PROGRAM MODIFICATION FORM (4/15) Please attach/ submit additional documents as needed to fully complete each section of the form. I. DEPARTMENT / PROGRAM Ecosystem
& Conservation Sciences/Wildlife Biology
II. SUMMARY Courses
faculty would like to add to our minor:
BIOB 160, Priniciples of Living Systems - 4 credits
BIOB 272, Genetics & Evolution - 4 credits
Delete from the minor:
BIOO
335, Rocky Mountain Flora - 3 credits
Add options: (students would take one of the following courses)
WILD
180 (2 credits), Careers in Wildlife Biology; WILD 105 (3 credits), Wildlife & People; or BIOO 101 (3
credits), Survey of Montana Wildlife
Students will still take 3 upper division credits in BIOO, BIOE, NRSM, or WILD.
Total
credits in the minor would be 20-21 credits, depending on student choices of courses.
III. ENDORSEMENTS AND APPROVALS Jeanne Franz
Requestor: Signature _______________________ Date____________ xxxPhone / Email: 243-5272/jeanne.franz@umontana.edu
Program Chair: Signature _______________________ Date____________ Chad Bishop
*Other Affected Programs: Signature _______________________ Date____________ Biological Sciences/Charles Janson (a)
Signature _______________________ Date____________ Dean: Signature _______________________ Date____________ Wayne Freimund
* Are affected because: (a) required courses incl. prerequisites or corequisites, (b) perceived overlap in content areas, or (c) cross‐listing of coursework IV. TYPE OF PROGRAM MODIFICATION Major Other, Please describe: ✔
Minor Option Teaching major / minor V. CATALOG LANGUAGE Attach the current catalog language with the proposed changes clearly identified. VI. JUSTIFICATION The
Wildlife Biology faculty revised the minor requirements, based on student and faculty concerns. We
were concerned that our previous structure did not ensure that students were well-versed in the critical,
basic
biological concepts necessary to understand the key issues in Wildlife Biology. To overcome this
limitation, we are now requiring the biology path to Genetics and Evolution (160, 170/171, 272). This will
add rigor to our program and ensures that our minors are well-versed in basic biology. Additionally, there
is currently overlap amongst several of the 100-level offerings (NRSM 180, WILD 105, and BIOO 101) as
they all introduce wildlife issues. Because of this overlap and the uncertainly of several of these offerings
into the future, we plan to allow students to take one of these three classes. Currently WILD 180 is only
offered fall semester, WILD 105 and BIOO 101 are taught by a Ph.D. graduate student or adjunct; so their
future
offering is questionable.
With
170/171 Diversity of Life, students will be introduced to the diversity of plant life. Therefore, we don’t
need to require BIOO 335 Rocky Mountain Flora, which is an over committed course with a waiting list
every
year. Thus, these changes will eliminate the bottleneck of BIOO 335 for our minor and ensure
students that require the course for the major can get in. We still require students to take 3 upper division
credits
as part of the minor, but there is flexibility as to which course within BIOO, BIOE, NRSM, and WILD
based primarily on their interests rather than class availability.
Credits for the minor would be either 20 or 21, depending on the selection of courses by students.
VII. SUBMISSION After all signatures have been obtained, submit original, and an electronic file to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221. An electronic copy of the original signed form is acceptable.