Bachelor of Arts In Biochemistry College of the Sciences December 2020
Proposal: Establish a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry at Central Washington University (CWU). Introduction: The Department of Chemistry has found that approximately one-half of students start out pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, but many leave the department before completing their degree. In order to mitigate the loss of students in the programs, the department has determined an additional degree program would be the appropriate solution. Narrative: The Department of Chemistry has proposed a new Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry. This degree is intended to address the two main challenges to student retention which are: • Students are unable or unwilling to complete the required math and physical chemistry courses • Students leave to attend a professional program (pharmacy, medicine, or dentistry), which require the completion of specific coursework, not necessarily the completion of a degree The Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry includes much of the same coursework as the Bachelor of Science; however, it excludes some of the more rigorous calculus courses as well as all the physical chemistry courses. This degree option will enable to department to retain more students as well as encourage current students to complete a CWU degree before moving on to their professional program. The department does not expect that this proposal would incur any additional costs to CWU. All the courses listed in the major are currently being offered and enrollment is such that it would not create a need for additional sections. In addition to retaining students and increased completion rates, this degree option would be attractive to Education majors looking for a high school biochemistry teaching endorsement. i Research and Analysis: Initial research and analysis of this degree program are presented below with supporting data points provided. This analysis and any conclusions presented should be considered only as supporting factual evidence, and not an endorsement for or against the development of this new degree.
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