s peers at other institutions and to the unit’s stated goals.
- The extent to which students, faculty, postdocs, and other staff, including those from historically underrepresented backgrounds, find the unit a supportive, welcoming, and inclusive environment to pursue their education and careers.
In addition to the points above, the unit under review submits 3-4 supplementary questions unique to its work and context.
Archived Documentation
The documents that are developed as a part of this peer review process are:
- Unit Self-Study Report (Appendices excluded)
- Review Committee Report
- Program Response to Review Committee Report
- Recommendation to the Provost
These documents are NetID protected.
View archived review documents
Graduate School Academic Unit Review Contacts
For more information, contact the academic unit review team at unitrev@uw.edu.
The academic unit review team members are:
- Chris Partridge, Director, Academic Unit Review
- Ann Busche, Academic Unit Review Specialist