Degree requirements may change

The Committee on Instruction is considering changes to degree requirements because of the increased difficulty students will have in obtaining classes. It will be more difficult for students to get all the classes they need to graduate and the committee is trying to streamline that process, said Laura Demsetz, professor of engineering and chair for the Committee on Instruction."The commitee thought it would be a good idea to look at the requirements and see which ones are mandated by the state or accreditation and find where there is flexibility to restructure locally," said Demsetz. A college degree needs to include an in-depth study of the major and the breadth of general education and the committee is not trying to change that, she said. "We started seriously thinking about making changes in October."

A total of 60 units will still be needed for a degree but we are considering freeing up how these units will be used, said Demsetz. The committee, which is overseen by the CSM Academic Senate, is not looking at requirements for individual majors, just for general education.

In order for a change to be considered it needs to be on the committee's meeting agenda as an informational item first, said Demsetz.

"After information is gathered and discussed it would be placed on the next month's agenda as an action item, meaning that a vote would be conducted to determine the result."

For a change to make the 2010-11 catalog we would need to take action on it by March at the latest, said Demsetz. " We have between now and March to go through the process of revisiting the degree, she said. "We owe it to the students to make sure that there are not unnecessary obstacles to earning a degree."

When looking at what requirements could be restructured the committee found three possibilities: the health science requirement, the physical education requirement, and the way in which the history and institutions requirement is satisfied, said Demsetz. "The way in which the history requirement is satisfied can't go away but can be reconfigured."

Each of the requirements being looked at could be changed in one of two ways. "Either the requirements will stay the same or we will look at changing it by the number of units or making it an option along with other courses," Demsetz said.

"For example the health science requirement could be changed from a standalone requirement to an option for Area E5, Section D (Career Exploration and Self-Development)" she said. "This will offer students the option to take health classes and use the units towards transferring."

At its January meeting the committee, part of will vote on the health science requirement. "The proposal to be voted on is to eliminate the stand-alone health science requirement and add health science classes to the list of courses that satisfy E5d, Career Exploration and Self-Development," Demsetz said.

At its Feb. 4 meeting the committee will discuss background information on the American History and Institutions and Physical Education requirements.

During spring semester the committee will revisit the idea of liberal studies majors.

"The state now prohibits majors that simply require the CSU/IGETC general education pattern; when this went into effect, we introduced a new Interdisplinary studies major with three options," said Demsetz.

The three options include an intercultural studies option, a contemporary issues option, and a science and society option, she said.

"It may make sense to look at additional options within this major," Demsetz said. "This would be helpful for students who spend several semesters exploring different fields before deciding where to focus."

"The college catalog acts as a 'contract' with the student for the purpose of identifying associate degree and certificate requirements," said Marsha Ramezane, dean of counseling, advising, and matriculation. "Students can select to use catalog rights in effect at their first enrollment or any subsequent year; if subsequent catalog rights work better for the student, he/she has the option of using them."

Ramezane identified several ways that students can understand how to use catalog rights to their greatest benefit.

The first of these is taking steps to identify what you want to accomplish at CSM. Know what your goals are and then research how to accomplish those goals, Ramezane said.

Students can figure out what type of goals to set by using the resources available to them. "If you are undecided and don't know your goals or your major, use college services early to help you find your path," said Ramezane. "Take CRER classes that can help you identify a major, learn how to achieve an associate degree, learn how to successfully transfer."

Students who would like to give feedback regarding the health science, American history and institutions, or physical education requirement can contact the Committee on Instruction at csmcoi@smccd.edu.