Year-Round Operations: Academic Planning

1. Which programs are entering coordinated planning for YRO implementation beginning in 2028–29?

The following programs will move forward with coordinated planning to implement YRO in 2028–29.

Implementation will be phased based on readiness, with some programs, including high-demand areas, moving earlier. This work will be coordinated at the college and university level to ensure alignment with broader academic, operational and resource planning.

College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

• Agricultural Business
• Animal Science

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

• Architecture
• Construction Management

College of Engineering

• Aerospace Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• General Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Materials Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

College of Liberal Arts

• Child Development
• Communication Studies
• Political Science
• Psychology

Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

• Biological Sciences
• Kinesiology

Orfalea College of Business

• Business Administration
• Economics

These programs were identified through consultation with college leadership and analysis of student demand, workforce alignment and institutional capacity.

2. Why were these programs selected?

Programs entering planning for implementation in 2028–29 reflect:

• Demonstrated student demand
• Workforce and regional alignment
• Institutional capacity
• College-level planning readiness

This reflects current modeling and readiness assessment. As with all YRO planning, implementation will remain iterative and data-informed.

3. Does this mean other programs are excluded?

No. Programs not included in the initial implementation may be incorporated as readiness, demand and resource alignment support expansion. YRO growth is staged and capacity-driven.

4. What does this mean for General Education and foundational departments?

Growth associated with YRO extends beyond major coursework and is being planned accordingly.

Enrollment growth in these majors will increase demand for:

• General education courses
• Foundational support courses (e.g., chemistry, physics, calculus, statistics)
• Service courses provided across colleges

Academic Affairs is centrally modeling projected instructional demand, including timing and scale, in coordination with college leadership and shared governance partners. Departments providing foundational and service instruction will be engaged as projections are finalized.

5. How is Academic Affairs modeling the impact of enrollment growth?

Academic Affairs is conducting detailed, multi-year, program-level enrollment modeling to quantify the instructional impact of YRO growth across the university.

This modeling includes:

• Projecting how additional cohorts will move through each major over time
• Mapping course sequencing and progression patterns
• Calculating the resulting demand for general education and support courses
• Assessing cross-college instructional dependencies

The modeling tracks student progression across multiple academic years to understand cumulative demand, not just first-year impact. This allows Academic Affairs to anticipate instructional pressure points before enrollment increases occur.

The results of this analysis directly inform:

• Faculty hiring plans (tenure-line and lecturer as appropriate)
• Summer scheduling integration
• Off-term integration and scheduling
• Advising and tutoring capacity
• Student support services
• Laboratory and instructional space needs
• Operational and administrative support planning
• Other areas necessary to support YRO

This work ensures that growth is data-driven, phased and aligned with academic quality across all impacted units.

6. Will growth be resourced?

Yes. Enrollment growth expectations will not advance without aligning the personnel and infrastructure necessary to sustain instructional quality and effective student support.

YRO-related growth will be phased and supported. Resource alignment includes faculty, staff, advising, instructional support, space and operational capacity.

7. What are the next steps?

Over the coming months, Academic Affairs will:

• Finalize multi-year enrollment projections for summer 2028 and beyond
• Align faculty hiring and instructional staffing plans
• Model major, general education and foundational course demand
• Assess advising, tutoring, space and support capacity
• Continue consultation with deans, department leadership and governance partners

Because tenure-line hiring and instructional staffing require advance planning, often a year or more in advance, hiring timelines are being sequenced now to align with summer 2028 enrollment growth.

Planning and modeling work will continue through 2026–27 to ensure readiness prior to summer 2028 implementation.

8. What defines readiness for future departments to move to YRO?

Readiness includes:

• Enrollment demand
• Faculty and instructional capacity
• Advising and support infrastructure
• Sustainable resource modeling
• Alignment with institutional priorities
• Demonstrated benefit to student success and workforce alignment

Additional programs may be considered for YRO as these factors align.

9. What does YRO implementation mean for faculty workload?

Faculty workload expectations will remain aligned with current policies, collective bargaining agreements and campus practices.

YRO does not change overall workload expectations; rather, it expands how instructional assignments and activities may be distributed across the academic year.

As program-level planning progresses, colleges and departments will work with faculty and shared governance partners to determine appropriate instructional models, scheduling approaches and workload distribution that align with disciplinary needs and student demand.

Additional guidance will be provided as planning advances to ensure clarity, consistency and alignment with academic quality and faculty support.

10. When will faculty and staff hiring begin for programs participating in YRO?

Hiring will follow completion of program-level planning and enrollment modeling to ensure alignment with instructional and operational needs.

Once enrollment targets and instructional requirements are established, hiring will proceed. Faculty searches are expected to begin approximately one year in advance of needed instruction, consistent with standard hiring timelines.

Hiring decisions will be developed in partnership between Academic Affairs and college leadership, with timing and scale aligned to program readiness, projected demand and available resources.