Institution Submitting Proposal:
College:
Department or Area in Which Program
Will Be Located:
Program Title:
Recommended Classification of Instructional
Programs (CIP) Code:
UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY
Science and Health
Earth Sciences
BS Earth Science to Geology
40.0699 (old); 40.0601 (new)
Proposed Beginning Date:
Institutional Signatures:
_____________________________________________
Matthew S. Holland, University President
Utah Valley University
______________________________________________
Ian Wilson
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
Fall, 2011
_______________________________________________
Sam Rushforth
Dean
_______________________________________________
Daniel Horns
Department Chair
Date: 09/22/2010

Section I: Request
Utah Valley University seeks approval to restructure the existing Bachelor of Science in Earth Science degree. The existing degree includes two emphases: Environmental Management and Geology. The restructure includes changing the name of the existing degree to Geology and removing the emphasis in
Environmental Management. (In a separate proposal, UVU is requesting the addition of a BS in
Environmental Science and Management.) This action was approved by the UVU Board of Trustees on
September 9, 2010.
Section II: Need
This restructure is motivated by an assessment of our degree program that found that (1) the existing name of the program does not convey the content of the program to potential employers of our graduates, and (2) the new name is a better match for the job titles that our graduates pursue.
The existing curriculum for the Geology emphasis of the BS in Earth Science would remain essentially the same in the renamed “Bachelor of Science in Geology” program and parallels that found at most universities. Over 80% of the graduates from the existing “Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an
Emphasis in Geology” are finding jobs related to geology within a few months of graduating. Despite the success of the program, many employers have expressed confusion about what exactly is meant by a
"Bachelor of Science in Earth Science;" whereas, it is quite well understood what is meant by a "Bachelor of Science in Geology". Furthermore, some employers specifically require a "Geology" degree for some positions (e.g., the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation), and some professional certifications are easier to obtain for someone with a "geology" degree rather than an "earth science" degree (e.g., the Professional
Geologist license from the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing). Changing the name of the program to “Bachelor of Science in Geology” will better reflect the content of the program and will aid our graduates in pursuing jobs and professional certifications.
Section III: Institutional Impact
Since the program restructure does not represent significant curricular changes, there will be no impact to the administration, organization, facilities, faculty, or staff at UVU.
Section IV: Finances
Since the discontinued emphases (Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an Emphasis in
Environmental Management and Emphasis in Geology) will be replaced by a nearly identical programs
(Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management and Bachelor of Science in Geology), there will be no financial impact as a result of this restructure.