UI to change department, degree names
The state Board of Regents on June 5 approved changing two UI departments’ and two programs’ names.
Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen gives a presentation to the Iowa Board of Regents during a meeting at the Iowa State Alumni Center in Ames, Iowa, on Thursday, June 6, 2019. The Regents voted in favor of a four percent tuition increase starting in the fall semester of 2019.
June 10, 2019
The University of Iowa on June 5 requested that the state Board of Regents approve changing the names of two academic programs and two departments.
Approval of the request will change the names of the Bachelor of Science in science education, Master of Fine Arts in comparative literature — translation, the Department of Pharmacology, and the Department of Sociology.
The B.S. in science education will change to a B.S. in science studies to resolve confusion between a newly approved B.A. in science education offered by the College of Education, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education Tanya Uden-Holman said.
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The degree is for students interested in taking courses in two or more science disciplines that meet state requirements for secondary-school teachers, students interested in careers in informal education in the sciences, or students who plan to apply to professional programs.
Using the name “science education” has also created confusion that the degree provides admission into the Teacher Education Program, Uden-Holman said. The degree is awarded by, and with courses provided by, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, not the Education College.
“Under the new name science studies, this major will still serve the same categories of students while more accurately representing the course content,” Uden-Holman said.
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The UI also requested to change the name of the M.F.A. in comparative literature — translation to M.F.A. in literary translation because there are no longer graduate degrees in comparative literature, UI interim Provost Sue Curry said.
Changing the degree’s name will increase the visibility of the program as interest increases in literary translation as a field of study, she said. The renaming will also align with the UI’s reputation as the Writing University.
The Department of Pharmacology will change to the Department of Neuroscience & Pharmacology to strengthen the department as investments in neuroscience research, clinical care, and education continue to increase, Curry said.
Renaming the department will allow the UI to recruit and retain faculty focused on neuroscience research as well as build large research groups, she said. Through combining neuroscience and pharmacology, the university will be able to work to develop therapeutic approaches to treat Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The Department of Sociology will change its name to the Department of Sociology & Criminology to include the criminology and law and justice majors, which were launched in 2017.
Department faculty supported the name change, voting in favor of changing the name to reflect the inclusion of both majors. Each major focuses on human behavior, public policy, and social environment in the study of causes, consequences, prevention, and control of crime.