Overview Form

College And Department

Proposal For a Change in a Program

Proposal For a Change in a Program

Type of Change:

• Prerequisites
From
To
• Number of Credits
From
To
• Required Courses
From
To
• Removal of Courses from Program
Course prefix and number
• Addition of Courses to Program
Course prefix and number
• Remove entire program from catalog
• Other
Explain

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Catalog Description:

Justification For Request

What research has led to this request?

Changing the categories for upper-level course offerings from geographical regions to skills based categories is a strategic move that will serve the students and department in the following ways: 1. the new categories reflect both the language of the major's student learning outcomes and NACE core competency skills, making it clear how earning a History degree at CCU translates into future employability, matriculation into graduate programs or law school, and a variety of other post-graduate plans. As a result, the value of a history degree should be readily evident to prospective students and parents. 2. Because students are required to take a set number of required courses in each category, throughout their time in the History program they will be regularly reminded (e.g. during UNIV 110, registration and other programmatic reviews) of the skills that they are expected to cultivate while earning their degree, which will help them close the articulation gap that currently exists when they apply for jobs, graduate programs, etc. 3. The new categories update the major to reflect broader trends in history departments throughout the academy, effectively modernizing the degree program. 4. The structure of the new categories will facilitate the addition of micro-credentialing in a way that is nearly impossible with our current structure. For example, with the new structure of categories, students who intend to go to graduate school or law school can add a specialization in Research or another category relevant to their post-graduate goals. 5. The new structure of categories now reflects the department's assessment goals, making them much easier to measure. Rather than depend on two courses for the assessment of the entire program, now all courses and faculty can contribute to a more meaningful assessment process. 6. Rather than require one possible capstone experience (HIST 498), students can now meet their research requirements by taking any one of a list of courses in the Research category, preventing a bottle-neck effect that can prove to be a significant obstacle to graduation. Consequently, this change should facilitate a smoother path to degree completion. Topics courses have been included in each category to ensure that students and faculty alike will always have the flexibility to offer any special courses a student might need for an extenuating circumstance.

What impact will this request have on existing academic programs?

The only impact will be positive (see the reasons listed above). There should be no negative impacts, because students will be taking the same number of hours in the major, they will have a better understanding of the value of their major, they will graduate with the ability to articulate the critical skills acquired as a History major, the degree will be more readily assessible, there will be fewer obstacles to degree completion, the foundation will exist for the addition of micro-credentials, and faculty and students alike will have the flexibility to succeed at what they do best.

What financial costs are associated with this request?

There will be no financial costs.

If NO change in cost is anticipated, how is this possible?

There will be no additional costs, because faculty will teach all of the courses listed in their regular course rotation schedules.

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Any additional information

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Additional Attachment: