COMMITTEE on ACADEMIC and STUDENT AFFAIRS Tuesday, June 2, 2020
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Item: AS: A-2 COMMITTEE ON ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS Tuesday, June 2, 2020 SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF A NEW DEGREE PROGRAM - CIP 26.0102 PROPOSED BOARD ACTION Request for approval of the following New Degree Program – CIP 26.0102: Bachelor of Science in Medical Biology BACKGROUND INFORMATION The proposed program is a Bachelor of Science in Medical Biology. The program will offer students pursuing professional/graduate studies (including Medical, Veterinary, Dental, Pharmacy and Physician Assistant) the rigor expected for admittance and content which will support their successful completion of such programs. This market is currently not being well-served by FAU’s programs. Students may pursue pre-professional studies with the B.S. in Biology, but there is no clear 4-year track for students to be best prepared for entrance exams and the rigors of professional schools. There are over 2,800 declared biology majors at FAU. According to the College of Science advising office, over 500 incoming first-time-in-college freshmen identify as “pre-health” every fall and the proposed degree will capture and support these students. The need for skilled medical professionals and biomedical researchers remains high worldwide. The proposed program, by nature of its course content, will also prepare students to enter a number of other careers, for example: laboratory technicians, forensic technicians, forensic analysts, toxicologists, genetic technologists, clinical scientists, clinical trial managers, public health microbiologists, biomedical research advisors, technical writers, science journalists, science advisors in business, industry and government, educators, pharmaceutical salespersons, health product managers, transplant coordinators, patent agents, occupational health and safety specialists, etc. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN/DATE Effective Fall 2020, pending approval by the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees. FISCAL IMPLICATIONS The BS in Medical Biology degree program is a repackaging of existing course offerings at FAU. As such, we anticipate that minimal, if any, new resources will be required to implement this program. Supporting Documentation: New Degree Proposal Form Presented by: Dr. Bret Danilowicz, Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost Phone: 561-297-6350 Revised December 8, 2016 Board of Governors, State University System of Florida Request to Offer a New Degree Program (Please do not revise this proposal format without prior approval from Board staff) Florida Atlantic University Fall 2020 University Submitting Proposal Proposed Implementation Term Department of Biological Sciences CES College of Science Name of College(s) or School(s) Name of Department(s)/ Division(s) BS in Medical Biology Biomedical Sciences Academic Specialty or Field Complete Name of Degree 26.0102 Biomedical Sciences, General Proposed CIP Code The submission of this proposal constitutes a commitment by the university that, if the proposal is approved, the necessary financial resources and the criteria for establishing new programs have been met prior to the initiation of the program. Date Approved by the University Board of President Date Trustees Signature of Chair, Board of Date Vice President for Academic Date Trustees Affairs Provide headcount (HC) and full-time equivalent (FTE) student estimates of majors for Years 1 through 5. HC and FTE estimates should be identical to those in Table 1 in Appendix A. Indicate the program costs for the first and the fifth years of implementation as shown in the appropriate columns in Table 2 in Appendix A. Calculate an Educational and General (E&G) cost per FTE for Years 1 and 5 (Total E&G divided by FTE). Projected Implementation Projected Program Costs Enrollment Timeframe (From Table 2) (From Table 1) E&G Contract E&G Auxiliary HC FTE Cost per & Grants Total Cost Funds Funds FTE Funds Year 1 570 456 555 253,088 0 0 253,088 Year 2 943 754.4 Year 3 1244 995.2 Year 4 1549 1239 Year 5 1780 1424 595 1,058,664 0 0 1,058,664 Note: This outline and the questions pertaining to each section must be reproduced within the body of the proposal to ensure that all sections have been satisfactorily addressed. Tables 1 through 4 are to be included as Appendix A and not reproduced within the body of the proposals because this often causes errors in the automatic calculations. 1 Revised December 8, 2016 INTRODUCTION I. Program Description and Relationship to System-Level Goals A. Briefly describe within a few paragraphs the degree program under consideration, including (a) level; (b) emphases, including majors, concentrations, tracks, or specializations; (c) total number of credit hours; and (d) overall purpose, including examples of employment or education opportunities that may be available to program graduates. The Bachelor of Science in Medical Biology (CIP 26.0102), will offer students pursuing professional/graduate studies (including Medical, Veterinary, Dental, Pharmacy and Physician Assistant) the rigor expected for admittance and content which will support their successful completion of such programs. The curriculum will fulfill prerequisites of medically-focused schools by guiding the selection of additional advanced relevant courses and considering Pre-Professional entrance exams. The curriculum was established by a departmental (Biology) subcommittee comprised of faculty members with appropriate background and expertise (e.g. Dr. H. Jay Lyons previously served as Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Kailiang Jia’s credentials include an MS in Medical Genetics, an MD in Clinical Medicine and a PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology, etc.). The committee considered existing baccalaureate level programs under the proposed CIP, MCAT exam content, and didactic medical school curricula in assembling the proposed curriculum. Completion of this undergraduate degree program will require a minimum of 120 credits. FAU currently offers a B.S. in Biology (CIP 26.0101), a flexible and holistic degree designed to train biologists. In this degree, students select specializations, including for example, ecology, marine science, environmental science, animal behavior and microbiology. Students currently may pursue Pre- Professional studies with the B.S. in Biology, but there is no clear 4-year track for students to be best prepared for entrance exams and the rigors of professional schools. FAU also offers a B.A. in Health Science (CIP 51.000) which was designed for students wishing to pursue careers as dieticians/nutritionists, health educators, athletic trainers, exercise physiologists, recreational specialists, social and community service managers, music therapists, counselors, etc. The newly proposed program is a focused degree program meant to serve the interests of medical and professional school hopefuls and will allow students pursuing professional and graduate programs in biomedicine to differentiate themselves with a diploma that reads Medical Biology. The focused curriculum will also support students and advisors throughout the university to more effectively chart academic plans of study specific to students’ future goals upon student entry to the university, which will bolster timely degree completion. Currently, there is a market not being well-served by FAU’s programs. There are over 2,800 declared biology majors at FAU. According to the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, over 500 incoming first-time-in-college freshmen identify as “pre-health” every fall. The proposed degree will capture and support these students. We anticipate that, at its peak, the program will house approximately half (1,400) of the current biology major population (2,800), leaving 1,400 or more majors in the existing Biology CIP. We do not expect that the exponentially growing Health Science B.A., which currently has a population of > 800 students, to be impacted by establishment of the proposed Medical Biology BS, as students in the Health Science program are not preparing for entrance into medical, veterinary, or other professional schools. Although students can complete the proposed Medical Biology curriculum by making appropriate course selections within the existing Biology degree program options, the B.S. in Medical Biology curriculum has been specifically designed to guide students into the advanced coursework that will support their goals. Currently FAU undergraduate students are not required to access academic advising services or self-identify as pre-health majors. Enrollment by otherwise unidentified pre-health students in a designated major specific to their educational objectives will facilitate us in identifying and disseminating to them information pertinent to the achievement of their goals early in their academic programs. The 2 Revised December 8, 2016 relatively restrictive nature of the curriculum will also support students in timely degree completion with minimal excess hours. Although the BS in Medical Biology major has been designed to include prerequisites for medical and many other health-related professional schools such as pharmacy, dental, optometry, physician assistant, podiatry, or audiology, the program, by nature of its course content, will also prepare participants to enter a number of other careers, for example: laboratory technicians, forensic technicians, forensic analysts, toxicologists, genetic technologists, clinical scientists, clinical trial managers, public health microbiologists,