SAS offers new masters programs for next fall

Undergraduates interested in Biotechnology or Environmental Studies will have the opportunity to cash in on two new submatriculation programs offered by the School of Arts and Sciences next fall. The two masters programs, along with a new graduate program in Bioethics, may help the school reduce its financial deficit, according to SAS Graduate Dean Walter Licht. Licht said the programs have been approved by the faculty of all the involved schools. And although the University Trustees have yet to give the official go-ahead, he is confident that their approval will come at the Trustees' April meeting. Engineering Professor Daniel Hammer, who will direct the Biotechnology program, said interest in the field has risen due to "incredible demand from pharmaceutical companies for candidates with a new level of expertise." The new program will combine the resources of SAS and the School of Engineering and Applied Science in "the first truly joint program between the two schools," Hammer said. Courses in biochemistry, computer science, genetics and statistics will be divided into three parallel tracks -- Basic Biotechnology, Engineering Biotechnology and Computational Biology/Bioinformatics. "Whether a student is an Engineering, a Biochemistry or Computer Science major, this program gives them a step up on the competition," Hammer said. And he noted that "there is tremendous opportunity here for undergraduates," adding that "we expect a substantial portion of the students to be submatriculants." Graduating seniors interested in the masters program and undergraduates wanting to submatriculate should contact Hammer for more information. Since this is the first year of the program, Hammer said he will accept applications until the end of July. The Masters Program in Environmental Studies has grown out of the fertile intellectual base of the University's interdisciplinary Institute of Environmental Studies, directed by Geology Professor Robert Giegengack, who will head the new program. Geology, Chemistry, History, Law and Political Science professors will lead several core courses. Additionally, students will develop a "professional concentration" that will facilitate their entrance into a company, think tank or governmental organization. "The demand for applicants with an environmental studies background is diverse and extensive," Giegengack said, noting that both business and governmental agencies are increasingly concerned about their impact on the environment. Like the Biotechnology program, Environmental Studies hopes to attract a large number of undergraduate students, and Giegengack said he encourages interested seniors to apply and interested underclassman to come speak with him. The third new program, which will not be open to submatriculants, was prompted by the recent furor over cloning and genetic engineering. The study of the moral implications of technological development -- otherwise known as bioethics -- promises to become one of the hottest fields of the next century, according to Glenn McGee of the University's Center for Bioethics, who will serve as the program's interim director. He explained that the degree will focus on a "unique mix of theory and practice," and will combine the scientific, political, philosophical and sociological aspects of the field as well as drawing upon faculty from departments across the University. "We expect that the majority of participants will already be practicing professionals [such as] physicians and nurses," McGee said. He also expects a competitive group, noting that the program had already received 200 applications for a May 1 deadline.