Program Proposals

• College of Arts & Letters
• College of Business Administration
• College of Education
• College of Engineering & Computer Science
• College of Health & Human Services
• College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
• College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies

• Program List #1
• Program List #2
• Program List #3
• Program List #4
• Program List #5
• Program List #6
• Program List #7

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Art Studio (Art Education)

Justification:

1. Presently, art education students do not have any required field teaching experiences so we propose to change Art 148: Barrio Art to Art 138: Art in the Community and move Art 138 to the art education cluster of required courses.  The title change will better reflect the broadening of the course to include the addition of community partners beyond The Washington Neighborhood Center. The Washington Neighborhood Center will be retained as the primary community partner (as it was in Art 148), but other potential sites that serve the African-American community, Asian-American community, and the Russian-American community will be added. The course content will be expanded to be more inclusive of artists and educators who work in these respective communities. Students will see examples of how these artists and educators collaborate with individuals from these various communities. They will learn about successful university and community collaborations. In the process, students will gain valuable service-learning experience and establishing relationships with people of different cultural backgrounds.
2. In order to add Art 138 as a required art education course, we had to drop the required printmaking course and move the cluster of courses to the breadth studio area.  To satisfy CCTC’s printmaking requirement we will include components of printmaking processes in Art Art 134. 
3. The number of units for the Art Studio area decreased from 33 units to 30 units because we eliminated the required printmaking course.  The units in art education increased to 18 units.
4. We added Art 70 (Form Space and Vision) as another choice to the required beginning sculpture area because Art 70 includes many sculptural activities and processes. Art 70 also will satisfy CCTC’s sculpture requirement.
5. We inserted Art 88 (Beginning Sculpture) to the breadth area section and now students will have an option to take Art 88 or Art 70 if they want to specialize in sculpture.
6. Delete the section at the end of the art education program that mentions: “The program is currently under review by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and students are strongly encouraged to consult an advisor.”  We received accreditation from CCTC in the Spring of 2008 so we would like to add: “The Art Education program is Accredited by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing” at the beginning of our program.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

MA in English

Justification:

This is a proposal for new graduate admission requirements for the MA in English (concentrations in Literature, Creative Writing and Composition, for all three plans: The Thesis Program; the Master’s Project; and the Comprehensive Exam.)  We are also changing our procedures to facilitate a timely and effective assessment of the applicant’s materials.  The changes to the requirements are in response primarily to two impulses: 1) recognition that a 3.0 GPA in Upper Division English course work is too low given the fact that the average GPA for Upper Division English is 3.1; a 3.0 GPA in upper division, undergraduate work, therefore, does not accurately predict the ability to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in graduate work.  Higher standards, therefore, more accurately reflect the quality of work expected at the graduate level.  2) Current admissions requirements of specific course work were predicated on an older model of the Sacramento State University BA in English.  These requirements no longer reflect the undergraduate major.  Furthermore, in the interest of attracting students from outside Sacramento State, we have made the course requirements less specific in recognition of the wide variety of English majors in universities across the country.  The new requirements, while still requiring a strong general preparation in undergraduate English coursework (30 units), reflect a less prescriptive model of that coursework.  This proposal is for the MA in English only and does not affect the TESOL MA which has its own requirements.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

HRS/HUM Concentration

Justification:

In response to changes in staffing, assessment activites, revised departmental learning goals, and recommendations from the department’s 2009 program review:

• Reduction of units for major from 45-39
• Reorganization of concentration core and electives to focus on humanities study
• Updating of electives list to reflect courses added to the curriculum since 2008
• Removal of courses from electives list that do not have humanities topics and approached as core objectives
• Revision of some course prerequisites
• Revision of capstone (HRS 190) into seminar organized to offer opportunities to build content knowledge and develop skills in concentration's methods and approaches

HRS/RLS Concentration

Justification:

In response to changes in staffing, revised departmental learning goals, and recommendations from the department’s 2009 program review:

• Reduction of units for major from 45-39
• Reorganization of concentration core and electives to focus on humanities study
• Updating of electives list to reflect courses added to the curriculum since 2008
• Removal of courses from electives list that do not have religious studies topics and approached as core objectives
• Revision of some course prerequisites
• Revision of capstone (HRS 190) into seminar organized to offer opportunities to build content knowledge and develop skills in concentration's methods and approaches

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

HRS/HUM Minor

Justification:

Revise minor to mirror proposed changes to Humanities Concentration

HRS/RLS Minor

Justification:

Revise minor to mirror proposed changes to Religious Studies Concentration

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

BA IN Philosophy (Undergraduate degree program)

Justification:

1. Since students are frequently drawn to philosophy by taking an introductory class, the revised major allows them to count that class toward their major.
2. Harmonizing lower division requirements eases transition from one concentration to another.
3. PHIL 61 Inductive logic constitutes an introduction to decision theory and utility theory, important tools in contemporary philosophical analysis.
4. Some subjects should be required of all majors;  placing those subjects in their own area within the common core makes their centrality and importance clearer.
5. PHIL 127 and 128 are intended to improve our students’ historical preparation.
6. An introductory course covering the entire history of philosophy would be better for GE;
7. The course title “Knowledge and Understanding” is more descriptive of the content of PHIL 180, given the rise in the 20th century of rivals to the standard early modern view of knowledge.
8. PHIL 189 assesses the program by requiring submission of a senior paper;  further it provides the students with a writing sample for application to graduate study.
9. Within 36-unit major it was difficult to give students adequate subject matter preparation.  The added units will also solve a persistent problem philosophy majors encounter:  after satisfying the upper-division GE requirements (9 units) and the upper-division major requirements (27 units), they were short of the 40 unit minimum required for graduation.
10. The revisions to the “Ethics, Politics, and Law” concentration constitute a broadening of the requirements more in keeping with the actual goals of the concentration.
11. The additions to the Logic and Philosophy of Science Concentration reflect the need to strengthen the ethics component.
12. In order to get the Honors Option listed on the student’s diploma it is apparently necessary to make it a full concentration.  In the proposed revision a student accepted to the Honors Concentration must satisfy its requirements in addition to one of the other major concentrations.

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Dance Minor

Justification:

Due to Dance 40 no longer being taught, the department substituted THEA 016 as the production element of the Dance Minor. Within the changes made to the curriculum in 2008, the department also added THEA 020 as part of the Dance Minor elective to expand choices for students who desired more experience in the creative and artistic design of productions. Both changes were inadvertently left out of the 2008 submissions when the Dance Major program was revised. Because of the variable combination of allowed electives, these changes do not increase the number of units required.

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

MS Accountancy

Justification:

Delete ACCY 276 as an elective but add ACCY 278 to replace ACCY 276 in the MS/Accountancy program. Since ACCY 276 is the culminating experience class in the MSBA Taxation program, a new class ACCY 278 is proposed to serve as an elective in the MS Accountancy program to avoid the confusion to students.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

Counseling Minor

Justification:

The Counseling Minor includes Power, Privilege & Self Identity (EDC 171) which is offered through the Counselor Education Department. In order to provide a standard unit weight to our classes so that students taking a ½ time load (6 units) are not penalized with the offering of what was previously a 4 unit class, the department would like to change the class (pre-requisite to the M.S. in Counselor Education) to 3 units. This would reduce the total number of units in the Counseling Minor to 19 rather than 20 units.

MS in Counseling Programs (All Specializations)

Justification:

The Department seeks to make several important changes to the M.S. in Counseling program in order to adhere to recently passed legislation for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs) and new California Board of Behavioral Sciences licensure requirements. These curricular changes will guarantee that our students complete all of the educational and field-based experience required for both: a) the LPCC Internship application upon graduation and b) eventual licensure as an LPCC in the State of California. (These educational/licensure requirements are on par with those of the other 49 states in the nation as well as the CACREP 2009 standards for the M.S. in Counseling degree).

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

CpE Masters Program

Justification:

1. In line with what appears to be a national trend in the discipline, many Universities are now offering a culminating experience comprehensive examination option for the MS degree, which requires no industrial experience qualification and has no oral component.  Other campuses in the CSUS system with computer engineering masters programs are gradually following suit, in order to remain competitive.
2. There is a very high student demand and a very limited support budget for both the faculty workload and technical facilities required by culminating experience plan B.  The program cannot support the current percentage of students, who are attempting to graduate under plan B.  The proposed plan C changes will make that plan much more attractive to students and reduce the heavy demand for plan B.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Undergraduate

Justification:

Restrict students to one repeat of all criminal justice courses.

This change reflects the need to maximize the use of our resources, assure equity and provide access to students. Multiple repeats of classes consume limited resources and preclude other students from accessing class required for degree completion. Demand for our classes is consistently exceeding the available slots.

This proposal was previously submitted on a form A and approved by the HHS Academic Council. At the Academic Policies Subcommittee level, it was tabled on the following grounds:

• It was a substantive change
• Should have been submitted on a form B
• Dr. Bikle stated he was reviewing data on students who failed to attain C- or better and requested that the process be suspended until he finished examining the data

Dr. Bikle has submitted his data to the Division. The only significant correlation with failure to successfully complete the course was low overall GPA. The Division voted unanimously to resubmit the proposal on a Form B.

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Criminal Justice Major

Justification:

This form adds courses recently approved to the specified categories of electives listed in the catalog. Majors must draw their electives from at least three of the specified categories.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Blended Physical Education Option

Justification:

Due to requirements mandated by the California Commission of Teacher Credentialing for the Blended Physical Education Option the Department of  Kinesiology and Health Science is proposing the following programmatic change:

1. Removal of EDTE 116, Psychology of Instruction (3)
2. Creation of KINS 381, Methods of Teaching Secondary Physical Education (3). KINS 381 will infuse elements of EDTE 116 but from the unique perspective of teaching secondary physical education.
3. Revision of current KINS 380 to focus solely on methods of elementary physical education. KINS 380 will also address elements from EDTE 116 but from the perspective of teaching elementary physical education. New title: Methods of Teaching Elementary Physical Education (3)

Blended Physical Education Program

Justification:

Due to the infusion of PACT and other CTC requirements for credentialing into the seminars associated with student teaching, the value of each seminar needs to be increased from 1 unit to 3 units. This increase in class units will now reflect the additional workload for both students and faculty. In order to comply with the mandated allowed unit count for a blended program, EDTE 471 A will be reduced to 5 units and EDTE 471B will be reduced to 4 units.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

Traditional Undergraduate Nursing Program

Justification:

The Division of Nursing is requesting to split one of the final courses in the program into two components and eliminate one course. Currently NURS 143 contains both a theory and clinical component. NURS 143 Leadership and Management in Nursing Practice will continue to contain the theory portion ofthe course with lecture only (3 units). A new course would be added: NURS 145 Clinical Leadership and Professional Role Development, a precepted clinical course (6 units). NURS 145 will also assume the units from NURS 156 Selected Senior Practicum in Nursing (2 units). One additional unit will be added to the total number of units for the program. While adding 1 unit it will not add hours to the student workload as the hours per unit are calculated at a different rate for NURS 145 compared to NURS 156. In the current program, NURS 156 is 60 hours per unit and NURS 143 clinical is 45 hours per unit. In order to maintain the same number ofclinical hours, one unit will be added at the 1:45 unit ratio. This will not affect faculty workload as it will remain funded at .33 WTU per student.

When the curriculum was shortened to four semesters, NURS 143 and NURS 156 were placed in the same semester. Students typically completed the clinical hours for both courses at the same agency. In addition, since NURS 156 was categorized as a "post licensure" course, students could sit for licensing once NURS 143 hours were completed. Since that is no longer the case, it is not necessary, nor advantageous to have NURS 156 as a post licensure course. The current structure ofNURS 143 and NURS 156 is confusing to students and preceptors. The students must complete the NURS 143 hours prior to beginning the NURS 156 hours and this complicates the student and agencies' contracts as well as progression issues. The final point is that it gives the students more hours with which to successfully complete the course objectives.

Master of Science in Nursing

Justification:

The Division of Nursing requests a deletion ofthe Educator track and substantive changes to the current Advanced Clinical Role track. The Educator track has experienced decreased numbers of students in the last few years-necessitating the running of courses with 4-5 students. Given the current budget constraints, the Advanced Clinical Role track is proposed to become the Advanced Clinical/Educator Role track. The role of the nurse educator will be threaded throughout the track along with the NURS 214B course that is part of the core classes.

In addition, the individual clinical specialty courses within the Advanced Clinical Role track have also experienced dwindling numbers and therefore a collapsing of the tracks into one course (NURS 213) with individual clinical courses will be more fiscally and pedagogically sound. This approach will allow for general theoretical foundations in the clinical role to be realized at the clinical level through intensive specialized practicums (NURS 293A/B).

NURS 213A and NURS 213B will be replaced by NURS 213 and therefore NURS A and NURS B will be deleted.

NURS 232A and NURS 232B will be replaced by NURS 232. NURS 232A will remain in the School Nurse track and NURS 232B will be deleted.

These changes will result in larger class sizes, no change in FTES and therefore a positive impact on the budget.

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

RN to BSN Program

Justification:

The sequencing of the RN to BSN Program has required more flexibility and increased cohesiveness in learning for the students that are currently RNs. For this reason, the Division of Nursing requests a change in prerequisites and co-requisites.  This change will enable the faculty to tailor the program to the individual learning needs of the students. There is no change in individual course content and no change in total units for the program (27).

There are no fiscal repercussions.

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Undergraduate Program

Justification:

The change involves a minor modification to the course requirements within the program.  Instead of having 3 of the required units come from designated social science courses outside of the program, the change will allow the SWRK 95 course, developed and approved in 2009 to make up the 48 units needed for the degree.  Language in the current catalog already describes SWRK 95 as required for students who intend to pursue the major.  We want to delete that language (it’s redundant) and place SWRK 95 under a new category entitled (Required Lower Division Course). In addition, we would eliminate 3 units required from the Social Science category.  The overall units required to obtain the degree would remain at 48, but we would be requiring students to take a social work course already approved and offered for the past two years instead of a course in another discipline.  We believe the content of this course and it’s placement in the curriculum better prepares students to understand the role of the professional social worker before deciding to become a social work major. 

In addition, we’d like to change the prerequisites for two courses:
SWRK 126 should read (GWAR certification before fall 09, or WPJ score of 80+, or C or higher grade in Engl 109 M/W or C- grade in Engl 109 M/W or WPJ score of 70/71 and Engl. 109X co-requisite).  This language reflects the changes in the writing requirement

SWRK 140A – pre-requisites SWRK 95, SWRK 102, SWRK 150, SWRK 125A and department permission. (This is consistent with our intent to have these courses completed before entering the field placement.)

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

Undergraduate Degree Program

Justification:

We are modifying our undergraduate curriculum to respond to both budgetary constraints and to advisory board and employer surveys.  We are eliminating a total of 7 units from our undergraduate curriculum and saving up to 14 units of instructional costs beginning in Fall 2011.  The curriculum change requires us to reduce some course material while adjusting and increasing some others (see Form A justifications).  We have utilized input from our community advisory board as well as our employer surveys to support these changes and we have determined that we are not compromising overall learning outcomes of students in our program.

Graduate Program

Justification:

SPHP 250 will be reduced to 2 units from three and the overall graduate program will be reduced by one unit.

NEW PROGRAM

Master of Arts in Biological Sciences: Stem Cell Concentration

Justification:

The Master of Arts in Biological Sciences was recently approved by the CSU system  as a new graduate program in the Department of Biological Sciences to complement the existing Master of Sciences thesis program.  The culminating experience of the MA program is a non-thesis project which requires a written project report.  The proposed Stem Cell Concentration is a twenty-month program of study which consists of 22 units of graduate courses and 8 units of internship at a UC Davis stem cell research laboratory.  The culminating experience is still a written report based on the research performed by the student during the internship program. A core of 8 courses in research methods and cellular and molecular biology will be taken at Sacramento State. These courses already exist at Sacramento State and are integrated with and designed to provide a foundation for the advanced laboratory internship.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Master of Science in Biological Sciences

Justification:

Increase in BIO 299 and 500 units.  The Department proposes an increase in the number of BIO 299 (Problems in Biological Sciences) units that may be counted toward the degree.  Currently, four units of BIO 299 can be counted toward the MS degree.  We propose to increase the number of BIO 299 units that can be counted toward the MS degree from four to eight.  Students in the graduate program routinely complete eight or more units of BIO 299 during their program but receive insufficient degree credit for this work. The proposed increase in units more accurately reflects the actual time and effort a graduate student in the Department dedicates to their thesis research.  We anticipate that the increase in BIO 299 units that may be counted toward the degree will decrease time to graduation for many of our MS students. 
In addition, the Department proposes to increase the number of BIO 500 (Master’s Thesis) units that may be counted toward the degree.  Currently, two units of BIO 500 can be counted toward the MS degree.  We propose to increase the number of BIO 500 units from two to four.  The proposed increase more accurately reflects the actual time and effort a graduate student in the Department dedicates to writing their thesis.  With these changes and a revision of course requirements (see below), the number of additional units required in each concentration will decrease from 23 to 16.

Change of name, course requirements, and course offerings in the Biological Conservation concentration. We are proposing a revision of the current Biological Conservation concentration in the MS degree program.  This proposed program change is intended to allow students to devote more time to their research (i.e., increased BIO 299 units) and to better serve the interests of students and faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences.  We propose 1) a name change in the concentration to Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, and 2) a concomitant change in the required coursework to align with the concentration’s broader scope.  As part of this process, the Department is proposing to streamline the current course offerings in the concentration by combining several courses and deleting others. This proposed program change will result in a decrease in the number of courses that students are required to take.  This will result in a net decrease in departmental resources that are allocated to graduate courses.

Change of course requirements in the Molecular and Cellular Biology concentration. We are proposing a reduction of the course requirements for the Molecular and Cellular Biology concentration in the MS degree program.  This reduction in course requirements is intended to allow students to devote more time to their research (i.e., increased BIO 299 units).  This proposed program change will result in a decrease in the number of courses that students are required to take but increase the number of units for research.   This will result in a net decrease in departmental resources that are allocated to graduate courses.

Deletion of BIO 292 (Biological Concepts). BIO 292 (Biological Concepts) is proposed for deletion because the key concepts covered in this course will be incorporated in the revised course offerings under the new Ecology, Evolution and Conservation concentration.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

B.A. Geology

Justification:

Proposed changes to B.A. Geology program are consistent with the proposed changes in the B.S. Geology degree.  The content B.A. under the proposed changes is similar to the current program with the following exceptions:

• Convert GEOL 100 (Mineralogy) from 5 to 4 units
• Convert the following course to an elective: Paleontology (GEOL 105)
• Require students to take GEOL 110B (Structural Geology Field)
• Change the Geology Electives requirement from "10 units" to "3 courses"

• Reduce the number of units required for the major by 5 to 6 units.
• Reduce the number of Geology Department WTU required to deliver upper-devision courses

B.S. Geology

Justification:

Proposed Changes to B.S. Geology Program:

• Delete MATH 31 as a required course
  We are deleting the requirement that students take a second-semester of calculus because subsequent courses in the major do not require the material covered in MATH 31. Moreover, we have found that students who have had MATH 31 do not perform better in quantitative geology courses than students who have had only MATH 30.
• Delete CHEM 1B as a required course
  We are deleting the requirement that students take a second semester of chemistry because subsequent courses in the major do not require the material covered in CHEM 1B. Moreover, we have found that students who have had CHEM 1B do not perform better in Mineralogy, Petrology or Geochemistry than students who have had only CHEM 1A.
• Delete Sedimentology/Stratigraphy Field (103B -1 unit)
  The content of this course is being incorporated into a proposed new course, GEOL 188.
• Delete Igneous and Metamorphic Geology Field (102B -1 unit)
  The content of this course is being incorporated into a proposed new course, GEOL 188.
• Convert GEOL 100 (mineralogy) from 5 to 4 units
  This change bring our mineralogy requirement in line with the majority of geology programs in the country and the CSU.
• Delete the graduation requirement that students take Summer Field Camp at another institution
  We are making an advanced field course, GEOL 188, an integral part of our course requirements.
• Create new course, Advanced Field Geology (GEOL 188) which replaces GEOL 102B, GEOL 103B and summer field camp
• Remove the laboratory component from the following courses and change the units from 4 to 3:
  Geophysics (GEOL 112), Geochemistry (GEOL 123)
  These changes are seen as a low-impact way to reduce the number of units in the major.
  Moreover, the lack of analytical equipment in the department has limited the activities we
  have been able to do in these labs.
• Convert the following courses to electives: Paleontology (GEOL 105), Geophysics (GEOL 112), Surface Processes (GEOL 120)
  These changes bring our requirements in line with the majority of geology programs in the
  CSU and the country.
• Modify the prerequisites for Geophysics (GEOL 112), Surface Processes (GEOL 120)
  As electives these courses should be available to all geology majors in the upper division.

• Reduce the minimum number of units required for the major from 79 to 63.
• Reduce the number of units required for the B.S. in Geology from 124 to 120
• Reduce the number of Geology Department WTU typically required to deliver upper-division courses for the B.S. from 64 to 48
• Remove the requirement that students to take Summer Field Camp at another institution in addition to the nominal units required for the degree
• Give the Geology Department control over the content of Summer Field Experience

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Ethnic Studies-Education Concentration

Justification:

Ethnic Studies proposes the addition of a new concentration (Ethnic Studies-Education) to our existing five concentrations (General Ethnic Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Native American Studies, and Pan African Studies) for our majors.  A major in Ethnic Studies totals 36 units, of which 24 units are required core course and 12 units are elective courses for the concentration.  The Ethnic Studies-Education concentration will also consist of 12 units.  Please see page 3 of the attached proposal.

According to data from our last five-year program review, it is estimated that at least half of Ethnic Studies graduates pursue careers in K-6 education.  To create a direct pipeline to a teacher credential program, the Ethnic Studies Department, in cooperation with the faculty in the Bilingual Multicultural Education  Department, propose the creation of this new Ethnic Studies-Education concentration that has two tracks: Prospective Teachers in Urban Settings and Prospective Teachers in Bilingual Settings.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

FACS BA: Nutrition and Food Concentration

Justification:

We are proposing to change our program by increasing the total number of required upper division courses from 18-19 to 24-25 units and eliminating the 5-6 units of FACS electives.  Students would select five (15-16 units) FACS nutrition courses instead of the current option of three (9-10 units).  Enough of the required courses are currently being offered so these changes will not increase time to graduation and will not incur additional costs to the department. Furthermore, these proposed changes will not impact the FACS core curriculum, which all FACS majors must take regardless of concentration.

Our proposed changes will not increase the total unit requirement for the major (53 units) but would increase the rigor of degree, ensure that students obtain relevant nutrition content, increase success in career placement, plus will aid in clarity for advising and course selection. Please see attached table comparing current program requirements to proposed changes.