Course Syllabus Outline
The new 2026-2027 academic year syllabus templates are a significant update.
First, there are separate templates for graduate and undergraduate courses. The Undergraduate template includes two sections that the Graduate template does not: 1) a section on the CPE鈥檚 10 Essential Skills (discussed below), and 2) a section on Starfish. Otherwise, these two templates are identical.
The update to the syllabus template was primarily to make the template compliant with the DOJ鈥檚 recent rule regarding accessibility, which goes into effect in April 2027. The updated template uses the Headings structure in Word/Google Docs, rather than Roman numerals, as it is more easily translated by screen reader softwares.
The , featuring 10 Essential Skills modelled heavily on Characteristics of an MSU Graduate from several years ago, is an effort to bridge the gap between the content knowledge that undergraduate students acquire in their coursework with the 鈥渟oft skills鈥� needed to be successful in lifelong learning and career advancement. You are not being asked to assess the learning of these skills; instead, you are being asked to show students that through the journey of your coursework, they are acquiring valuable, transferable, durable skills in addition to content mastery.
Starfish is a valuable tool for undergraduate student retention; please continue to use this as students need additional support to be successful in your class. Because it is not utilized for graduate students, that section has been removed from the graduate syllabus template.
In both versions of the syllabus template, sections in red need to be replaced with information appropriate to your specific course.
26-27 Undergraduate Syllabus Template
26-27 Graduate Syllabus Template
You do not have to use this specific template in this format. However, your AY 26-27 syllabi should include all sections that are included within the template, and by Spring 2027, all electronic syllabus documents must meet the accessibility requirements.