ACADEMIC
PROGRAM APPROVAL
CHECKLIST
This form is a routing document for
the approval of new and revised academic programs. Page 2 will serve as an attachment to the
Faculty Senate agenda. Proposing
department should complete form, attach as a cover page and forward to the
college dean. Documentation should include copy of curriculum as it is to
appear in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog. Proposals must arrive to the
Undergraduate/Graduate Committee by November in order to reach the Faculty Senate
by March 1. Proposals received after
this date cannot be implemented the following year nor included in the catalog
for that year.
1.
Proposed change leads to the degree of
( ) Bachelor of Arts (
) Master of Arts ( ) Doctor of Philosophy
( ) Bachelor of Science ( X ) Master of Science (
) Other ______________________________________
2.
(X ) New
major/curriculum Wildlife Ecology
Title to be entered in record of
students who select this program
(
) New minor Title to be entered in record of students
who select this program
(
) Change from provisional to permanent status.
3.
( ) Revision of existing: (
) major ( ) minor (
) concentration
Present title
Records
System Program Code
( ) Add/delete required courses/credit hours
( ) Add concentration Title
( ) Delete concentration Title
4.
( ) Deletion of
existing/disestablish: ( )
major ( ) minor (
) Other _______________________________
Title Code______________________
5.
( ) Policy Change____________________________________________________________________________________
Title/Department
ROUTING AND APPROVALS: (Please do
not remove supporting documentation.)
Department Chairperson Date
Dean of College Date
Chairperson, Senate Com. On UG or GR Studies Date
Chairperson,
Senate Coordinating Com. Date
Secretary, Faculty Senate Date
Date of Senate Resolution Date
to be Effective
Registrar Program
Code Date
Vice Provost for Academic Programs
& Planning Date
Provost Date
Board of Trustee Notification Date
a. Rationale for
creation, revision, or deletion:
The Department of Entomology and Applied Ecology began
offering an M.S. in Entomology in 1949. In 1999 the degree name was changed to
Entomology and Applied Ecology to provide a broader name to the degree for the
benefit of students in the program with interests and thesis topics broader
than insects. However, no curricular changes were made, which left those
students still required to take 9 credits of insect courses. To remedy this
problem, in 2001 the department established two concentrations at the M.S.
level in the Entomology and Applied Ecology program: (I) Entomology and (2)
Applied Ecology. In 2002, the
department’s name was changed to the Department of Entomology and Wildlife
Ecology to describe better the focus of the department’s research and
instructional missions at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The name change also was in anticipation of
the next step in the department’s evolution – addition of an M.S. program that
would complement the applied ecology concentration. This new program would attract and serve
another category of student, one seeking stronger, identifiable credentials in
wildlife than the Applied Ecology concentration offered. The presence of two faculty and several
graduate students, as well as plans to hire a third faculty member with
interests and research in wildlife ecology and conservation, have prompted the
department to propose the addition of an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology.
The proposed program is designed to produce graduates
with appropriate credentials for employment as wildlife ecologists and wildlife
biologists. These fields are
competitive, and permanent employment typically requires an M.S. degree. An essential aspect of the program will be
that graduates meet the educational requirements for certification as a
wildlife biologist by the Wildlife Society (TWS), the professional society of
wildlife professionals (see www.wildlife.org).
Because the TWS requirements are
extensive (81 semester hours in ecology, zoology, botany, wildlife management,
quantitative areas, communication, and social sciences), students most likely
to enroll and graduate in this program will have B.S. degrees or considerable
coursework in wildlife. Such students will already have met all or
most of the TWS requirements and thus be able to focus on graduate-level
courses in wildlife ecology, statistics, and entomology as well as thesis
research. Students lacking a substantial
proportion of the TWS requirements would be delayed in completing the degree by
the need to make up those deficits. We will advise applicants of this condition.
We plan to retain the current Entomology and Applied
Ecology program with its two concentrations. Retaining the Applied Ecology
concentration therein may seem redundant with the proposed Wildlife Ecology
program. However, the former provides a
different focus. It will serve students
with ecological interests who do not seek employment as wildlife
biologists. Such students also will
likely have B.S. degrees without a wildlife focus. Retaining the concentrations also offers
flexibility to students. For example, a
student with both ecological and entomological interests may emphasize one or
the other by the choice of concentration. The Applied Ecology concentration is
the nexus where any of our faculty could mentor students appropriately.
We expect 3-5 students to be enrolled in the program
during the first few years and the number to grow to approximately 10 students
within 5 years. Numbers in the
Entomology and Applied Ecology program may decrease slightly because some
graduate students who would have been Applied Ecology concentrators will be in
the Wildlife Ecology program. The
proposed program will not require any new courses or additional resources. The library resources are adequate for this
proposed program.
b. Summary of program:
The Wildlife Ecology program will require courses in wildlife ecology, statistics, and entomology. In conjunction with the 30 graduate credits required for the degree, students in the Wildlife Ecology program must have satisfied the minimum educational requirements for certification as a wildlife biologist by the Wildlife Society to the satisfaction of the student’s committee. These requirements can be met with any combination of undergraduate and graduate courses completed prior to and during graduate study at UD, but their extent would make completing them solely during the M.S. program cumbersome and unlikely. The degree will require 8 departmental core credits required of all M.S. students, 6 graduate thesis credits, 7 additional graduate-level ENWC credits, and 9 additional graduate credits, of which only three may be independent study (X66) or research (X68). All students also must pass an oral General Knowledge Exam, present their thesis research in a departmental seminar, and successfully defend the thesis.
AUTHORIZED
DEGREE TITLES
Please check
the appropriate degree:
( ) Bachelor
of Applied Science
( ) Bachelor
of Arts
( ) Bachelor
of Arts in Educational Studies
( ) Bachelor
of Arts in Liberal Studies
( ) Bachelor
of Chemical Engineering
( ) Bachelor
of Civil Engineering
( ) Bachelor
of Computer Engineering
( ) Bachelor
of Electrical Engineering
( ) Bachelor
of Environmental Engineering
( ) Bachelor
of Fine Arts
( ) Bachelor
of Liberal Studies
( ) Bachelor
of Mechanical Engineering
( ) Bachelor
of Music
( ) Bachelor
of Science
( ) Bachelor
of Science in Accounting
( ) Bachelor
of Science in Agriculture
( ) Bachelor
of Science in Business Administration
( ) Bachelor
of Science in Education
( ) Bachelor
of Science in Nursing
( ) Master of Applied
Sciences
( ) Master
of Arts
( ) Master
of Arts in Liberal Studies
( ) Master
of Business Administration
( ) Master
of Chemical Engineering
( ) Master
of Civil Engineering
( ) Master
of Education
( ) Master
of Electrical Engineering
( ) Master
of Environmental and Energy Policy
( ) Master
of Fine Arts
( ) Master
of Instruction
( ) Master
of Marine Policy
( ) Master
of Materials Science and Engineering
( ) Master
of Mechanical Engineering
( ) Master
of Music
( ) Master
of Physical Therapy
( ) Master
of Public Administration
( X ) Master of Science
( ) Master
of Science in
Nursing
( ) Doctor
of Education
( ) Doctor
of Philosophy
This document will be retained
permanently in the Faculty Senate Office.
Revised