The Dean’s Office offers remuneration to each department for their Academic Staff members appointed as Undergraduate Director and/or Program Director to help ensure that programming is maintained. These individuals bear special responsibility for the program’s smooth operations. Other members of an academic unit, including the Head of Department, are not normally expected to advise students.

The primary responsibility of an Undergraduate Program Director or a Program Director is to deal with program-specific matters with respect to undergraduate recruitment, retention, curriculum and programming that cannot reasonably be handled by a full-time staff advisor, or by someone who is not a subject specialist. Directors have specific knowledge of a program and its subject matter. However, they may lack awareness of overall components of degree programs, university regulations and other administrative matters that full-time advisors are knowledgeable about.

The Undergraduate Director is normally the department representative for the Curriculum and Programs Committee (CPC), with the understanding that other members of the academic unit are similarly encouraged to consider such administrative service.

Duties

Expected duties of Undergraduate Program Directors and Program Directors normally include:

• maintaining an up-to-date University Calendar entry for the relevant program requirements and courses, which may involve coordinating efforts with the unit’s curriculum and planning committee if one exists;
• being available to answer questions from the Registrar’s Office, full-time advisors, the department Head and the Dean’s Office;
• consulting the Assistant Registrar and Associate Dean regarding processes of curriculum reform;
• offering guidance to the department Head about the teaching plan, when requested;
• supporting the regularization of special topics courses and formalizing their calendar descriptions;
• holding office hours to meet with students who require specialized information (e.g., Honours students) or who have extraordinary circumstances – students with more general enquiries should not normally meet with a Program Director in the first instance but rather should be referred to full-time staff advisors and/or to information available online;
• encouraging students to declare a program of study by informing them that they can do so by sending an email from their @MUN email account with their student number and chosen program (e.g., Major, Minor, Diploma, Certificate) to the Registrar’s Office at registrar@mun.ca
• responding to student emails promptly;
• representing the department at student-focused events organized by the Faculty or University;
• nominating undergraduate students for scholarships and awards (in consultation with the Head) and helping to make students aware of field-specific opportunities for scholarship and awards;
• exploring options to create new undergraduate programs;
• building a sense of community among undergraduate students who have declared the program of study (e.g., coordinating meet and greets at the start of a semester);
• commenting on calendar change proposals prepared by members of another academic unit, if invited to do so; 
• proofing calendar change proposals before they are submitted to the Office of the Dean; and
• fulfilling other required responsibilities varying by program, in consultation with the academic unit Head and/or the Dean’s Office. For example, acting on a request from the Dean’s Office to provide information about career paths, which will be provided to staff advisors and used online.

Program Directors are expected to take the initiative to promote the diploma or certificate program to a wide audience, including people situated outside the local area and lifelong learners. For instance this might involve working with the Faculty’s communications advisor and its computing specialist to cultivate a dynamic online presence (e.g., website, social media).

Questions that full-time non-academic advisors might direct to an Undergraduate Program Director or Program Director, and which might involve communicating with the Head of the academic unit, include:

• what semester is a course likely to be offered;
• permission for waivers (requires approval by Head of the academic unit and HSS Undergraduate Waivers and Appeals Committee (HSS_UWAC@mun.ca));
• will the student be able to complete their degree by a given semester;
• what are the ideal courses for a student when choice is available within the program regulations;
• can information be provided about a field school program or an exchange program;
• is a student a good candidate for an Honours program; and
• what undergraduate preparation is required for a graduate program.

Given the complexity of career and personal counselling, and related matters, an Undergraduate Program Director or Program Director is encouraged to direct students to applicable supports when appropriate.