Proposed Minor
Title
School
Department
Geochemistry
Science
Earth Sciences
Projected Implementation Date
Spring 2014
APPC Review
March 2014
Brief Description
Geochemistry is an essential skill for many of the leading employment opportunities globally
and within the state of Indiana. The energy industry (gas, oil, and coal are Indiana resources),
mining, environmental remediation, and environmental protection all depend upon the critical
assessments made by geochemists.
The minor will provide a solid basis for students interested in pursuing careers in environmental
management or policy, as well as forensic science. In combination with their degree, students
with a geochemistry minor will be prepared to enter directly into the workforce or will have the
coursework needed to excel in graduate school for a master’s degree or Ph.D.
1.
Does the Program Description clearly describe the new minor?
Yes. The minor is comprised of 15-18 credits.
Students select a minimum of three courses (at least 9 credits) from the following list:
 GEOL-G406 Introduction to Geochemistry
 GEOL-G482 Environmental Microbiology
 GEOL-G483 Isotope Geochemistry
 GEOL-G486 Soil Biogeochemistry
 GEOL-G488 Global Cycles
A maximum of two courses or course sequences (6-9 credit hours) may come from the
list below.
 CHEM-C310 Analytical Chemistry plus C311 Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
 CHEM-C341 Organic Chemistry I
 CHEM-C360 Elementary Physical Chemistry
 CHEM-C361 Physical Chemistry of Bulk Matter
 CHEM-C410 Principles of Chemical Instrumentation plus C411 Principles of
Chemical Instrumentation Laboratory
 BIOL-K411 Global Change Biology
Complete course descriptions are included in the proposal.
Note: The entire program can be completed with only the Geology courses that appear
above or with a minimum of three Geology courses and no more than two courses that
appear in the list of Chemistry and Biology courses above.
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2.
Does the statement of the program’s goals and objectives clearly differentiate this
minor from others at IUPUI?
Yes. Students with a minor will develop a fundamental understanding of geochemistry
and analytical skill-sets that will prepare them for geoscience and environmental
careers.
Programmatic outcomes include:
 Develop a basic understanding of how biogeochemical cycles operate at local and
global scales and how these cycles change with time
 Examine the human impact and feedbacks on natural biogeochemical cycles
 Use fundamental methodology and instrument analysis
The three outcomes are mapped to the Principles of Undergraduate Learning (PULs).
See also #11 and #12 in the proposal.
3.
Are the minor’s requirements consistent with other IUPUI programs?
Yes. The minor has a 15-18 credit requirement, consistent with IUPUI’s standard of 1518 credits for minors. A minimum of three courses (9 credits) are taught by Earth
Sciences with the remaining courses (a maximum of 6-9 credits) taught by Chemistry
and Biology.
Students must earn a grade of C or better in each course and have an overall minimum
cumulative GPA of 2.0 for the program.
4.
Does the curriculum have potential positive or negative impact on the enrollment in
the courses or programs in other academic units? Is it likely that this minor will
compete with existing programs for students?
There are no overlaps with IUPUI programs or courses offered by other units. As such
Science believes the minor is unlikely to affect enrollments in other programs.
5.
Does the unit have the faculty and other resources (financial, learning, library
holdings, equipment, etc.) required to offer the minor?
Yes. As all courses are already taught, no additional resources, including library
resources, are required. As the program moves forward additional Earth Sciences
materials and consumables (such as helium compressed gas cylinders and chemicals)
may be needed and would be covered by lab fees.
6.
Does the program rationale support the institutional need for the minor?
Yes. The Geochemistry Minor addresses biogeochemical cycles and human interactions
with these cycles, which is directly relevant to the IUPUI mission in health sciences. In
addition, the minor provides training for Indiana’s workforce in a field with faster-thanaverage growth as tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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7.
Is the program evaluation plan consistent with the learning outcome assessment
strategies used by other IUPUI programs?
Yes. The proposal identifies three programmatic outcomes (see #2 above). In addition
to mapping these to the PULs, the proposal includes details on the methods and settings
through which they will be assessed.
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Student learning will be assessed in courses.
The program will be compared annually to the current and evolving norms for the
discipline. This will be aided by the presence of several research-active faculty
members with considerable expertise in geochemistry.
Student outcomes, satisfaction, and achievement will be assessed on a semester-bysemester basis. Student satisfaction surveys will be used to assess course
effectiveness and student satisfaction.
Program graduates and possibly employers will be surveyed on occasion to
determine how well the minor prepared the students for the workforce.
In consultation with the departmental Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the
program director will review the assessment data for the individual courses and the
minor as a whole on an annual basis.
These annual reviews will be used for continuous improvement of the program through
any needed curricular change, course development, and course replacement.
The APPC review document presents a summary of the information within the proposal and,
therefore, represents the perspective of the proposing unit. It is not meant to serve as an
endorsement of the proposal but is intended to help guide our discussion at the meeting.
Enrollment Services
2/14/2014
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