Type-of-Proposal.doc

_______New Major: Molecular Life Sciences_________________
Curriculum Proposal Signature Sheet
TITLE OF PROPOSAL
Type of Proposal

Program
X New
□ Changes within Major
□ Changes within Cognate *
□ Changes in Minor or Track
□ Changes in Concentration*
□ Program Deletion

Course
X New Courses
□ Changes in Course taken only by Majors
□ Changes in Course required of Non-Majors*
□ Changes in Course open to Non-Majors
□ Deletion of Course taken only by Majors
□ Deletion of Course required of Non-Majors*
□ Deletion of Course open to Non-Majors

___Biology & Chemistry_________ Review and Approval Feb. 06 Dept. Meetings
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT (S) DATE(S)
Signature of Sponsoring Chair(s)/Date: Hardisky’s signature on original 2 March 2006
Marx’s signature on original 7 March 2006
For starred items Chairs of affected Departments/Programs must sign below before Dean’s review

Dean’s Preliminary Review Proposal: X Complete
X Satisfies U of S Curricular Requirements
□ Additional preliminary comments below X Consistent with College Goals/Mission

Dean’s Signature/Date ___________________________ 23 March 2006
X CAS □ CPS □ SOM □ GRAD □ DHC

Preliminary FSCC Disposition:
□ Committee recommends approval (new program proposals require a Recommendation from the full Senate)
□ Proposal will require minimal review: Anticipated FS Meeting Date:__________________
□ Proposal will require significant review: Anticipated FS Meeting Date: __________________

FSCC Chair Signature/Date __________________________ __________

Issues: ______________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________
Additional Signatures

______________________________ ______________________________________________ ____________
Department Signature Date

______________________________ ______________________________________________ ____________
Department Signature Date

______________________________ ______________________________________________ ____________
Department Signature Date

New Academic Program
(Degree Program, Major, Minor or Concentration)

Title of New Program : Molecular Life Sciences X Undergraduate ¨ Graduate
Required Credits: 130.5-136 X Major ¨ Minor ¨Concentration First Offering: Fall 2006
Semester Year
Department(s) Biology/Chemistry Contact Person: Drs. K. Dwyer/J. Wasilewski x6386/7705
Name extension

List all required (including cognate and prerequisite) courses pertaining to the new program (in chronological order)
Will the sponsoring department deliver the course?
Course Prefix/
Number

Course Title

Year

Yes

No (specify dept.)
Chem 112-113
General/Analytical Chem I-II
1
X

Biol 141-142
General Biology I-II
1
X

Math 103
Precalculus, if needed
1

Math

Math 114
Analysis I
1

Math

MLSc 290
Molecular Life Sciences Seminar
1

MLSc program

Chem 232-233
Organic Chemistry I-II
2
X

Biology 361

Molecular Biology I
2
X

MLSc 290
Molecular Life Sciences Seminar
2

MLSc program

Biol 250,344,
OR 350

Microbiology, Principles of Immunology, OR Cellular Biology
2
X

Phys 120-121

General Physics I-II
3

Physics
Chem 450-451

Biochemistry I-II
3
X

MLSc 290
Molecular Life Sciences Seminar
3,4

MLSc program

Biol or Chem
(elective)
One of major electives specifies in curriculum grid
3
X

Biology 362
Molecular Biology II
4
X

MLSc 490

Molecular Life Sciences Capstone Seminar
4

MLSc Program

MLSc 440 Proteomics 4 X MLSc Program
MLSc 440L Proteomics Lab 4 X MLSc Program

List New courses and date New Course Proposals were/will be submitted:

Course Prefix and Number
Course Title
Date Submitted
MLSc 490
Molecular Life Sciences Capstone Seminar
Attached
MLSc 440
Proteomics
Attached
MLSc 440L
Proteomics Lab
Attached
MLSc 290
Molecular Life Sciences Seminar
Attacjhed

Oversight:
Managing Dept. or Program Managers: K. Dwyer, Ph. D, J. Wasilewski, Ph. D. Program
Co-Directors of the MLSc Major
Home Dean: X CAS □ CPS □ SOM □ GRAD □ DHC

List and Analysis of Needed Resources:

Faculty (Faculty involved in the program both in teaching and other ways, their qualifications, the impact their involvement will have on other programs and how that will be addressed. Indicate any new faculty (if needed) and estimate wages, benefits and start up costs):

Faculty in the biology and chemistry departments will deliver most courses. Most courses are existing courses. Adjunct faculty at the IMBM will deliver the proteomics course and the proteomics laboratory courses. Cost is estimated at $10,500 assuming 1 section of the proteomics lecture and 2 sections of the laboratory course. In the event that there is 1 laboratory course section, cost would be less.

Library (Are Library holdings adequate for the proposed program? What new library resources might be needed? The Director of the Library should assist in answering these questions):

no additional holdings requested

Laboratories, Equipment, Space (What new and continuing resources are needed?):
The laboratory equipment and space for the new laboratory course in proteomics is available at the IMBM. The estimated cost of supplies for the laboratory is $3000 per section.

Other (Are any other resources needed to mount and continue operation of the program?):
none

Will the new program have an impact on the core curriculum? X No □Yes

Will the program have any impact on another department? X No □ Yes
If yes, indicate the impact on and the response of the affected department.
Although the impact on other departments is anticipated to be negligible, if any, there is an anticipated impact on the departments of biology and chemistry. Faculty time will be required to teach the seminar and capstone courses. Some of the students who choose this major may be expected to have majored in biology or biochemistry.

Will the program have any impact on the University Community? □ No X Yes
If yes, indicate the impact and responses.
The Molecular Life Science Major will be a rigorous program designed to be more competitive with other universities and colleges with similar programs. Thus, the major will recruit high-quality students interested in this field of study, adding positively to the caliber of the student body at-large.

All required attachments can be found after the “detailed instructions below.”
Executive Summary (one page maximum)
Description of the Program
Relationship of Program to University Mission and College/Dept. Goals
Description of the new curriculum;
Analysis of the Need/Market (Source(s) of data must be included)
Demonstration of Need
Regional Competition
Anticipated Enrollment
Prospects for Graduates
Cost/Revenue Considerations
Analysis of Costs
Analysis of Revenue
Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Plan
Expected Student Learning Outcomes
Plan for Assessment
Accreditation narrative or documentation (if applicable)
Curriculum Guide

Instructions for attachments:
Executive Summary: Provide a summary of the proposal. Limit the summary to one page.
Description of the Program: Provide a description of the nature of the program and its relationship to the University Mission and applicable College/Department goals. The form “Proposal for a New Academic Program (Degree Program, Major, Minor or Concentration)” requires a comparative list of existing and new courses; this narrative should include a more detailed description of the new curriculum, such as an explanation of requirements, options, sequences, relationships with other programs and comparisons with similar programs elsewhere. The reader should be able to understand what is proposed, how it fits into the institution and how it fits into the broader world of higher education.
An Analysis of the Need/Market: This includes both the student market and the job market. What is the need for this program? (Identify the source(s) of the data used to demonstrate need.) What is the anticipated enrollment? What competition exists in the region? What are the prospects for graduates of the program? The reader should get some idea of whether the investment of resources would be worthwhile in terms of student enrollment and satisfaction after completion of the program. The Assessment and Institutional Research Office (AIRO) should be used as a resource.
4. Cost/Revenue Considerations: Provide an analysis of the cost of the program and potential revenue. It is expected that the Assistant Vice President of Finance would be used as a resource. Include a five-year projection addressing:
a. COST: (identify all costs taking into account the cost attributed directly to the proposed program) This includes new faculty compensation, startup costs for new faculty, administrative costs (secretarial support—do not include decanal costs, technical support), library needs, technical equipment (include computing costs), graduate assistant stipends, etc.
b. REVENUE: expected number of students per semester (with number of expected credit hours), tuition/fee revenue generated, service commitment from graduate assistants (e.g., laboratory instruction)
5. Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Plan for the Program: Define the expected student learning outcomes for the program as a whole and detail how the achievement of those outcomes will be assessed, both during and after completion of the program. Highlight the indicators of student success such as job placement, entrance into graduate or professional school, performance on external examinations, portfolio assessment, etc.
6. Accreditation (if applicable): Provide a brief narrative addressing accreditation standards and how the proposed program meets these standards.
7. Curriculum Guide: Provide the curriculum guide as it would appear in the University catalog.

Executive Summary/Program Description

The Molecular Life Sciences major is a proposed interdisciplinary program between the biology and chemistry departments, drawing on faculty from each department as well as the IMBM. The field of molecular life sciences has emerged as biological disciplines have moved toward a molecular understanding of biological processes and have, in effect, merged with the domains of traditional biochemistry. Students will take currently available courses in molecular life sciences, as well as courses that expose them to the newer disciplines of proteomics and bioinformatics. Students will be exposed to advanced state-of-the-art techniques and instrumentation not currently available in any program. Research will be encouraged. Elective courses include research, and several disciplines in biology/chemistry. The proposed Molecular Life Sciences major will serve to integrate a biochemistry curriculum with that of molecular and cellular biology as recommended by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. (http://asbmb.org/asbmb/site.nsf/Sub/UndergradCurriculum?Opendocument) While there is no formal accreditation process, a copy of the proposed major was sent to members of the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Education and Professional Development Committee of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The response received was that the “proposed program meets both the spirit and letter of our ASBMB recommendations”. (John A. Boyle, Ph. D., committee member and co-author of ASMBM curriculum guidelines)

This program offers students interested in molecular biology and biochemistry a unique major. Our goal is to foster a sense of community and an excitement for molecular life sciences early in each student’s academic career. This, in part, will be accomplished through a requirement that students participate in a seminar course for each of their four years in the program. As freshmen, they will begin talking about molecular life sciences topics and reading the literature on a weekly basis. Ideally, students will be placed into the same section of courses common to the major. The concept is like a learning community with a “vertical” component continuing throughout the four-year program. There is a capstone seminar course in the last semester.

Analysis of the Need/Market

Demonstration of Need
The Molecular Life Sciences major is designed to prepare future scientists and health professionals to work within the rapidly changing landscape of biomedical science which is understood increasingly at the molecular level. It accomplishes this preparation at two levels. First, it recognizes that the core of modern biomedical science has emerged during the past two decades from the integration of traditional biochemistry with cellular and molecular biology. Thus, the new major will require courses in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology/microbiology. That education is catching up with the science is evidenced by the increasing number of graduate and undergraduate programs in this interdisciplinary field. In addition, the undergraduate curriculum recommended by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (once known as the American Society for Biochemistry) has recently moved from one resembling more traditional biochemistry to one that emphasizes the importance of both biochemistry and molecular b