University Curriculum Committee

Annual Report - REVISED

2006-2007

 

  1. Summary of year’s activities

The University Curriculum Committee continued to review, change and approve new undergraduate programs.   The Committee introduced newly revised Forms A and B, as well as Form C, a new form intended for program changes. Appendix B was absorbed into Form C. The Committee also finalized the “Towson Curriculum Process,” a flowchart available from the University Curriculum Committee web site.
 

    1. Approved changes to the Family Studies major, including a new track in Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector
    2. Approved changes to the Modern Languages Secondary Education majors to accord with accreditation requirements
    3. Approved course changes to the Asian Studies IDIS major and minor
    4. Approved a course change for the Broadcast Journalism/New Media track of the Mass Communications major
    5. Approved a course change for the Speech-Language Pathology & Deaf Studies major
    6. Approved a Health Science minor
    7. Approved reorganization of the Athletic Training major in Kinesiology
    8. Approved changes in the requirements for  Special Education teacher candidates to accord with accreditation requirements and strengthen mathematics content
    9. Approved changes in the Voice Performance concentration to allow for greater flexibility in language study
    10. Approved changes to the EMF major, including the creation of a new Film/Video/Digital Media track, to supersede existing Film and TV/Video tracks
    11. Approved two new “focus areas,” Human Services and Deaf Culture, for the Deaf Studies major
    12. Accepted a reduction in capstone requirements for the Environmental Science and Studies major
    13. Approved several “areas of focus” for the Women’s Studies major
    14. Approved the transformation of the Acting track of Theatre Arts into a screened track
    15. Approved a more delineated Theatre Studies track for the Theatre Arts major
    16. Approved the addition of a number of electives to the Family Studies and Community Development minor
    17. Approved the addition of 1-credit course BIOL 204 (Educational and Career Planning for the Biologist) as a requirement for the Biology major
    18. Approved a reduction  in the number of required units for 300-/400-level electives for Psychology majors, to better match typical unit count of departmental courses
    19. Approved a restructuring of the Sports Management major, inspired by an external review, including a requirement to complete a BUAD minor and the addition of several new courses distinctive to the field
    20. Approved changes in the Speech Language, Pathology and Audiology major including the creation of a premajor sequence that could be completed at community colleges and the addition of BIOL 213 as a requirement
    21. Declined to approve a proposed new course, FIN 2XX, which was brought before the Committee due to a deadlock in the Course Approval Reporting Committee
    22. Approved a new Entrepreneurship track for the Business Administration major
    23. Approved changes for the Journalism/New Media track of the Mass Communication major, including the addition of a skill-building two-course sequence
    24. Approved a restructuring of the EMF minor so that it better serves as an overview of the field
    25. Approved a restructuring of the Physics Secondary Education track for the Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences major, including the addition of PHYS 270 (a new computer course) and, responding to accreditation standards, the reinstatement of the SCIE 421 seminar to complement student teaching.
    26. Approved a restructuring of the Physics major, including General Physics, Applied Physics, and Astrophysics tracks. Among the changes were strengthening of the core in classical physics and astrophysics, updating content, and adding new courses and requirements, including a one-credit overview course in the Physics core and a capstone for the General Physics track.
    27. Approved changes to the Earth-Space Science major, including a course replacement and the reinstatement of SCIE 421.
    28. Approved the formalization of 12-13 credit sequences for courses taken in related disciplines by Computer Information Systems majors.
    29. Approved the reinstatement of SCIE 421 in the Secondary School Biology Concentration of the Biology major.
    30. Approved the elimination of GEOG 101 as an optional course for the Secondary Education track of the Interdisciplinary Studies/Social Science major.
    31. Approved changes to the Music major strengthening theoretical coverage, rationalizing elective choices, and clarifying requirements for capstones, theses, and internships.

 

  1. Policy Changes

The issue of track uniqueness arose several times in 2006-2007. What degree of overlap is permitted between tracks or between tracks and concentrations? In response to this issue, the Committee drafted and approved new definitions of Concentration and Track to highlight the expectation of uniqueness, without relying upon an inflexible rule-of-thumb:

Concentration (MHEC Approved)
A concentration is a sequential arrangement of courses representing a specialized area of study within a program.  A concentration requires a minimum of 24 units and should have enough unique units to distinguish it from the major, a track, or another concentration.  A concentration will appear on the student's transcript as a Subplan upon graduation.

Track (Towson University Approved)
A track is a sequential arrangement of courses representing a specialized area of study within a program.  A track requires a minimum of 24 units and should have enough unique units to distinguish it from the major, a concentration, or another track.  A track will appear on the student's transcript as a Subplan upon graduation.

These definitions will appear in the 2008-2009 catalog; for the duration they are being publicized to Departmental Chairs via email. Departments with concerns about the degree of uniqueness for concentrations and tracks to be proposed are encouraged to contact UCC Chair Toni Marzotto and to work with the Committee to address concerns.


  1. Pending Work

  

  1. Problems needing the attention of the Committee or the University Senate

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Toni Marzotto, Chair, 2006-2007