To:GCAA
From:CDC
Date:December 8, 2003
Re:Curriculum proposals
The Committee on Curriculum Development recommends that the General Committee on Academic Affairs approve the following seven proposals.
I.ACCOUNTING
A.Drop ACCT 100 from possible courses for an accounting minor.
Rationale:
The purpose of the accounting major/minor is to expose students to financial reporting issues for business entities while ACCT 100 is designed to introduce non-accounting students to personal financial issues that may affect their personal lives.
Impact:
This change is expected to result in a small decrease in the number of students taking ACCT 100 and the number of accounting minors but will not affect staffing.
New catalog description (p. 51):
Minor
A minor in the Department of Accounting consists of ACCT 110 and four higher numberedother accounting courses as determined by the student’s interests.
B.Require all accounting majors to pass a standardized accounting achievement exam.
Rationale:
To aid in the outcomes assessment process as required by ACBSP accreditation.
New catalog statement (p. 51--at the end of Core Courses required of all majors):
All accounting majors are required to take and pass a standardized accounting achievement exam during their final semester. Students who fail may retake the exam or take an independent study in the area(s) that were tested unsatisfactorily.
C.Add the following wording related to the IMS on page 51:
… to assure that they have completed all courses required for C.P.A. licensure.
The Department of Accounting is a member of the Institute for Management Studies. See page 120.
D.Drop Track I – Management Accounting
Rationale:
Lack of student enrollment. Virtually all students declare a major in accounting with the intent of pursuing a CPA which is the objective of the current Tracks II and III.
Impact:
There is expected to be no impact on staffing.
E.Drop ACCT 224, Cost and Budgetary Accounting Theory II
Add ACCT320, Accounting Information Systems/Fund Accounting
Rationale:
To adjust curriculum to meet content revision of CPA exam and enhance accounting student’s performance on the standardized accounting field exam.
Impact:
There will be no impact on staffing since this is a substitution of one course for another.
Deleted Course:
224
COST AND BUDGETARYACCOUNTING THEORY II
Application of cost accounting and budgetary theory to decision making in the area of make or buy, expansion of production and sales, break even analysis, decision modeling, internal control and information systems. Prerequisite: ACCT 223 and MATH 123.
Add New Course:
320
ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS/FUND ACCOUNTING
An introduction to the design and use of accounting information systems (AIS) and design and implementation of control systems in AIS. An introduction to the theory and practice of fund accounting. Prerequisite: ACCT 110. Co-requisite: BUS 320 (in the first half of the semester).
F.Change the name of ACCT 223, Cost and Budgetary Accounting Theory I, to
COST AND BUDGETARY ACCOUNTING THEORY.
Rationale:
In the new program there will be only one Cost course and, therefore,there is no longer any reason include the Roman numeral.
G.Modify the major requirements.
(1)Change the core courses required of all majors to include ACCT436 and
ACCT441 and remove these two courses from the remaining tracks.
Rationale:
With the removal of the Management Accounting track these two courses are common to both tracks.
(2)Remove the word “Financial” from the two remaining tracks.
Rationale:
Both remaining tracks start with the words Financial Accounting and in that sense the word Financial does not help to distinguish between the two tracks.
(3).List the 150 hour track as Track I and the 128 hour track as Track II.
Rationale:
The Accounting Department would like to list the 150 hour track as Track I because it’s perceived by accountants to have the most prestige and it highlights the track for prospective accounting students who are interested in meeting the 150 hour requirement.
(4).Clarify the wording related to the selection of an elective in the 128 hour track.
Rationale:
The current wording can be read to imply that more than one elective course is required. Rewording will eliminate this possibility.
Catalog changes:
Page 34
The following courses, when scheduled as W courses, count toward the writing intensive requirement: ACCT 223, 224, and 442.
Page 51:
The purpose of the accounting major is to help prepare the student for a career within the accounting profession. In order to satisfy the needs of an extremely diverse profession, the major in accounting consists of threetwoseparate tracks. Track I is designed for students with an interest in accounting for the informational needs of managers including business entities, non-profit entities and internal auditing. This track will provide excellent preparation for the Certified Management Accounting (CMA) exam. Track II is a 128 semester hour program and is designed to meet the requirements of the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy for those students whose goal is to become Certified Public Accountants in Pennsylvania. Track IIII is a 150 semester hour program designed to meet the 150 hour requirement of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts for those students whose goal is to become a member of the AICPA in Pennsylvania or any other state. Track II is a 128 semester hour program and is designed to meet the requirements of the PennsylvaniaState Board of Accountancy for those students whose goal is to become Certified Public Accountants in Pennsylvania.
Students planning to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accounting Examination are advised to check with their State Board of Accounting to assure that they have completed all courses required for C.P.A. licensure.
The Department of Accounting is a member of the Institute for Management Studies. See page 120.
Core courses required of all majors:
ACCT110, 223, 344, 345, 436, 440, 441, 443; BUS 223, 228, 235, 244, 312, 320, 338, 441; ECON 110 or 111; MATH 123. All accounting majors are required to take and pass a standardized accounting achievement exam during their final semester. Students who fail may retake the exam or take an independent study in the area(s) that were tested unsatisfactorily.
Track requirements:
I. Management Accounting – 128 hours: ACCT 224, and either 449 or 470-479, BUS 339
II.I. Financial Accounting – 150 hours:
ACCT 224320, 436, 441, 442, 447, and either 449 or 470-479; BUS 236; ECON 110 and 111; one course from SOC or PSY
III.II. Financial Accounting – 128 hours:
ACCT 436, 441;One course from ACCT224320, 442, and either 449,or 470-479, or BUS345
II.ART
Proposal:
The ArtDepartment would like to add a course to the required courses for the Art Generalist (Certification) track.
Rationale:
Up to now, Art Generalists have not been required to take ART 343, Introduction to Computer Art. However, as we are preparing students for careers in education and teaching art, we are finding that computer graphics are increasingly part of the high school curriculum. In the past, we have recommended to students to take ART 343, and now we believe that this course should be required, in order to prepare our students better. This keeps us current with state trends and requirements. To accommodate this additional course, we will drop ART 116 from the core courses of the Foundation for the Art Generalist track only. ART 116 (Figure Modeling) will remain in the Foundation program for all other tracks in the Art department.
There is no change in staffing. Lynn Estomin can accommodate the art generalist students in the two sections of ART 343 she already teaches.
Under the Foundation description, add the sentence:
Students planning to follow the Art Generalist track are not required to take ART 116 as part of the foundation program.
The following is the description of the Art Generalist track.
V. Generalist Art Major
To be taken by those students who are seeking teaching certification in Art. In addition, this area of specialization is recommended for those students also majoring or minoring in Psychology with a possible future career in art therapy.
ART 119 - Ceramics I
ART 220 - Painting
ART 225 - Sculpture I
ART 228 - Printmaking I
ART 343 - Introduction to Computer Art
and two art history courses numbered 300 or above.
Students planning to complete the K-12 art certification program must also fulfill the following requirements:
ART 310 - History and Practice of Art Education
EDUC 200 - Introduction to the Study of Education
EDUC 239 - Middle and Secondary School Curriculum and Instruction
PSY 138 - Educational Psychology
EDUC 446, 447, 448, and 449 - Professional Semester
Students are also encouraged to take EDUC 232 andare strongly encouraged to take ART 116343.
III.ASTRONOMY/PHYSICS
Proposal:
The following proposal has two distinct parts, and if adopted will require changes in course descriptions and the description of the major in the College Catalog. Neither part would require any changes in staffing, nor any changes in the number of courses required for the major.
PART IMake ASTR/PHYS 448, Research Topics, a repeatable course and modify the major requirements to allow students to use summer research projects in place of ASTR/PHYS 448.
A.Modify the course description of ASTR/PHYS 448.
Rationale:
It is possible that a student may find one semester insufficient to tackle a challenging problem. Provided that additional work worthy of two intense semesters of research is involved, the department would appreciate the flexibility of permitting a project to continue. Also, the possibility exists that a student will find research sufficiently satisfying that they would wish to carry out a second different topic if their schedule permits.
ASTR 448
RESEARCH TOPICS
Students participate in a research project under the guidance of a faculty member in the department. In weekly meetings, they share reports from the literature and report on their own work. Topics will range from abstract theoretical to selected practical experimental investigations. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Cross-listed as PHYS 448. May be taken a second time with departmental approval.
PHYS 448
Research Topics
Students participate in a research project under the guidance of a faculty member in the department. In weekly meetings, they share reports from the literature and report on their own work. Topics will range from abstract theoretical to selected practical experimental investigations. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Cross-listed as ASTR 448. May be taken a second time with departmental approval.
B.Modify the major requirements
Rationale:
Students who are fortunate enough to have been selected for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) slot, or a Research for Undergraduates (RUG) program, or equivalent summer research opportunity at a major university are quite often interested in completing the Scholars program, preparing themselves for graduate school, and finishing a double major and/or minor. The Department wholly supports the inclusion of the Research Topics course into the major as a requirement. However, for the type of student mentioned above, it can cause major scheduling problems that should not negatively impact such a student. Such a student has already gotten a more intensive research opportunity than they would in the Research Topics course. Therefore, we propose that students who successfully complete an REU, RUG, or equivalent summer experience should be able, upon departmental approval, to substitute that REU, RUG, or equivalent summer experience plus an additional advanced astronomy or physics course for ASTR/PHYS 448.
Page 63:
The requirement for taking ASTR 448 can be satisfied by doing an individual studies or honors project where the results would be presented at a departmental colloquium. A double major in astronomy and physics need only take the course once. Students participating in an engineering 3-2 program will be exempt from taking ASTR 448. Students who have successfully completed a summer REU, RUG, or equivalent research experience may request departmental approval to substitute that experience plus an additional advanced astronomy or physics course not already required by the major in place of ASTR 448.
Page 66:
The requirement for taking PHYS 448 can be satisfied by doing an individual studies or honors project where the results would be presented at a departmental colloquium. A double major in astronomy and physics need only take the course once. Students participating in an engineering 3-2 program will be exempt from taking PHYS 448. Students who have successfully completed a summer REU, RUG, or equivalent research experience may request departmental approval to substitute that experience plus an additional advanced astronomy or physics course not already required by the major in place of PHYS 448.
PART II—Establish an option that allows students flexibility in fulfilling the chemistry requirement in the physics and astronomy majors with a more advanced physics course that is already cross-listed as a chemistry course.
A.Modify the course description of PHYS/CHEM 439.
Rationale:
This action is taken for two reasons. First, changes in the course description will more accurately match current course content. Elimination of the Introduction from the course title better matches changes in course titles adopted in a major curriculum review conducted approximately twelve years ago. The bigger issue involves adding additional flexibility for fulfillment of the chemistry requirement for both the astronomy and physics majors. Quantum mechanics is an essential course for people headed for graduate study. Fortunately, the course has been cross-listed as a chemistry course for over two decades. This past semester, a student who is double majoring, completing the Scholars program, and preparing herself for graduate school indicated that she would not be able to take the full set of advanced physics courses (including Quantum Mechanics) if she had to take CHEM 111 to complete the chemistry requirement. She requested, and successfully won, an appeal that she enroll in the Quantum Mechanics course, signing up for CHEM 439, thereby substituting that course for CHEM 111 and leaving her with both the Quantum Mechanics course and another slot for another very desired advanced physics elective. To be clear, a student will be able to substitute CHEM 439 for either CHEM 111 or CHEM 331, but not simultaneously a physics elective. To do otherwise would permit a disadvantageous double-dipping thus circumventing the present required number of courses for either the astronomy or physics major.
PHYS 439
Introduction To Quantum Mechanics
Introduction to the basic concepts and principlesformulation of quantum theory. Solutions to the free particle, the simple harmonic oscillator, the hydrogen atom, andother central force problems are presented using the Schrodinger wave equation approach. Topics also include operator formalism, eigenstates, eigenvalues, the uncertainty principles, stationary states, representation of wavefunctions by eigenstate expansions,and the Heisenberg matrix approach. will be discussed. Both time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory will be covered. Four hours of lecture and recitation. Prerequisite: Either PHYS 226 or CHEM 331, and MATH 231. Cross-listed as CHEM 439.
CHEM 439
Introduction To Quantum Mechanics
Introduction to the basic concepts and principlesformulation of quantum theory. Solutions to the free particle, the simple harmonic oscillator, the hydrogen atom, and other central force problems are presented using the Schrodinger wave equation approach. Topics also include operator formalism, eigenstates, eigenvalues, the uncertainty principles, stationary states, representation of wavefunctions by eigenstate expansions,and the Heisenberg matrix approach. will be discussed. Both time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory will be covered. Four hours of lecture and recitation. Prerequisite: Either PHYS 226 or CHEM 331, and MATH 231. Cross-listed as PHYS 439.
B.Modify themajor requirements:
Rationale:
If the changes in PHYS 439 are adopted, then it is necessary to make changes to the major requirements.
Page 63:
The major in astronomy requires courses in astronomy, physics, chemistry and mathematics. The required courses are ASTR 111, 448, and five additional courses numbered ASTR 112 or higher four of which must be numbered ASTR 230 or higher; PHYS 225-226; CHEM 110-111 or 330-331two courses in chemistry to be selected from CHEM 110, 111, 330, 331, or 439; and MATH 128-129. Astronomy majors are also required to register for four semesters of ASTR 349 and 449 (non-credit colloquia).
Page 66:
The major in physics requires course in physics, chemistry and mathematics. The required courses are PHYS 225, 226, 331, 332, 448 and four additional courses numbered PHYS 333 or higher; CHEM 110-111 or 330-331two courses in chemistry to be selected from CHEM 110, 111, 330, 331, or 439; and MATH 128-129. Physics majors are also required to register for four semesters of PHYS 349 and 449 (non-credit colloquia).
IV.MUSIC/THEATRE
Proposal:
To remove the prerequisite of MUS/THEA 137, History of the Dance I, from MUS 138, History of the Dance II.
Rationale:
The instructor of the course does not teach the courses in a consecutive manner and consistently overrides the prerequisite.
MUS 138
HISTORY OF THE DANCE II
A survey of the forms of dance, excluding classical ballet, as independent works of art and as they have reflected the history of civilization.. from primitive times to the present. Prerequisite: MUS 137 or consent of instructor. One-half unit of credit. Not open to students who have received credit for THEA 138. Cross listed as THEA 138.
THEA 138
HISTORY OF THE DANCE II
A survey of the forms of dance, excluding classical ballet, as independent works of art and as they have reflected the history of civilization.. from primitive times to the present. Prerequisite: THEA 137 or consent of instructor. One-half unit of credit. Not open to students who have received credit for MUS 138. Cross listed as MUS 138.
V.POLITICAL SCIENCE
Proposal:
The Department of Political Science proposes establishing a track in Legal Studies in addition to the traditional Political Science major. The Department would also offer a minor in American Politics, in addition to the current options of Political Science, World Politics and Legal Studies.
Rationale:
Students express the desire to demonstrate to employers and graduate programs a specialization beyond the traditional major. Creating a track in legal studies would allow students to focus their studies on the subfield while still receiving a broad perspective on political science. It may also serve as a recruitment tool for students looking for a college to give them an edge beyond the traditional pre-law program.