Examples of specific initiatives
that have been undertaken as a result of the assessment process are listed below.
CURRICULUM CHANGES
RESULTING FROM ASSESSMENT DATA
AND FROM OUR
EXTERNAL REVIEW Initiative:
Revised Elective Requirements One curriculum change resulting from assessment data and
from our external review include tweaking undergrad major requirements (freedom
to chose more electives in related areas).
This allows our students to choose electives outside of geology that
complement the major and result in broader educational preparation.
Initiative:
Implementation of New BS and MS Degree
Programs in
Applied Environmental Geoscience Description: Environmental geoscience is the fastest
growing specialization within the broad spectrum of earth systems science. During the last 10 years, well over half of
our graduates in geology have become employed in positions that would be
classified as “environment geosciences”.
Environmental geoscience encompasses much that is covered in a
traditional geology degree, but also requires expertise in a wide range of
related fields. Related fields that are
encompassed by this degree include watershed science, soils, GIS/remote
sensing, biology, and statistics.
Because of the range of requirements, this program will rely heavily on
courses offered through other units on campus, in particular the College of
Natural Resources and the College of Agriculture.
Geology undergraduate enrollments have nearly tripled over
the last 10 years. This growth has
occurred largely in response to new career opportunities in environmental
geoscience and geotechnical areas, with significant recent growth linked to
high energy prices and renewed growth in the petroleum and other energy supply
industries. Many students interested in
environmental science transfer into geology because it is the only degree they
can find that addresses professional and technical careers in environmental
science. Weber State University has a
degree program that is similar to the one proposed here which enrolls more
students than their general geology degree.
In addition to undergraduates, a large number of Masters students
accept employment with environmental consulting companies, geotechnical
companies, government regulatory agencies, or other environmentally oriented
jobs after graduation. Many potential students at the Masters level do not need
and are not interested in an independent research-oriented graduate
degree. These students are interested
primarily in learning skills that will translate directly into workplace
applications, and are better suited to a Plan B option masters degree. Similar programs have been implemented at
other universities with great success. In order to distinguish the plan B
degree from our existing, research-based Plan A Masters degree in Geology, this
program needs a separate degree code.
This is also consistent with the planned curriculum, which focuses
almost entirely on coursework and not on independent research. Initiative: Implementation of a PhD
Program in Geology Description: The PhD in Geology will be offered to
meet current and projected demand from universities, colleges, and community
colleges for teaching and research faculty, to meet current and projected
demand for increased energy exploration and production, and to meet current and
projected demand in environmental management and evaluation.
Institutions of higher education that added large numbers of
faculty in the late 60’s and 70’s are now seeing waves of retirement that will
continue to increase over the next two decades. Population growth is also
increasing the demand for higher education faculty. Many, if not most, of these faculty will have
primary demands in teaching, and doctoral graduates with teaching experience
and formal training in pedagogy and curriculum development will have a
significant advantage in the job market.
There is also an increasing demand for geoscience PhDs in
the energy sector which has been highlighted by recent energy shortages and
projected increases in energy use over the next decade and beyond. Because these doctoral graduates will be
working in large corporations and may move quickly from technical to management
positions, graduates with a background in business and finance will have an
advantage in that job market.
We expect to produce doctoral graduates who will be
competitive in both business and education, as well as at governmental
agencies. These students will also
broaden the scope and depth of our graduate education program and of our
research programs.
Our proposed PhD initiative would address several important
goals of the university, including the university’s mission to enhance the
recruitment, retention, graduation, and placement of graduate students;
enhancing the university’s reputation for learning, discovery, and engagement;
and infusing new energy into graduate education at the PhD level. This initiative will also address our unit’s
aspirations and goals, and will lead directly to increased levels of external
funding for research and research equipment.
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