In June 2025, AUPHA’s Board of Directors approved a new substantive change process for Undergraduate Certification. Substantive Changes are any significant changes from the last undergraduate certification review. Examples include adding or removing program tracks or revising core degree requirements.
This new process helps ensure that programs maintain the standards set by the undergraduate certification criteria between cycles.
Programs are encouraged to inform AUPHA in advance to understand how a proposed change may impact their certification status. Once a substantive change takes place, the Undergraduate Program Committee (UPC) reviews the change to determine if the program is still in compliance with the criteria. If it is not, UPC may require a progress report the following year to again evaluate the change, or, depending on the severity, the program may enter probationary status or lose its certification entirely.
Not all adjustments to programs are substantive changes. AUPHA evaluates each case individually. Please review this overview document to see what is considered a substantive change and how the substantive change process works.
If you have any questions regarding substantive changes or the undergraduate certification process, please email Anna Dieme at adieme@aupha.org.