A new undergraduate major and a new certificate program may become a reality at next month's Arts and Sciences Council meeting.
Two proposals were presented to the council Thursday and will be voted on next month. The first would form a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science and the second would create a certificate in applied science.
Emily Klein, associate professor of earth and ocean sciences, explained the Nicholas School of the Environment's plan for a BS degree to complement the current Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science sand Policy.
The BS degree would be designed for students with more of an interest in the scientific area of the field and would include prerequisites similar to other BS degrees.
"Probably about one-third of [BA] majors..., their interest and career goals are allied with the sciences," said Klein. "This will give them a much stronger emphasis on the sciences and less on policy."
The new major, for example, would not require students to take courses in economics as its counterpart does, but would require physics. The proposed major requires 17 courses, which is typical of other BS degrees at the University. Other required courses include calculus, biology and chemistry.
Adjunct professor of physics Bobby Guenther submitted the physics department's proposal for a certificate in applied science. The goal behind the certificate would be to "provide some additional skills for those entering the non-academic field of science," he said.
Training in design, modeling, and simulation techniques would accompany the certificate, as would the possibility of an off-campus internship or senior project. The goal would be to provide students with increased experience to use in the job market.
"One of the shortcomings is when students leave the University, industry spends about a year training them," said Guenther. With the multi-disciplinary certificate, such training would be diminished.
Dean of Trinity College Bob Thompson expressed his interest in the certificate. "What's exciting to me about this [certificate] is how directly it impacts on what we're trying to do with Curriculum 2000," he said.
The council also discussed several long-term projects for the year. Steven Baldwin, council chair and professor of chemistry, announced that they would temporarily discontinue plans to review academic integrity on campus as they await results from the University's recent academic integrity survey project.
The council also decided to examine its current infrastructure and role in the University, particularly in its dealings with administration.
"The basic issue is that when the executive committee sat down this summer, we had no in-basket of stuff to do," Baldwin said. He explained how the role of the council has seemed to change over the years, so that it no longer fits its own bylaws. "There's a history here," he said, "but I don't know where to find it."
Baldwin discussed his plans for designing a set of principles that the Arts and Sciences Council can follow to gain faculty input and to interact with administrators, perhaps designing it to function more like the Academic Council, which governs cross-school affairs.
"We should have a roadmap... of this council's role," said William Chafe, dean of the faculty of arts and sciences.
Baldwin also said that the executive committee plans to look into the formation of committees within the council, many of which, like academic affairs, have been dormant for years.
Further discussion on plans will continue throughout the year.
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