-- College of Agricultural Sciences: Drop of major and minor in poultry technology and management
Enrollments in the poultry technology and management (PTM) major (currently six students) and the PTM minor (currently three students) have been low for several years. While career opportunities in the various fields employing poultry graduates have remained excellent, the number of students graduating has been few (approximately two per year). To address this issue, the faculties in the Department of Dairy and Animal Sciences and the Department of Poultry Science agreed to combine their two undergraduate majors and minors into a new animal sciences major and minor. All students currently enrolled in PTM will be given an opportunity to complete their degree requirements for graduation in the current major or minor, or to transfer into the new animal sciences major or minor.
-- Penn State Harrisburg/Penn State Schuylkill: Drop of major in humanities/business
The accreditation of the School of Business Administration at Penn State Harrisburg/Penn State Schuylkill was contingent in part on the formal termination of the humanities/business major, the oldest interdisciplinary major at Penn State Harrisburg. As such, the humanities faculty voted unanimously to drop this major. Students already enrolled in the major will be allowed to continue until they have completed their requirements.
-- College of Health and Human Development: New minor in health policy and administration
This new minor will allow students in other programs the opportunity to study health policy and health administration, thereby building an education that combines disciplinary or professional expertise with a detailed knowledge of the healthcare field. The minor is especially relevant for students in pre-medicine, biobehavioral health, pre-law, nursing, human development and family studies, economics, sociology, psychology and business.
-- College of Health and Human Development: Drop of master of education and doctor of education degree programs in kinesiology
A proposal to drop the master of education and doctor of education degree programs in kinesiology in the College of Health and Human Development was approved by the Graduate Council at its meeting on September 16, 1998.
No M.Ed. or D.Ed. degree has been awarded by the kinesiology program since 1988. The program continues to offer both the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees.
-- College of the Liberal Arts: Change in master of arts and master of education degree programs in English
A proposal to change the requirements for the master of arts and master of education degree programs in English was approved by the Graduate Council at its meeting on Sept. 16.
The change eliminates the comprehensive examination for students in the M.A. and M.Ed. degree programs. Students in the M.A. degree program will be required to take seminars in a variety of courses in Anglo-American literary history and theory which brings the requirements for the M.A. and Ph.D. degree programs more in-line. Students admitted to the M.Ed. degree program will no longer be required to take the M.A. comprehensive examination, but must complete a master's paper.
-- College of Earth and Mineral Sciences: Merger of the Department of Mineral Engineering and the Fuel Science section of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and change the name to the Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering
The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is proposing to merge the Department of Mineral Engineering and the Fuel Science Section of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The new department will be called the Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering. The department will achieve a dual purpose of more efficient use of faculty resources and a broadening of student exposure to exploration, extraction, processing and use of energy and mineral resources. The present degree programs in mineral engineering and fuel science will be maintained at the B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. levels. Current students will be able to continue their degree programs to completion under the current requirements, and new students will continue to be admitted to the existing programs. In addition, a new departmentwide undergraduate core program will be developed and, at the graduate level, M.S. and Ph.D. programs in geo-environmental engineering will be established. The proposal has been favorably reviewed by faculty in both academic units and by the University Faculty Senate Council.
-- College of the Liberal Arts: Change in name from the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages to the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
The College of the Liberal Arts proposed to add "and Literatures" to the name of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages. The department's programs, both undergraduate and graduate, deal extensively with literature as well as language. Thus, the name change will reflect more accurately the scope and mission of the department. The name change will not affect the faculty, nor are there any curricular or enrollment implications. The proposal has been favorably reviewed by the University Faculty Senate Council.