The most important components of an academic institution are the educational programs it offers. California Education Code and accreditation standards emphasize the essential nature of a college's educational programs to that college's existence, and often a college's programs reflect the individual personality of the college and the uniqueness of the community it serves. This paper is intended to be used by faculty and other college personnel to understand and safeguard the role that faculty play in educational program development and as a resource for effective practices in educational program development. The primary audience for this paper is the faculty member who has a broad understanding of educational programs and curriculum development but is only involved in the process intermittently, such as when industry or transfer requirement changes necessitate modification to a program or the program review process leads to new and modified curriculum. This paper is intended to be a guide for program development from the policy side.