ITEM 112-2008-R0901   ATTACHMENT 1

Bachelors of Science Degree in Cell Biology and Neuroscience
Montana State University, Bozeman

Objectives and Needs

Description of the program:

The Bachelors of Science Degree in Cell Biology and Neuroscience is a new degree program to be offered in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience that will replace and improve an existing degree program formerly offered in the Department of Biology. The reorganization of the former Biology Department into two new departments: Cell Biology and Neuroscience and the Department of Ecology in July, 2000 provided an opportunity to revise and improve the degree programs and curricular offerings in these two departments.

The Bachelors of Science Degree in Cell Biology and Neuroscience will offer two options: 1) a Biomedical Sciences Option and 2) a Cell Biology and Neuroscience option. These revised options will improve the delivery of the current curriculum, and reduce the confusion among students about the current Biology Option currently offered by both CBN and Ecology. In addition these options will provide a focused set of courses for students interested in pre-health professional careers and those interested in bio-medical and basic research in the broad areas of Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, and Neuroscience. These three disciplines continue to be the fastest growing and most important research areas funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. These disciplines are critical to the most basic understanding of physiological mechanisms involved in health and disease. Current curricular offerings in these areas on campus are barely adequate, however CBN faculty are committed to improving and expanding curricular offerings in this area over the next several years. The establishment of these two new options is the first step in this process.

1. Centrality to the institutions approved mission and institutional objectives

The curriculum now offered by the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience has been in place for over 10 years. This curriculum serves not only the students majoring in the discipline but students in the biological and health related sciences in the Colleges of Agriculture, Nursing and Health and Human Development. The curriculum provides introductory core courses in biology, human anatomy and physiology, and upper division courses in molecular and cell biology, development, physiology and neuroscience. Many of these courses are required by other departments as part of their curricula. Thus this curriculum is central to the core mission of several departments, and has an important service function as well as delivering a set of courses specific to the major. A copy of the curriculum describing courses and graduation requirements has been appended to this proposal. No distance delivery of the program is planned or anticipated.

2. Need for the program:

The Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience currently has over 300 undergraduate majors enrolled in the Biomedical Sciences Option and the Biology Option in the department. The Biomedical Sciences Option is one of the most popular majors on campus and routinely attracts the largest number of entering freshman in the College of Letters and Science. This group of students will now have the opportunity to graduate with a BS in Cell Biology and Neuroscience within either the Biomedical Sciences option or the Cell Biology and Neuroscience Option. The Biology Option will be eliminated from the department, however the curriculum for the two new options has been designed to accommodate this group of students.

The Biomedical Sciences Option is designed for students preparing for admission to medical, dental, or optometry school. While this option provides a strong background for most professional schools, students can satisfy requirements for professional schools in any major area of interest. The Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience provides advising on matters pertaining to the biomedical sciences curriculum; advising on matters pertaining to admission to professional schools is provided by the Pre-Health Professions Advisor in the Office of General Studies. The biomedical sciences option curriculum provides a strong background for students who are (1) interested in a biomedical sciences career in research or teaching, or (2) plan on a career in medicine or other health professions. The curriculum has sufficient breadth to introduce the student to a wide range of disciplines, but flexible enough so that the student can focus on areas of specific interest in their last two years. A departmental advising handbook provides examples of how elective credits can be arranged so that a student could focus in pre-professional curricula appropriate for medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, physician assistant, veterinary medicine, or anatomy and physiology. Employment opportunities, especially at the technical level, are available with a BS degree in biomedical sciences. However, this curriculum is designed more to prepare students for professional or graduate training.

The Cell Biology and Neuroscience Option is provides a strong background for students who are interested in a career in research or teaching in cell biology, molecular biology, developmental biology, or neuroscience. The curriculum provides the necessary courses to make a competitive application to graduate school or to obtain a technical position. There is a possibility to focus the curriculum in any of the four areas listed by using elective credits in specific disciplines. Advanced students are strongly encouraged to enroll in Biol 470, Individual Problems and or Biol 490, Undergraduate Research. These courses provide an opportunity to gain valuable experience in biomedical research. Such experiences are useful for both an appreciation of the research effort required in graduate school or for gaining experience in technical methods for a technical position.

3. New courses the program will add to the curriculum and course requirements for the degree

These two options will be constructed out of existing courses, however the content of these courses is under revision by faculty in the department with the goal of updating the course content and adding more hands-on laboratory activities and critical thinking/inquiry based methods. Requirements for the degree are essentially unchanged from the previous two options, however they have been reorganized to help students focus on particular areas of interest while still obtaining the necessary breadth in the discipline.

Adequacy, Accreditation and Assessment Issues

1. Adequacy of the present faculty, facilities and equipment, library holdings

Faculty: The faculty in CBN have excellent academic credentials and teaching experience in the areas covered by the current curriculum. The addition of two new faculty, Dr. Roger Bradley (1998) and Dr. Charles Gray (2000) brings expertise in the areas of developmental biology and cortical neurophysiology respectively. These two faculty teach required courses in the undergraduate curriculum: Dr. Bradley in Advanced Molecular and Cell Biology and in Embryology and Dr. Gray in Animal Physiology. Dr. Gray taught Systemic Physiology at UC Davis for 4 years prior to his arrival at MSU, and is a highly qualified and effective instructor.

Facilities, equipment and library holdings. These are adequate for the current curriculum.

2. Assessment plan:

As in past years, the effectiveness of the curriculum will be assessed by measures developed in the Office of the Provost. In addition to these measures, faculty have developed several independent instruments to assess student learning, satisfaction and effectiveness of individual courses.

Impact on Faculty, Facilities, Costs, Students and Other Departments and Campuses

1. Additional faculty requirements, including qualifications, salary and recruitment

The current curriculum requires no additional faculty at this time.

2. Impact on facilities:

Facilities for offering the curriculum are adequate, however there are several campus wide efforts aimed at improving the facilities for large lecture courses and laboratory experiences for students.

3. Costs

No additional costs at this time.

4. Impact on enrollments

We anticipate that this new degree will increase enrollments in the department and prove to be an attractive recruitment tool for new students.

5. Relationship to other programs on campus

As described above, this curriculum provides service courses to students in several departments in CLS and in the Colleges of Agriculture, Health and Human Development and Nursing. Courses offered in the department in the areas of developmental biology, physiology and neuroscience are unique among course offerings on campus.

6. Relationship to other institutions

This program is a core component to any institution offering degrees in Biology or Health Sciences. The disciplines of Cell Biology, Developmental Biology and Neuroscience are central components of many of our peer institutions and of all top tier institutions. The program is highly complementary to similar programs offered at the University of Montana and is more comprehensive that similar programs at the other MUS campuses.

Cell Biology and Neuroscience

Two options are available which lead to the Bachelor of Science in Cell Biology and Neuroscience: Biomedical Sciences (1) and Cell Biology and Neurosciences (2).

Premedicine, Predentistry, and Preoptometry

Students may prepare for admission to medical, dental, or optometry school by the following the option in Biomedical Sciences in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. While this option provides a strong background for most professional schools, students can satisfy requirements for professional schools in any major area of interest. The Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience provides advising on matters pertaining to the biomedical sciences curriculum; advising on matters pertaining to admission to professional schools is provided by the Pre-Health Professions Advisor in the Office of General Studies.

Requirements for Admission to Upper Division Courses in Biology

For admission to upper division, (those courses numbered 300) taught in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, students must have completed at least 30 total university credits with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 for all courses.

Grade Requirements of Fulfillment of Degree Options

In order to graduate with a B.S. in the department, students must earn a grade of C- or better for every course required for the specific option, including courses taken to fulfill required elective credits.

Curricula in Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES OPTION

The biomedical sciences option curriculum provides a strong background for students who are (1) interested in a biomedical sciences career in research or teaching, or (2) plan on a career in medicine or other health professions. The curriculum has sufficient breadth to introduce the student to a wide range of disciplines, but flexible enough so that the student can focus on areas of specific interest in their last two years. A departmental advising handbook provides examples of how elective credits can be arranged so that a student could focus in pre-professional curricula appropriate for medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, physician assistant, veterinary medicine, or anatomy and physiology. Students interested in a career in a health science profession should consult the Pre-Health Professions Advisor for information regarding admission to professional schools while those interested in veterinary medicine should consult the Pre-Veterinary Advisor in the Department of Veterinary Molecular Biology.

Employment opportunities, especially at the technical level, are available with a BS degree in biomedical sciences. However, this curriculum is designed more to prepare students for professional or graduate training.

The biomedical sciences curriculum is designed to allow the students to take basic courses in physical sciences while tailoring the courses in life sciences to meet their personal objectives and interests. This is done by having 24 of the required 40 credits in Biology as elective credits in the life sciences, biology, biochemistry, microbiology, or other appropriate fields. Advanced students are strongly encouraged to enroll in Biol 470, Individual Problems and or Biol 490, Undergraduate Research. These courses provide an opportunity to gain valuable experience in biomedical research.

The curriculum includes 3 new courses that are planned as part of the revision of undergraduate biology curriculum: Biology 211, 212, and 213. These courses will be put in place as of Spring 2003. Until that time, Biology 101 and 102 may be substituted for these courses.

Freshman Year F S

Biology 211 Form and Function 4

Chemistry 131 College Chemistry I 4

Chemistry 132 College Chemistry II 4

Math 170 Survey of Calculus 4

English 121 College Writing I 3

Core Verbal 3

Stat 216 Intro Statistics 3

University Core and Electives 4

15 14

Sophomore Year

Biology 212 Cell, Molecular Biology 4

Biology 213 Ecology/Evolution 3

Chemistry 311 Organic Chem I 4

Chemistry 312 Organic Chem II 4

Physics 205 College Physics I 4

Physics 206 College Physics II 4

University Core and Electives 3 4

15 15

Junior Year

Biochemistry 340 Intro Biochemistry 5

Biology 402 Ecology & Evolution 3

Biology 301 Genetics 3

University Core and Electives 10 9

15 15

Senior Year

Biology 451 Capstone Seminar 2

University Core and Electives 15 13

15 15

Additional Requirements:

A minimum of 24 additional elective credits of courses in the life sciences must be completed, most typically from courses in Biology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry. Of these 24 credits, at least 18 must be upper division; no more than 6 credits of Biology 470, 489, 490 and no more than 2 credits of Biology 401 can be applied toward these 24 elective credits. Examples of elective courses include, but are not limited to:

Biology 201 Frontiers of Neurobiology 3

Biology 207 Human Anatomy and Physiol I 5

Biology 208 Human Anatomy and Physiol II 4

Biology 311 Vertebrate Embryology 3

Biology 312 Vertebrate Histology 3

Biology 310 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy 5

Biology 403 Evolution 3

Biology 410 Dissection Anatomy 4

Biology 411 Animal Physiology 3

Biology 412 Animal Physiology Lab 1

Biology 426 Neuroethology 3

Biology 438 Developmental Mechanisms 3

Biochem 441 Biochemistry of Macromolecules 3

Biochem 442 Metabolic Regulation 3

Biochem 444 Biochemical Methods 3

Chemistry 301 Physical Chemistry 3

Microbiology 201 Infectious disease 3

Microbiology 301 General Microbiology 4

Microbiology 401 mmunology 3

Microbiology 429 Biology of Human Cancer 3

CELL BIOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE OPTION

The curriculum in the cell biology and neuroscience option provides a strong background for students who are interested in a career in research or teaching in cell biology, molecular biology, developmental biology, or neuroscience. The curriculum provides the necessary courses to make a competitive application to graduate school or to obtain a technical position. There is a possibility to focus the curriculum in any of the four areas listed by using elective credits in specific disciplines.

Advanced students are strongly encouraged to enroll in Biol 470, Individual Problems and or Biol 490, Undergraduate Research. These courses provide an opportunity to gain valuable experience in biomedical research. Such experiences are useful for both an appreciation of the research effort required in graduate school or for gaining experience in technical methods for a technical position.

Freshman Year F S

Biology 211 4

Chemistry 131 4

Chemistry 132 4

Math 181 4

Math 182 4

English 121 3

Verbal Core 3

University Core and Electives 4

15 15

Sophomore Year

Biology 212 4

Biology 213 4

Chemistry 311 4

Chemistry 312 4

Physics 205 4

Physics 206 4

University Core and Electives 3 3

15 15

Junior Year

Biology 301 3

Biology 402 3

Biochemistry 340 5

Biochemistry 442 3

Stat 216 3

University Core and Electives 7 7

15 15

Senior Year

Biology 451 2

Biochemistry 444 3

Biochemistry 441 3

University Core and Electives 9 13

15 15

Additional Requirements:

For a focus in Cell, Molecular, or Developmental Biology, in the Junior or Senior year, any 3 elective credits in life sciences plus 3 of the following courses must be taken.

Biology 311 Vertebrate Embryology 3

Biology 438 Developmental Mechanisms 3

Biochemistry or Chemistry (additional to above) 3

Biology 489/490 3

For a focus in Neuroscience, in the Sophomore, Junior or Senior year, any 3 elective credits in life sciences plus 3 of the following courses must be taken:

Biology 201 3

Biology 413 3

Biology 426 3

Biology 438 3

Biology 489/4903

SUMMARY, BIOMED, BIOLOGY, CELL BIOL/NS CURRICULA