In order to accommodate shifts in student enrollment, the chemical engineering/materials science dual major will be discontinued and the microbiology major’s name will be changed.
Enrique Lavernia, dean of the College of Engineering, said the conclusion to discontinue the dual science major was reached after assessing dramatic decreases in the number of students graduating in this major. Students will be able to complete a chemical engineering major with the new materials science minor instead.
Lavernia also assured that these changes to the College of Engineering will have no negative impacts on the students currently in the program.
“No course would be eliminated, as the dual major consists entirely of courses already offered in engineering. All of these courses would continue to be offered. There are no courses dedicated solely to this major,” Lavernia said.
In addition to the discontinuation of the dual major, the decision was made to change the name of the microbiology major to “microbiology and molecular genetics.”
“Faculty in the microbiology department requested the name change to ‘microbiology and molecular genetics’ to more accurately reflect the activities undertaken by faculty in the department,” said Matthew Traxler, professor of psychology and member of the Academic Senate.
Bruno Nachtergaele, chair of the Academic Senate, agreed that renaming the major would result in a more positive correlation with those activities involved within the major.
“The rationale was to make the new name reflect a de facto evolution in the reality and future goals of the department offering the major,” Nachtergaele said. “This name change was therefore supported by the senate, with the strong suggestion that the department reach out to the graduate groups not based in the department that cover the same or similar topics at the graduate level.”
JESSICA GRILLI can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
