Institution Submitting Proposal: Utah Valley University

Institution Submitting Proposal: Utah Valley University

College: Science and Health

Department: Earth Sciences

Program Title: Environmental Science and Management

Recommended Classification of Instructional

Programs (CIP) Code: 03.0104

Degree to be Awarded: BS

Proposed Beginning Date: Fall, 2011

Institutional Signatures:

______

Matthew S. Holland

University President

______

Ian Wilson

Vice President for Academic Affairs

______

Sam Rushforth

Dean

______

Daniel Horns

Department Chair

Date: 11/12/2010

Executive Summary
Utah Valley University
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management
12 November 2011

Program Description

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management will be very similar to the existing Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management. The program will include courses in environmental technology, geology, hydrology, chemistry, and geography. These courses will teach students about the physics and chemistry of our water, air, and soil resources; introduce the laws and regulations that relate to the protection of those resources; explore the ethical issues that motivate people to either exploit or protect the environment; and introduce the technologies that are used to prevent disease and protect the environment. Students will be taught through classroom instruction and hands-on experience. To help students be more effective in their future careers, they will be required to practice their written and oral communication skills, as well as learn the basic skills of managing an organization. Internships are strongly recommended. The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management program is designed to prepare graduates for careers helping private industries comply with environmental regulations, working for companies that conduct environmental surveys and cleanups, working for government agencies that enforce environmental regulations, and for graduate school programs that deal with environmental science and/or environmental policy.

Role and Mission Fit

These changes are consistent with UVU's mission to offer undergraduate programs that contribute to the quality of life and economic development at the local and state levels (R312-5.1.1). The changes are also consistent with UVU's roles of providing quality academic learning opportunities and promoting economic and cultural development to contribute to the quality of life of the region and state. The changes will contribute to quality of life issues by preparing graduates who will better protect the region's environmental quality. The changes will contribute to economic development issues by preparing graduates who can help Utah’s expanding industry comply with environmental standards and regulations.

Faculty

Number of faculty with Doctoral degrees / Tenure / 7 / Contract / 0 / Adjunct / 0
Number of faculty with Master’s degrees / Tenure / 3 / Contract / 0 / Adjunct / 0
Number of faculty with Bachelor’s degrees / Tenure / 0 / Contract / 0 / Adjunct / 0
Other Faculty / Tenure / 0 / Contract / 0 / Adjunct / 0

Market Demand

The market demand for this degree program is demonstrated by the success of our graduates from the existing Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management. Over 80% of the graduates from the existing Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management program are finding jobs in their fields within a few months of graduating. These include jobs at engineering companies working with environmental cleanup and water resources, and jobs at government agencies that enforce environmental regulations.

Student Demand

This change was requested by students in the existing program, so that the name of their degree program will better communicate the content of that program. This proposed change resulted from a formal exercise conducted by students in the Fall 2008 Environmental Management Systems class (ENVT 3530). Students in ENVT 3530 learn how to use the methods of ISO 14000 (“continuous process improvement”) to improve the operations of an organization. Each time the class is taught; students in ENVT 3530 conduct a project in which they apply the methods of continuous process improvement to an existing operation. In Fall of 2008, the students applied the methods to their own major (Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management). The students collected and compiled employment advertisements and interviewed potential employers. The students concluded that the content of the degree program would be better communicated to potential employers by changing the name of the program from “Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management” to “Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science Management.” Furthermore, the students concluded that the new name was a better match with the job titles listed in employment advertisements. These conclusions are consistent with comments from other students over the past couple years and with comments from Renee Zollinger, Environmental Programs Manager for Salt Lake City Corporation.

Statement of Financial Support

There will be no financial impact since the proposed degree will replace a nearly identical emphasis within an existing program.

Similar Programs Already Offered in the USHE

Programs similar to the proposed UVU Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science

· Utah State University, Applied Environmental Geosciences degree

· Weber State University, Bachelor of Science in Applied Environmental Geosciences

· University of Utah, Bachelor of Science in Geoscience with an Emphasis in Environmental Geoscience

· Utah Valley University, Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management

Section I: Request

Utah Valley University requests approval to offer a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management degree effective Fall 2011. This action was approved by the UVU Board of Trustees on October 28, 2010.

Section II: Program Description

Complete Program Description

The proposed Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management replaces the existing Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management.

Coincident with this new degree program, the Department of Earth Science has also submitted a proposal requesting the restructure of their Bachelor of Science in Earth Science which would eliminate the emphasis in Environmental Management and change the name of the existing degree to Bachelor of Science in Geology. The curriculum of the restructured Bachelor of Science in Geology will be virtually identical to the Bachelor of Science in Earth Science approved by the BOR in 2000.

The program will include courses in environmental technology, geology, hydrology, chemistry, and geography. These courses will teach students about the physics and chemistry of our water, air, and soil resources; introduce the laws and regulations that relate to the protection of those resources, explore the ethical issues that motivate people to either exploit or protect the environment, and introduce the technologies that are used to prevent disease and protect the environment. Students will be taught through classroom instruction and hands-on experience. To help students be more effective in their future careers, they will be required to practice their written and oral communication skills, as well as learn the basic skills of managing an organization. Internships are strongly recommended. The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management program is designed to prepare graduates for careers helping private industries comply with environmental regulations, working for companies that conduct environmental surveys and cleanups, working for government agencies that enforce environmental regulations, and for graduate school programs that deal with environmental science and/or environmental policy.

Purpose of Degree

The first purpose of the Environmental Science and Management Program is to prepare students for careers as environmental professionals. In those careers, graduates of the program will work to prevent those diseases and illnesses which are caused by pollution, to prevent pollution that is unsightly and unpleasant but may not be immediately harmful, and to protect the environment. This protection includes the living part of the environment, such as plants and animals, as well as the nonliving aspects, such as the clarity of the water and the cleanliness of the air. Environmental protection is improved by educating future environmental professionals and by raising awareness among the general public.

Institutional Readiness

Since the proposed degree will replace a virtually identical degree that has been offered since 2004 (the Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management), this change will require no new institutional resources. The existing Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management is supported by the Chair of the Department of Earth Science, the Department of Earth Science Administrative Assistant, and the Department of Earth Science Academic Advisor. This support will be sufficient for the proposed program.

Faculty

No new faculty members are necessary to deliver the Environmental Science and Management program, since the needed faculty are currently serving the existing Environmental emphasis in Earth Science. Appendix C includes a list of faculty members who are key to UVU’s Environmental Management program. Of the required core classes for the proposed degree (see Appendix A), 80% to 100% of the course sections will be taught by full-time, tenure track faculty members. All of the Environmental Management faculty members were hired at UVU because of their dedication to undergraduate education. These faculty members take great advantage of the faculty development opportunities at UVU, most notable training sessions by UVU’s Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence and peer review programs in the Departments of Earth Science and Chemistry.

Staff

Because this new program will replace the Environmental Management emphasis, this change will require no new staff.

Library and Information Resources

The UVU library currently holds 447 titles related to environmental science (55 related to environmental science, 57 related to hydrology, 80 related to water resources, 51 related to water quality, 26 related to air quality, 139 related to soil resources and soil quality, and 39 related to Geographic Information Systems); which are sufficient to support the requirements of the new degree. Furthermore, students in the program will have access to books and journal articles from throughout the Utah System of Higher Education through the interlibrary loan program.

Admissions Requirements

Upon admissions to UVU, students may declare Environmental Science and Management as their major and will be required to meet with an advisor from the Department of Earth Science. Incoming freshman would be welcome into the program their first semester at UVU.

Student Advisement

Students in the Environmental Science and Management degree program will be required to meet at least once per year with the Earth Science advisor in order to plan their curricula and track their progress. Additionally, students will be encouraged to talk with Earth Science faculty members about choosing and preparing for internships, careers, and/or graduate programs.

Justification for Graduation Standards and Number of Credits

The proposed program curriculum is listed in Appendix A, attached. The curriculum is designed to provide a firm grounding in environmental science and related fields of math and science. The degree program has enough flexibility to allow students to pursue their particular interests within the field of environmental science and management. A total of 125 credit hours is required for the proposed program.

External Review and Accreditation

The proposed degree program was developed by the faculty of the UVU Department of Earth Science, and was strongly influenced by conversations with Florence Reynolds, Water Quality Administrator for Salt Lake City Public Works; Neil Taylor of the Utah Dept of Environmental Quality; and David Pitcher of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District. The degree program was reviewed by Renee Zollinger. Ms. Zollinger is the current Environmental Programs Manager for Salt Lake City Corporation, and she has over 20 years of experience consutling to industry and government on environmental issues.

There are no subject-specific accreditation requirements that apply to the proposed degree. The degree is however, designed to prepare students for several certification exams. Graduates working toward careers at health departments will take the Environmental Health Scientist test administered by the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. Graduates of the existing program usually pass this exam on their first try; whereas graduates from other related programs (e.g., biology and chemistry) typically must take the exam three or four times before they pass.

Projected Enrollment

Year / Student Headcount / # of Faculty / Student –to-Faculty Ratio / Accreditation Req’d Ratio
1 / 58 / 5 / 12:1 / N/A
2 / 60 / 5 / 12:1
3 / 60 / 5 / 12:1
4 / 65 / 5 / 13:1
5 / 65 / 5 / 13:1

Expansion of Existing Program

The Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management has been offered since 2004. Below is a chart illustrating the headcount of students with that declared major and emphasis for each of the past five years.

Year / Student Headcount
2004/2005 / 42
2005/2006 / 53
2006/2007 / 47
2007/2008 / 52
2008/2009 / 58

Section III: Need

Program Need

Graduates of the proposed program, like the existing Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in Environmental Management, are needed to protect the quality of Utah’s soil, air, and water resources and to meet the demands for qualified environmental professionals by regional water system operators, industries, and regulatory agencies. The name change from "Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an emphasis in Environmental Management " to “Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management” is needed due to confusion over the name of the existing program. Many prospective students, as well as some employers of our graduates, have expressed confusion about what exactly is meant by a "Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an emphasis in Environmental Management". It is, on the other hand, well understood what is meant by a "Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management" (see Student Demand, below).

Labor Market Demand

Jobs in environmental science seem to be strong nation-wide. According to Simply Hired Employment Trends (http://www.simplyhired.com), environmental science jobs in the U.S. increased by 25% between September 2008 and March 2010. Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos311.htm#projections_data) projects that between 2008 and 1018, the numbers of jobs in environmental science in the U.S. will increase by 28%.