ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM: 4.A (1) (b)
DATE: May 15, 2013
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SUBJECT:
New Program: SDSM&T Minor in Chemistry
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology has submitted a proposal for a
baccalaureate minor in Chemistry.
SDSM&T believes that a minor in chemistry demonstrates that a student has the
academic and practical skills needed for jobs that may involve chemistry, including research and
quality assurance positions in academia, industry, or government. The proposal notes that the
minor will strengthen applications of SDSM&T graduates for entry into graduate programs that
require a foundation in Chemistry.
The proposed minor requires 20 credit hours (8 required; 12 elective selected from a list).
SDSM&T notes that this is similar to the existing Chemistry minors in the system: BHSU, 20;
DSU, 19-20; NSU, 18-20; SDSU, 20; USD, 18.
No one-time or continuing resources are needed to implement the minor. The courses are
offered now or are being requested for existing programs.
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Move forward. Provide comments and concerns to Paul Gough.
ATTACHMENT I
2
South Dakota Board of Regents
New Baccalaureate Degree Minor
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Chemistry
Bachelor of Science
Chemistry
Fall 2013
40.0501
University:
Title of Proposed Minor:
Degree(s) in which minor may be earned:
Existing related majors or minors:
Proposed Implementation (term):
Proposed CIP Code:
University Approval
To the Board and the Executive Director: I certify that I have read this proposal, that I believe it
to be accurate, and that it has been evaluated and approved as provided by university policy.
President of the University
Date
After approval by the President, a signed copy of the proposal should be transmitted to the Executive
Director. Only after Executive Director review should the proposal be posted on the university web site
and the Board staff and the other universities notified of the URL.
1. Do you have a major in this area?
X
Yes
No
2. If you do not have a major in this area, explain how the proposed minor relates to your
mission.
3. How will the proposed minor benefit students?
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology requests authorization to offer a baccalaureate
minor in Chemistry.
Each year students inquire about the possibility of obtaining a minor in chemistry. The proposed
minor would benefit the many SDSM&T students who already take several chemistry courses
since they could easily complete the proposed minor. Listing a Chemistry Minor should increase
the employment competitiveness of our students, especially those with an engineering focus. A
minor in chemistry demonstrates that a student has the academic and practical skills needed for
jobs that may involve chemistry, including research and quality assurance positions in academia,
industry, or government. The minor will also strengthen applications of SDSM&T graduates for
entry into graduate programs that require a foundation in Chemistry.
This Minor would predominantly benefit three BS degrees: Applied Biological Sciences (ABS),
Chemical Engineering (ChemE), and Interdisciplinary Studies – Pre Professional Health
Sciences (IS –Health). Students in the ABS program already take 26 hours of Chemistry Courses
with a focus in the area of Biochemistry and could complete the proposed minor without
surpassing 120 hours total for a degree.
ATTACHMENT I
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South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
New Program: Minor in Chemistry
Students in the ChemE take 23 hours of Chemistry courses, but only 16 count toward the Minor.
ChemE students would require one additional credit in one of three abbreviated courses they take
and one 400-level course to satisfy the Minor (for a total of 124 hours). Depending upon the
selection of the 400-level course, the number of credits surpassing 120 could be reduced to 1.
IS-Health students would have the opportunity to take Chem courses as electives. Since these
students would already take the required CEM 112/114 series and required BIOL courses, they
could use additional required credit hours in the natural sciences (i.e., 14 credits) to take CHEM
courses and satisfy requirements for the minor without surpassing 120 for a degree.
The courses required for the Minor could be taken as electives in the ABS and IS-Health
programs without students exceeding 120 hours. In the case of the ChemE major, students may
have to take an additional 1 to 3 hours, depending upon the student’s selection of the 400-level
elective.
4. Provide estimated enrollments and completions in the table below and explain how the
estimates were developed.
st
Estimates
Students in the minor (fall)
Completions by graduates
1
FY14
5
0
Fiscal Years
2nd
3rd
FY15
FY16
10
15
5
10
4th
FY17
15
10
Estimates were developed based on student inquiries about the availability of the major and the
number of potential students who would qualify.
5. What is the rationale for the curriculum?
The goal of this Minor is to provide students with a solid, albeit limited, background in
Chemistry. The major will require 20 hours of CHEM courses (compared with 56 hours for the
ACS certified major).
Required courses: Required courses (8 hours) include General Chemistry I + Lab (CHEM 112,
CHEM 112L) and General Chemistry II + Lab (CHEM 114, CHEM 114L). Note that Chem 112
is required by almost all students at SDSMT.
Elective Courses: Twelve (12) hours of courses at the 300-level, or above, including one 400level course, are required. Elective courses must represent 3 of the 5 areas of Chemistry
(Analytical, Biochemistry, Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry). Laboratory courses are
required for two (2) of these elective courses. Requiring courses from three of the five areas of
chemistry ensures that students earning a Minor are relatively well versed in the field of
chemistry.
The requirement of 20 hours is commensurate with Minor programs at the five other South
Dakota state institutions as detailed below:
ATTACHMENT I
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South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
New Program: Minor in Chemistry
Institution
Black Hills State University
Dakota State University
Northern State University
South Dakota State University
The University of South Dakota
Credit Hours for Chemistry Minor
20
19-20
18-20
20
18
Many students at SDSM&T complete the required basic courses, although not all take both the
labs. Almost all student take CHEM 112. Twelve (12) additional elective credit hours of
chemistry courses will be required. This will allow students in various disciplines the flexibility
in designing a Minor that best suits their particular focus. For example, students in
Interdisciplinary Sciences- Health specialization may focus on organic chemistry or
biochemistry. Students in Chemical Engineering may elect courses in Physical or Analytical
Chemistry. While Chemical Engineering students take 23 hours of CHEM courses, in some
cases, students take only selected sections of courses and seldom take the labs. For the Minor in
Chemistry, students will need to take versions of the courses required for the ACS accredited
Chemistry degree.
6. Complete the tables below. Explain any exceptions to BOR policy being requested.
A. Distribution of Credit Hours
Chemistry
Requirements in Minor
Electives in the Minor
Total
Credit Hours
8
12
20
Percent
40%
60%
100%
A grade of ‘C,’ or better, will be required for all courses needed for the Chemistry Minor. At
least 50% of chemistry courses applied toward a minor must be completed at SDSM&T.
B. Required Courses in the Minor
Prefix Number
Course Title
CHEM 112
General Chemistry I
CHEM 112L
General Chemistry I Lab
CHEM 114
General Chemistry II
CHEM 114L
General Chemistry II Lab
Subtotal, required
New*
N
N
N
N
Hours
3
1
3
1
8
* New: Y= yes, N = no.
C. Elective Courses in the Minor: List courses that may be taken as electives
in the minor. Indicate any new courses to be added specifically for the minor.
(If the list of existing courses is long, it may be provided as Appendix A.)
Twelve (12) hours of courses at the 300-level, or above, including one 400-level course,
are required. Elective courses must represent 3 of the 5 areas of Chemistry (Analytical,
Biochemistry, Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry). Laboratory courses are required for
ATTACHMENT I
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South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
New Program: Minor in Chemistry
two (2) of these elective courses.
Prefix
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
CHEM
Number
252
326
326L
328
328L
332
332L
342
342L
344
344L
420
421
426
434
434L
452
452L
460 or
464
464L
480
Course Title
Systematic Inorganic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry I
Organic Chemistry I Lab
Organic Chemistry II
Organic Chemistry II Lab
Analytical Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry Lab
Physical Chemistry I
Physical Chemistry I Lab
Physical Chemistry II
Physical Chemistry II Lab
Organic Chemistry III
Spectroscopic Analysis
Polymer Chemistry
Instrumental Analysis
Instrumental Analysis Lab
Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry Lab
Biochemistry or Biochemistry I
New*
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N/Y
Hours
3
3
2
3
2
3
1
3
1
3
1
3
3
3
3
2
3
1
3/3
Biochemistry I Lab
Environmental Chemistry
Subtotal, required
Y
N
1
3
12
7. What outcomes will be expected for all students who complete the minor? How will
these outcomes be achieved?
Graduates will be prepared to enter the work force with B.S. degrees other than Chemistry, but
with a solid, reasonable understanding of selected areas of Chemistry. The following disciplinespecific outcomes will be achieved:
1. Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of principles of general and organic
chemistry.
2. Graduates will have a solid understanding of one or more of the five major areas of
chemistry, including inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry,
analytical chemistry, and biochemistry.
3. Graduates will demonstrate basic chemistry laboratory skills and have an understanding
of the application and use of selected chemistry instrumentation.
Achievement of the outcomes will be demonstrated, in part, by earning a C or better in all
required courses.
ATTACHMENT I
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South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
New Program: Minor in Chemistry
8. What instructional technologies will be used to teach courses in the minor?
Instructional technologies involve traditional lectures (R), laboratory courses (L), and
undergraduate research.
9. Is the University is requesting authorization to provide the minor to students at an offcampus location or by distance delivery? If yes, explain.
No.
10. Costs, Budget & Resources: Explain the amount and source(s) of any one-time and
continuing investments in personnel, professional development, release time, instructional
technology and software, other O&M, facilities, etc needed to implement the minor.
Neither one-time nor continuing expenses are required to offer this minor. All courses are
currently being offered. The one new course - CHEM 464 is being requested to replace CHEM
460 and this change is associated with an Applied Biological Sciences BS that was approved by
the Board of Regents on December 12, 2012. CHEM 464L Biochemistry I Laboratory is being
developed for the ABS program. The lab with be an elective for Chemistry Majors.