The university has established these guidelines for governing third-level domain (i.e., NAME.jhu.edu) registrations to ensure that all URLs in the JHU.edu domain are assigned and used in alignment with institutional goals and that the university’s name, brand, and reputation are protected. Examples of third-level domain names would be in the form of NAME.jhu.edu. The granting of third-level domain names will be limited to entities of broad scope and long duration.

All official university websites must live within the JHU.edu domain, though there may be exceptions for entities in partnership with other institutions. Those instances must be approved by University Communications and the Office of the Provost. 

MAKING A REQUEST

Requests for a third-level domain name must originate from a staff member of the requesting entity and have the endorsement and sponsorship of the entity’s dean, director, communications lead, or department head if not the requester. 

University entities that have an existing third-level domain (i.e., NAME.jhu.edu) may establish fourth-level domain names (i.e., NAME.NAME.jhu.edu) without approval from University Communications. Fourth-level domain names may be requested from, and will be approved by, the relevant official responsible for the existing third-level domain. 

Make a request on the IT website.

REQUIREMENTS FOR APPROVAL

Requested subdomain should: 

• accurately name the unit, department, or program; 
  • The use of initiative names must be approved by University Communications as a clearinghouse to ensure no duplications or conflicts across the JHU.edu domain’s information architecture, directory structure, or nomenclature. 
  • Use of abbreviations or acronyms for names must be approved by University Communications. 
• not include “JHU” in the name; 
• not be generic or applicable to many units or functions, or conflict with other current or future subdomain requests for websites, services, or systems; 
• be aligned with the university’s current or anticipated strategic initiatives or objectives. 

Subdomains will be granted to the groups listed below. Subdomain requests from entities that do not fall in the listed categories will be reviewed on an individual basis by University Communications and other departments as needed but will generally be denied. 

• Johns Hopkins University schools and divisions. For example, 
  • Bloomberg School of Public Health: publichealth.jhu.edu 
  • Krieger School of Arts & Sciences: krieger.jhu.edu 
  • Whiting School of Engineering: engineering.jhu.edu 
• Interdisciplinary units, with “interdisciplinary” defined as spanning multiple (two or more) schools or divisions. For example, 
  • Consortium for School-Based Health Solutions: schoolhealth.jhu.edu (universitywide) 
  • Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare: malonecenter.jhu.edu (Whiting School of Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and Bloomberg School of Public Health) 
  • Program in Molecular Biophysics: pmb.jhu.edu (Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, School of Medicine, Whiting School of Engineering, and Bloomberg School of Public Health)
• Academic and Cultural Centers. For example, 
  • Berman Institute of Bioethics: berman.jhu.edu 
  • Center for Talented Youth: cty.jhu.edu 
  • Johns Hopkins University Press: press.jhu.edu 
• Universitywide departments and administrative units. For example, 
  • Johns Hopkins Facilities and Real Estate: jhfre.jhu.edu 
  • Human Resources: hr.jhu.edu 
  • Office of the Provost: provost.jhu.edu 
• Universitywide strategic initiatives. For example, 
  • Coronavirus Resource Center: coronavirus.jhu.edu 
  • Hopkins Retrospective: retrospective.jhu.edu 
  • Sustainability: sustainability.jhu.edu 
• Universitywide communications. For example, 
  • Brand Guidelines: brand.jhu.edu 
  • Coronavirus Information: covidinfo.jhu.edu 
  • The Hub: hub.jhu.edu 
• Universitywide/enterprisewide systems. For example, 
  • AEFIS/Heliocampus system: assessment.jhu.edu 
  • Canvas Learning Management System: canvas.jhu.edu 
  • Student Information System: sis.jhu.edu 

APPROVAL 

Please allow approximately two to three business days for approval. A representative from University Communications will contact the requester with questions or feedback if necessary.  

Subdomains can begin to be used upon approval. Websites that live on the subdomain can be launched after review by University Communications (branding) and Information Technology (security, accessibility). More information regarding required approvals can be found on the University Communications website. 

The revocation of a third-level domain will be a rare occurrence but could happen if an existing third-level domain conflicts with the request of a major new university entity or is in violation of these guidelines. The review process for new third-level domains will include screening for current or potential future conflicts.