DATE: September 21-23, 2005

TO: Montana Board of Regents

FROM: Roger Barber, Deputy Commissioner for Academic & Student Affairs

RE: Level II Action Items

Several new academic programs and centers were proposed by the campuses of the Montana University System in July 2005, under the Level II approval process. Those proposals were reviewed by the academic officers, in July, and move to the action agenda of the Montana Board of Regents at this meeting. The new programs and centers include the following:

Montana State University-Bozeman:

  • ITEM 128-2003-R0705:  Montana State University-Bozeman has requested permission to offer a Pre-Medical Certificate to students who have already completed a baccalaureate degree. Appropriately entitled a post-baccalaureate certificate, the program will fulfill the science requirements of medical schools throughout the United States, and prepare students to sit for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) or the Dental Admission Test (DAT). The credential is common in the eastern part of the United States, but the proposed certificate at MSU-Bozeman will be the first of its kind in the Northwest United States.  Request  Summary  Proposal  Budget
  • ITEM 128-2004-R0705:  Montana State University-Bozeman has asked for authority to offer a Master of Science degree in Ecological and Environmental Statistics. The purpose of the interdisciplinary program will be to foster statistical training of ecological and environmental scientists and scientific training of statisticians. Request  Summary  Proposal  Budget
  • ITEM 128-2005-R0705:  Montana State University-Bozeman has requested permission to establish a Humanities Institute. The goal of the Institute is to integrate humanities-based and science-based understandings of the social, political and cultural significance of the region's past, present and future. The Institute would provide another opportunity to promote undergraduate research at the institution, a particularly important commitment of Montana State University-Bozeman. The proposal includes a two-year sunset provision, if sufficient external funding streams are not established to support the Humanities Institute's activities. Request  Proposal  Budget

Montana State University-Northern:

  • ITEM 128-2801-R0705:  Montana State University-Northern has requested permission to offer an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Technology. Using a model similar to the Associate of Applied Science degree in Plumbing at MSU-Northern, the proposed program will satisfy part of the training and instructional requirements of a traditional apprenticeship for electricians. The program was developed with the assistance of the Montana Department of Labor and an electrical advisory board made up of independent and union electricians throughout the State of Montana. Coursework will be offered in a traditional face-to-face, on-site setting, but Montana State University-Northern also plans to develop distant courses for apprentice candidates who need additional coursework following graduation as part of their training and for current apprentices who are already employed in the field.  Request  Summary   Proposal  Budget

The University of Montana-Missoula:

  • ITEM 128-1001-R0705:  The University of Montana-Missoula has asked for authority to offer a Minor in Central and Southwest Asian Studies as part of its degree offerings in the Department of Geography. An option in Central and Southwest Asian Studies, for both the Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Geography, was approved at the January 2005 meeting of the Board of Regents. Students who do not want to complete an option in Central and Southwest Asian Studies will now have another alternative.  Request  Summary  Proposal
  • ITEM 128-1002-R0705: The University of Montana-Missoula has requested permission to establish a Paleontology Center on the campus and a Fort Peck Field Station in the Glasgow region. The Center designation will give formal recognition to the paleontology facilities on the campus, including a fossil preparation laboratory and world-class collection of more than 100,000 specimens of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. Those facilities were initially established in 1895, with a grant from the Smithsonian Institution.  Request  Summary  Proposal  Budget

Montana Tech of The University of Montana:

  • ITEM 128-1501-R0705:  Montana Tech of The University of Montana has asked for authority to offer a Master of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. The proposed degree will allow students to work with faculty to design a graduate curriculum tailored to their unique academic objectives. The program must include an engineering strand and a science strand, however, and a student's graduate committee must include three (3) faculty members from at least two (2) different academic departments. Possible interdisciplinary programs might include environmental engineering and mining engineering; mechanical engineering and biology; or conventional metallurgy and nanomaterials.  Request  Summary  Proposal  Budget
  • ITEM 128-1505-R0705:  Montana Tech of The University of Montana has asked the Montana Board of Regents to approve an updated mission statement for the institution.  Request  Vision
  • ITEM 128-1506-R0705:  Montana Tech of The University of Montana College of Technology has requested permission to convert its Medical Assistant Option in the Associate of Applied Science degree in Office Technology to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Assistant. The stand-alone degree, with its own designation, meets the current expectations of the profession and permits students to more readily obtain employment.  Summary  Proposal  Budget