L&S Guide Editing
College of Letters & Science policy, guidelines, and resources for Lumen proposers and Guide editors.

Timelines for Editing and Publishing

Guide Update Cycle

The Guide is published every year on June 1.

Annual updates: Fall semester

Each annual edition is effective for the next full academic year, from the first day of Fall term through the last day of Summer Term. The previous edition is archived: guide.wisc.edu/archive

  • The edition published on June 1, 2026 is effective for the first day of Fall semester 2026 (late August 2026) through the last day of Summer term 2027 (August 2027).
  • Each year, departments/programs may update program requirements, How to Get In, and all other governed and non-governed sections of Guide.
  • The implementation of any new programs are approved for the Annual edition of Guide and effective Fall semester.
  • For requirements and policies during Summer Term (after the new edition has been published), refer to the recently archived version of the Guide which includes that term.
  • L&S Annual Fall Guide Revisions.

Midcycle updates: Spring semester

Although the June 1 edition is in place for the full academic year, some limited updates are published before the start of the Spring Term.

  • Midcycle Guide is published mid- October.
  • Edits are limited to fixing critical errors in governed content that could have a detrimental effect on students’ academic plans.
  • Procedures: Midcycle updates

Summer term

Guide is not updated for Summer terms.

Contact information Box

This can be updated throughout the year following the instructions on the Contact Information page.

General annual editing cycle

To prepare for deadlines, departments/units should plan ahead to have all proposals and edits approved internally ahead of the deadlines. Here is a suggested planning cycle:

Summer through early Fall

  • Plan out updates to the curriculum and submit proposals for new courses. L&S Course Proposal Information (Main Overview)
  • Deadlines and key information are emailed to Guide Editors and Approvers. Lumen/Guide Deadlines
  • For substantial edit such as renaming a program or creating new core required courses, consult L&S staff over the summer.

September through November

  • Discuss changes internally within the department/unit, enter the edits in the Lumen program proposal form, and vote on the edits.
  • After the next-guide.wisc.edu tool opens around November 1, make changes to the nongoverned content.

November through December

  • Approve the program proposal form at the department/unit level.
  • The next-guide.wisc.edu tool opens for editing nongoverned content on November 1.
  • The L&S deadline for annual program proposals and nongoverned content revisions is early December.

Program proposal approvals: What’s next

Once a program proposal is submitted, it goes through this approval path:

  1. Approval by the department/unit/program.
  2. Approval by the College of Letters & Science.
    1. Proposals with more substantive edits will be scheduled for an L&S Curriculum Committee meeting and potentially an L&S Academic Planning Council meeting in early spring term.
    2. New programs, discontinued programs, renaming programs, and similar changes require close consultation with L&S Academic Planning. These proposals will require review by the University Academic Planning Council and possible additional governance groups.
  3. The Office of the Registrar works to update DARS and partners with L&S Academic Information Management to implement the new or updated degree audits (DARS).
  4. Guide is published by June 1st with the edits.