It has been an eventful year in academic planning, and I write to update the campus on changes to the graduate and undergraduate curriculum as well as plans for promoting major learning outcomes.
It is a pleasure to announce the approval of a new Master of Science program in Games and Playable Media. Offered by interdisciplinary faculty and administered by the Computer Science Department, the new M.S. will be located off the main campus at UCSC Silicon Valley. This graduate program provides students a pathway for professional training from the existing Computer Science: Computer Game Design B.S. major. Interested students are encouraged to contact the department directly: https://cs.soe.ucsc.edu/ms_gamesplayablemedia
A new student pathway for the Education M.A. and preparation for the California Teaching Credential in Secondary Science will be offered in Silicon Valley in partnership with UCSC Extension. Contact the Education Department for information: http://education.ucsc.edu/academics/mac-info/learnmore-mac-silicon-valley/
The popular Community Studies B.A. major has been re-launched, and students may declare starting fall 2013. Oakes College is now the administrative home. Interested students should check the program’s web site: http://communitystudies.ucsc.edu/
A new Spanish Studies B.A. major has been proposed by the Language Program and senate approval is anticipated soon. Courses will range from language and applied linguistics to senior seminars in Spanish addressing the culture of Spain and Latin American and Latino groups in the U.S. Students can declare the major starting fall 2013. Learn more about Spanish Studies at: http://language.ucsc.edu/
The first Critical Race and Ethnics Studies course will be offered in Spring 2014, CRES 10, Introduction to Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. This is a prerequisite to two upper-division courses that are planned to be offered for the first time in 2014-15.
Also this year, the campus has discontinued the Psychology minor and two concentrations in the Language Studies major, Modern Hebrew and Russian. Student demand was very low, and the curriculum was no longer sustainable.
There is a campus-wide effort underway to prepare for our next Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation, including further defining student based learning outcomes for each undergraduate and graduate major. Program learning outcomes will be posted on department websites for easy communication to all students. Assessment will be incorporated into department external reviews. More information is available on my VPAA website: http://academicaffairs.ucsc.edu/accreditation/docs/Call_Degree-PLOs_Apr2013.pdf
