CU-Boulder Academic Planning Report
July 2009
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Annual Academic Planning Report
Academic Affairs
University of Colorado at Boulder
July 2009
Programs to be developed within the coming year; some are described following the
list

PhD, MA, and certificate, Comparative Ethnic Studies

BA in Neuroscience

PhD in Asian Studies, currently at the External Review Stage

PhD in German Studies

MA and BAMA in Russian Studies

LL.M. degree program

Master of Science in Information and Communications Technology for
Development (MS-ICTD)
College of Arts & Sciences

PhD, MA, and certificate, Comparative Ethnic Studies: approved by the
Graduate School and the College; now needs approval from top campus
leaders and the Board of Regents
The Department of Ethnic Studies proposes a program leading to a Doctor of
Philosophy degree in Comparative Ethnic Studies. This program will differ in
approach and philosophy from programs currently existing at the university and,
by complementing and augmenting current campus offerings, will be instrumental
to achieving the Flagship 2030 vision.
The proposed doctoral program will focus on interdisciplinary examinations of
the intersections of race, class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality in national and
transnational contexts. It will address social concerns using analytical frameworks
developed within, and emerging from, the field of Ethnic Studies and emphasize
the need for flexible, adaptable, and innovative responses to such concerns.
Comparative Ethnic Studies employs an interdisciplinary approach that is
grounded in theories and methods of Ethnic Studies and the various fields of
study chosen by students (such as literature/cultural studies, history, or
sociology). This approach is designed to challenge traditional disciplinary
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boundaries; to produce scholarship that engages with, examines, and employs the
perspectives of communities of color; and to produce new knowledge about those
communities and the categories of race, ethnicity, class, indigenity, nationality,
sexuality, and gender. The program will be supported by the Center for Studies of
Ethnicity and Race in the Americas (CSERA), the research component of the
department, through extramural funding for graduate students, faculty, and faculty
affiliates. Although our faculty have long been involved in graduate education in
other departments at CU-Boulder and at other institutions in the state and across
the nation, program reviews have highlighted the need for the Department of
Ethnic Studies to offer its own doctoral program.

PhD in German Studies: currently under College Review, likely to be
presented to the Graduate School for external review in June/July 2009
The German Program in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and
Literatures (GSLL) is proposing a new Ph.D. in German Studies that will build on
the success of GSLL's existing German Studies M.A. degree. Students admitted to
the Ph.D. program will engage in rigorous interdisciplinary study of the cultures,
literatures, and thought of the German-speaking countries. This German Studies
model, as distinct from traditional Germanics doctoral programs focusing only on
literature and language, has succeeded in our undergraduate and M.A. programs
and fits well with our current faculty strengths in German philosophy, intellectual
history, literature, culture, and politics from 1750 to the present. These strengths
were built up from 1992 to the present using the German Studies model. While
this model has been prevalent in the profession in the last decade, few German
Ph.D. programs have revised their doctoral curriculum accordingly. Our German
Studies focus will thus make our Ph.D. program unique, relevant, and
competitive. In light of our strong faculty research profile relative to our AAU
peers, we also expect to develop the Ph.D. into a nationally competitive program.
Students completing their doctorate in German Studies will be competitive
applicants for employment in academia, especially in light of the broader skill set
now required of beginning assistant professors in our profession. They will also
be highly qualified for employment in the teaching profession, in cultural
institutions, and in business and government.

MA and combined bachelor’s/master’s degree (BAMA) in Russian Studies:
developed by Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures,
under Review at College level, likely to be refined over summer and
forwarded to Graduate School late in summer 2009
The Russian Program in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and
Literatures is developing an interdisciplinary M.A. in Russian Studies, as well as
a concurrent five-year BA/MA program in Russian. Russia is one of the main
areas of opportunity in the global economy, and Russian was recently listed as
one of the four languages strategically important for the U.S. At present, however,
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neither the University of Colorado nor any other university in the Rocky
Mountain region offers graduate degrees in Russian Studies. Our Russian MA
and BA/MA programs will combine intensive, advanced study of the Russian
language with historical and theoretical analysis of socio-political and cultural
developments in Russia. The curriculum will combine coursework in Russian
language and culture, and it will culminate in an interdisciplinary thesis. Students
will gain in-depth knowledge of Russian literature, master the linguistic
intricacies of the language, and study key issues in Russian culture. The
concurrent BA/MA degree will grant highly motivated Russian B.A. students the
opportunity to earn an M.A. degree through an accelerated undergraduate
program combined with a fifth year of study.
School of Law

LL.M. degree program
On May 31, 2006, the Law School faculty adopted a Strategic Plan which
included the objective of developing a master in laws (LL.M.) program.
Moreover, the University-wide strategic plan, titled “Flagship 2030,” includes a
Flagship Initiative in which a stated goal is to “[a]dd master’s [sic.] degree
programs in law and enhance our existing joint degree programs in law.”
Therefore, in February 2008 Associate Vice Chancellor Anne Heinz and Dean
David Getches authorized Associate Dean Dayna Matthew and Carol Drake,
Director of Summer Session, to determine the feasibility of creating an LL.M.
degree program at Colorado Law. The feasibility study was conducted in two
parts
Phase I of the feasibility study reviewed the content of all the LL.M. programs
offered by American law schools to determine the curricular and personnel needs
to present a program of the highest academic quality. It also included a
preliminary assessment of the demand for this degree. Phase I was concluded and
presented to AVC Heinz and Dean Getches in August 2008. They authorized
Phase II with directions to assess the market for a Colorado Law LL.M. Phase II
of the study surveyed the Law School Faculty to determine the fields of law in
which Colorado Law will have the teaching and curricular capacity to offer an
excellent LL.M. degree program. Next, we developed an estimate of student
interest in LL.M. programs in three areas of legal study: Natural Resources Law,
Technology and Intellectual Property Law, and Entrepreneurial Law. Phase II
looked at the competitive programs in these areas and offered an assessment of
the professional and teaching markets for graduates holding an LL.M. degree.
Both the Executive Summary of the Phase I Study and the Phase II report were
forwarded to Senior Vice Chancellor Ric Porreca. In February 2009, Associate
Dean Matthew and Carol Drake met with SVC Porreca to discuss the financial
details of this proposal. This information along with the Phase I and II reports
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were presented to the law faculty. On May 1, 2009, the Law School Faculty voted
to authorize a two-year pilot LL.M. degree program. The Degree Proposal is
being developed with the hope of admitting the first class of students into the
Colorado Law LL.M. program in fall 2010.
ATLAS Institute
The ATLAS Institute is developing two new Master’s degrees: (1) a Master of Science in
Information and Communications Technology for Development (MS-ICTD), target first
enrollment: fall 2010, and (2) a Master of Science in Arts, Media, and Entrepreneurship
(MS-AME), target first enrollment: fall 2011. Both degree programs build on existing
strengths and collaborations that have led to two highly successful programs: an
undergraduate program in Technology, Arts and Media, and a doctoral program in
Technology, Media, and Society

Master of Science in Information and Communications Technology for
Development (MS-ICTD)
The MS-ICTD program will prepare students for careers in the use of information
and communication technology (ICT) to advance people in developing
communities. The program will produce field-ready practitioners who can help
bridge the gap between the advantages of the networked information society and
those with the greatest potential to benefit if issues of access, social equity,
sustainability, and appropriate design and distribution are addressed. Graduates of
the program will work at multinational companies seeking to enter emerging
markets, government and non-governmental organizations, and community-based
organizations. In addition to core technology courses, students in the ATLAS MSICTD program will study development theory and policy, public health,
development economics, social entrepreneurship in emerging markets, and
implementation and assessment. Through intensive case studies, students in the
program will examine ways in which ICT can enable sustainable development,
while investigating issues of globalization, migration, and under-development.
The program will build on the technical and social science experience of several
units on campus, including ATLAS. It will build on the University of Colorado at
Boulder’s long-standing and strong commitment to community service. The
program will also serve to strengthen, rather than compete with, other campuswide development programs, including the Engineering for Developing
Communities track in Engineering, and the Developing Areas Research and
Teaching (DART) certificate series in Geography. Although similar programs
exist in Europe, the ATLAS MS-ICTD degree program will be the first of its kind
in the U.S.
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Programs that may be proposed during the next five years; some are described
following the list

Graduate degree(s) in Women and Gender Studies

Undergraduate certificate in Latin American Studies

PhD in Religious Studies: feasibility being studied at the department level

Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability (from the Sustainability Initiative
that is under discussion)

Master of Science in Arts, Media, and Entrepreneurship (MS-AME), from
ATLAS Institute (see below)

BS in Electrical and Energy Engineering

PhD in Telecommunications

MS and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering
ATLAS Institute

Master of Science in Arts, Media, and Entrepreneurship (MS-AME)
Still in development, the MS-AME program will address the growing need for
individuals who have interdisciplinary training that spans the creation,
distribution, and sale of artistic content. This professional practice-oriented degree
program can be thought of as part MFA, part MBA, and part MS in computer and
telecommunications engineering. The courses necessary to offer this degree are
largely in place, and offered by units including Art and Art History, Business,
Communication, Economics, Film Studies, Geography, Journalism and Mass
Communication, Law, Music, Telecommunications (ITP), Theater and Dance,
and Computer Science & Engineering. The program will rely upon the academic
engagement and support of the faculty in these departments. Graduates of the
program will have the depth and breadth of knowledge necessary to communicate
effectively with artists, administrators, and engineers. They will understand the
creation and distribution of digital media, as well as digital copyright policy and
law. There are a small number of programs in the nation that seek to integrate
business and the arts, but no program to our knowledge exhibits the breadth of the
proposed MS-AME program.
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Programs that have been restructured or discontinued

Restructuring the evening MBA program

Program in International Management discontinued
Leeds School of Business

Restructuring the evening MBA program
We have worked on restructuring the evening MBA program for the past two
years and intend to implement changes with the class entering in fall 2010.
Reasons for restructuring include remaining competitive in the marketplace and
improving the overall quality of the program. With respect to competiveness, our
current program takes 33 months to complete. Industry trends have been to
shorter programs with many institutions offering 15-month programs. We believe
that changing the delivery to a 24-month period will eliminate this competitive
disadvantage. With respect to improving program quality, the new program will
offer a wider and more consistent array of elective choices. This will allow
students to better tailor their programs to their areas of interest (project
management/operations, management/leadership, high technology,
entrepreneurship, etc.). We will be one of the only local schools offering this level
of choice.
PBA ref: L:\IR\consult\ACAFF\AcademicPlanningReport2009.docx
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