UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 23, Page 2
March 7, 1996
Faculty Senate approves variety of programs

     At its March meeting, the University Faculty Senate approved two
new majors, granted permanent status to two degrees and established
six new honors degrees.
     Provisional approval was given to a new multidisciplinary major
in natural resource management in the College of Agricultural
Sciences. The sponsoring departments are entomology and applied
ecology, food and resource economics and plant and soil sciences. A
new major leading to a bachelor's degree in computer engineering
within the Department of Electrical Engineering also was approved.
     In addition, the senators gave permanent status to two existing
degree programs, a doctoral degree in economics and a bachelor of arts
in foreign languages and literatures. The Ph.D. program in applied
economics, which enrolls three to five students a year, recently
received a favorable assessment from an external review committee and
the senate's Committee on Graduate Studies.
     Created five years ago, the major in foreign languages and
literatures offers 10 concentrations in seven languages and enrolled
132 majors in 1993.
     Six honors degrees were established at the meeting, in computer
engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, apparel
design, merchandising of textiles and clothing and consumer economics.
To receive the honors degree, a student must complete certain generic
requirements, including a minimum grade point average of 3.40,
completion of 60 credits at 300 level or higher and at least 30
credits earned in honors courses offered by the department.
     The senate also passed a recommendation to raise the minimum
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score for graduate
admissions to 550, a score already required for undergraduate
admissions.
     In other business, a number of minor degree revisions were passed
by the senate with no challenges.