Guide Purpose
Use this page as the source of truth for schools, departments, programs, centers, academies, graduate programs, and the way they connect into the editorial system.
Web Guide
Academic Taxonomy
Master Academic Taxonomy Guide
This guide defines the academic taxonomy layer used by school editorial pages, academic area editorial pages, story pages, and future explore or filter views. It extends the existing editorial system without changing the five main editorial categories.
1. Overview
The academic taxonomy should sit beside the current editorial taxonomy. Editorial categories continue to describe what kind of story something is. Academic units and academic areas describe where in the university that story belongs.
| Layer | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Main Category | Top-level editorial bucket | News, Students, Community, Resources, Innovation |
| Editorial Sub-category | Editorial grouping inside a category | Research Updates, Student Life, Civic Engagement, Academic Support |
| Academic Unit | School, college, or campuswide academic grouping | College of Science, School of Education |
| Academic Area | Department, program, center, academy, office, or graduate program | Communication, Nursing, Honors, Master of Social Work |
| Tags | Reusable cross-linking terms | Research, Career Prep, Belonging, Public Voice |
2. Academic Units
Academic units should be the parent layer for school editorial pages and academic area editorial pages.
| Academic Unit | Unit Type | Use in Editorial System |
|---|---|---|
| College of Humanities and Social Sciences | College | School editorial page parent |
| School of the Arts | School | School editorial page parent |
| School of Education | School | School editorial page parent |
| Smith College of Engineering and Technology | College | School editorial page parent |
| Woodbury School of Business | School | School editorial page parent |
| College of Health and Public Service | College | School editorial page parent |
| College of Science | College | School editorial page parent |
| Campuswide Programs and Services | Campuswide Group | Parent for shared academic and support units |
3. Academic Area Types
Not every child unit should be treated as a department. Area types should stay explicit so the system remains flexible and accurate.
| Area Type | Use For | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Department | Standard academic departments | Communication, Biology, Music |
| Program | Named academic or structured support programs | Integrated Studies, Pre-health, Concurrent Enrollment |
| Center | Centers and focused mission areas | Center for the Study of Ethics, Center for National Security Studies |
| Academy | Academies and formal training units | Law Enforcement Academy, Utah Fire & Rescue Academy |
| Graduate Program | Named graduate-level areas | Master of Social Work, Master of Business Administration |
| Office | Campuswide academic or instructional offices | Office of Teaching & Learning |
| Institute | Specialized institutes when needed | Culinary Arts Institute |
4. Academic Areas by Unit
These areas should be treated as the child layer for academic-area editorial pages and story metadata.
| Academic Area | Area Type |
|---|---|
| Integrated Studies | Program |
| Behavioral Science | Department |
| History & Political Science | Department |
| Philosophy & Humanities | Department |
| Languages & Cultures | Department |
| English & Literature | Department |
| Communication | Department |
| Center for the Study of Ethics | Center |
| Master of Social Work | Graduate Program |
| Academic Area | Area Type |
|---|---|
| Art & Design | Department |
| Dance | Department |
| Music | Department |
| Theatre | Department |
| Academic Area | Area Type |
|---|---|
| Elementary Education | Department |
| Secondary Education | Department |
| Special Education | Department |
| Master of Education | Graduate Program |
| Student Leadership and Success Studies | Department |
| Academic Area | Area Type |
|---|---|
| Applied Engineering and Transportation Technologies | Department |
| Architecture and Engineering Design | Department |
| Aviation Sciences | Department |
| Computer Science | Department |
| Construction Technology | Department |
| Culinary Arts Institute | Institute |
| Digital Media | Department |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | Department |
| Information Systems & Technology | Department |
| Mechanical & Civil Engineering | Department |
| Technology Management & Mechatronics | Department |
| Master of Computer Science | Graduate Program |
| Master of Science in Cyber Security | Graduate Program |
| Master of Science in Engineering and Technology Management | Graduate Program |
| Academic Area | Area Type |
|---|---|
| Accounting | Department |
| Business Marketing | Department |
| Finance & Economics | Department |
| Organizational Leadership | Department |
| Strategic Management & Operations | Department |
| Master of Accountancy | Graduate Program |
| Master of Business Administration | Graduate Program |
| Master of Financial Planning & Analytics | Graduate Program |
| Academic Area | Area Type |
|---|---|
| Center for National Security Studies | Center |
| Criminal Justice | Department |
| Dental Hygiene | Department |
| Emergency Services | Department |
| Forensic Science | Department |
| Health Sciences | Department |
| Law Enforcement Academy | Academy |
| Nursing | Department |
| Public and Community Health | Department |
| Pre-health | Program |
| Firefighter Recruitment Candidate Academy | Academy |
| Respiratory Therapy | Department |
| Utah Fire & Rescue Academy | Academy |
| Master of Physician Assistant Studies | Graduate Program |
| Master of Public Administration | Graduate Program |
| Master of Science in Nursing | Graduate Program |
| Academic Area | Area Type |
|---|---|
| Biology | Department |
| Chemistry | Department |
| Developmental Mathematics | Department |
| Earth Science | Department |
| Ex. Sci. & Outdoor Rec. | Department |
| Mathematics | Department |
| Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning | Department |
| Physics | Department |
| Academic Area | Area Type |
|---|---|
| Office of Teaching & Learning | Office |
| Extended Studies | Program |
| Summer | Program |
| Concurrent Enrollment | Program |
| Professional & Continuing Education | Program |
| Honors | Program |
5. Editorial Crosswalk Standards
Academic areas should connect into the five current editorial categories based on likely story types, not ownership alone.
| Academic Unit | Strongest Editorial Category Connections | Common Secondary Connections |
|---|---|---|
| College of Humanities and Social Sciences | News, Students, Community | Resources, Innovation |
| School of the Arts | Students, Community | News, Innovation |
| School of Education | Students, Community, Resources | News |
| Smith College of Engineering and Technology | Innovation, News, Students | Community, Resources |
| Woodbury School of Business | Students, Innovation, News | Community, Resources |
| College of Health and Public Service | Community, Students, Resources | News, Innovation |
| College of Science | News, Innovation, Students | Community |
| Campuswide Programs and Services | Resources, Students | News, Community |
| Academic Area | Most Likely Main Categories | Common Editorial Sub-categories | Typical Tag Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | News, Students, Innovation, Community | Career Development, Leadership News, Creative Technology, Community Partnerships | Media, Storytelling, Public Voice, Career Prep |
| Nursing | Students, Community, Resources | Career Development, Community Partnerships, Accessibility Services | Health Care, Service, Support, Practice |
| Computer Science | Innovation, News, Students | Applied Research, Creative Technology, Student Achievement | Technology, Coding, Prototype, Innovation |
| Music | Students, Community, News | Arts and Culture, Student Achievement | Performance, Arts, Audience, Creative Work |
| Honors | Students, Resources | Student Achievement, Academic Support | Student Success, Leadership, Belonging, Support |
6. Tag Standards
Tags should stay reusable and separated by purpose. They should support discovery without duplicating the work of categories or academic ownership.
| Tag Type | Purpose | Examples | Use Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic Tags | Main subject matter | Research, Storytelling, Scholarships, Ethics, Health Care | Use 1–2 per story |
| Audience Tags | Who the story matters to most | Students, Faculty, Families, Community | Use when helpful |
| Impact Tags | Why the story matters | Career Prep, Student Success, Public Impact, Belonging | Use 0–1 per story |
| Content Type Tags | Editorial format | Feature, Update, Spotlight, Guide, Recap | Usually internal or lightly surfaced |
| Event Tags | Recurring events or programs | Lecture Series, Internship Fair, Service Week | Use only when clearly event-based |
| Location Tags | Place-based relevance | Campus, Orem, Statewide, Online | Use sparingly |
7. Naming Rules
Consistent naming is important so filtering, page labels, and metadata remain clear across the system.
| Field | Standard | Best Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Unit | Use the official full name | Do not shorten in data even if the UI uses a shorter label |
| Academic Area | Use the official visible name | Keep punctuation and ampersands consistent |
| Academic Area Type | Use the controlled set of area types | Do not invent new types casually |
| Main Category | Use one of the five editorial categories only | Do not use school names as categories |
| Editorial Sub-category | Use approved editorial lanes | Keep them reusable across units when possible |
| Tags | Use concise reusable phrases | Avoid one-off marketing language |
8. Taxonomy Expansion Checklist
Use this before building more school editorial pages and academic area pages.
| Check | Required | Review Notes |
|---|---|---|
| All academic units are defined | Yes | Schools, colleges, and campuswide group should be complete |
| All academic areas are assigned to one academic unit | Yes | Avoid orphaned departments or programs |
| Every academic area has an area type | Yes | Department, program, center, academy, office, institute, or graduate program |
| The five main editorial categories remain unchanged | Yes | Academic taxonomy should extend, not replace |
| Crosswalk logic is defined before page expansion | Yes | Prevents messy category assignment later |
| Tag types are controlled and reusable | Yes | Do not let tags replace ownership fields |
| Academic naming is official and consistent | Yes | Match institutional naming standards |
| Story records can surface across all relevant page types | Yes | Home, category, school, academic area, story, and explore |
9. Summary
The academic taxonomy layer gives the editorial system stronger academic structure without disturbing the five-category editorial model. Once this guide is locked, the rest of the school and academic area pages can be built consistently and reused across the larger story system.
- Keep editorial categories stable
- Use schools as academic units
- Use departments, programs, centers, academies, offices, and graduate programs as academic areas
- Keep one shared story model
- Use crosswalks to connect academic structure to editorial structure
- Scale new pages from the taxonomy, not from one-off exceptions
