New York State Registration
Once a proposed program leading to a statutory certificate has received all of the necessary University approvals, the Vice Provost for Academic Administration sends it to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for review and inclusion in Columbia's registry of authorized programs. A full list of those programs can be accessed on-line through NYSED's inventory of registered programs at http://www.nysed.gov/heds/IRPSL1.html.
The New York State Education Department can register a new program in as little as two or three weeks, but it can also take as long as several months, depending on the volume of other work it is handling and whether it has any questions about the new program proposal. Therefore, the earlier a proposal is ready for review, the greater the chances are that it will receive State approval in time to start the new program on the desired date.
No new program can begin until it has received all of the necessary approvals, both within and outside of the University. Moreover, a school or department may start to advertise a new program before completing the process of review only with the prior approval of the Vice Provost for Academic Administration and only if it makes clear in its publicity that the introduction of the program is conditional on receiving the needed approvals before its anticipated start date. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the originating department or school to seek authorization for a new program and prepare the supporting materials in a timely manner.