The UA introduced several new degree programs during a recent Arizona Board of Regents meeting. While a few of the programs still need to be approved by other committees at the UA, all were approved by the regents.
Persian and Iranian Studies Masters of Arts and Ph.D.
The UA will have two new degrees in Persian and Iranian Studies: A master’s degree and a Ph.D. These graduate programs will not be part of a school but will be an independent graduate program within the UA Graduate College.
This is the first independent graduate program in Persian and Iranian Studies in the country, according to Kamran Talattof, a professor of Persian and Iranian studies.
According to the director of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, Benjamin Fortna, the graduate programs will draw on other classes offered through MENAS.
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Fortna said faculty hired for the program will be hosted within MENAS, and currently the program is looking for a faculty member to add to the program, though they hope to be able to hire more in the future.
Because of a multi million-dollar grant, two positions within MENAS are now endowed: That of Kamran and that of the faculty to be hired. These are the first endowed positions within MENAS, according to Talattof.
With these new programs, new opportunities for cultural activities emerge. Talattof said there could be activities such as film festivals, art festivals, lectures and Persian tea house events, where students studying Persian language meet to watch movies and drink tea.
“It has energized not only the academic program but also cultural activities related to the academic program,” Talattof said.
Because it may have missed the graduate college’s deadline to be open for next year, the program will start accepting applications for fall 2018, though it will be accepting graduate students who want to minor in the program, Talattof said.
Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering
The UA College of Engineering’s Civil Engineering Department collaborated with the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture to create a degree in architectural engineering.
The program is an opportunity to link architecture with engineers, according to Kevin Lansey, head of the Civil Engineering department.
Lansey said the program includes about 20 units that are taught by architecture faculty on topics ranging from architectural history to drawing.
The program’s full curriculum is set, and the program is waiting on final approval from the Provost’s Council and the Faculty Senate before students will be able to apply.
Lansey said the program should be accepting students into the degree next fall, with seven units of courses specifically for those in the program offered next year for new sophomores joining the program.
He said most engineering students pick their program during their sophomore year.
The College of Engineering and CAPLA have been meeting for the better part of a year to work on this program, Lansey said.
Lansey said an external advisory committee helped with the program to ensure it met industry needs, and the school compared its curriculum to the strong programs at the University of Kansas and University of Texas.
Lansey said he thinks architectural engineers are really valuable in
the industry.
“I think [the program is] going to bring a really unique flavor in the western U.S. that combines the architecture idea of design, starting with the big picture, and engineer design starting at the component basis,” Lansey said. “And sort of link these together and provide a new engineer who could mix in between the architects and the traditional engineers.”
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Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Science
The UA will offer a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical science, which will be offered at Paradise Valley Community College for the first two years before being taught on a community college campus by UA faculty for the final two years to complete the program.
Students will also be required to complete an internship, and three companies in the Phoenix area have already expressed interest in having students from the program complete internships with them, according to Gail Burd, the senior vice provost for academic affairs.
Burd said these companies are also interested in hiring graduates of the program.
Burd said the UA faculty will teach students on a community college campus in the Phoenix area, because the area has more partners for students to complete their internships and then get jobs.
The program will still run through the UA College of Pharmacy, though.
Burd said this is the only kind of pharmacy program in Arizona, and it is designed for students who want to work in labs, with a plethora of hands-on learning.
“These students would have that preparation and be able to walk into industry and be functional right away,” Burd said. “I think it will help Arizona and it will help undergraduates because they are in the kind of a program that is really earmarked to a particular industry.”
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