Editor’s Note: This article was updated to reflect the regents’ approval of UA’s request for a College of Veterinary Medicine.
At an April 11 meeting at the University of Arizona, the Arizona Board of Regents, the governing body appointed to oversee Arizona’s three public universities, approved UA’s request to add a new college, develop two new majors and disestablish another as soon as the next academic year.
In the future, UA students at the main campus may be able to obtain a Bachelor of Science in biosystems analytics, while those at the UA Yuma campus can earn a Bachelor of Science in agricultural systems management.
In its efforts to become the first public university in Arizona to provide students an accredited veterinary medical program, the UA will create the College of Veterinary Medicine.
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Students will no longer be able to receive a Bachelor of Science in Education in special education and rehabilitation, because, at the request of the UA, the regents approved the splitting of the program into three new full majors, which were first offered last fall.
Bachelor of Science in biosystems analytics
The new program claims to aim to prepare students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and influence sustainable development of food, water and energy resources by studying these relationships at a systems level with emerging technology.
The new major will provide students opportunities to train on new technologies in cyber infrastructure development, precision agriculture and water management. Students should expect to walk away from the program being able to effectively conduct an experiment, participate in innovation in their future careers and understanding the relationship between math, computing, microbiology, sustainable development and more.
By its third year, the program, which has no extra fee, hopes to enroll 30 students.
Bachelor of Science in agricultural systems management
The new program plans to focus on the specialized desert agricultural economy of the American Southwest, providing students with technical experience and business management skills.
The new major, driven by increasing student and business interest, would replace the current Bachelor of Science in agricultural technology management and education specialization route in technology or agricultural systems management. Students should expect to complete an internship and learn how to apply modern technology to production challenges, effectively communicate and analyze agricultural systems in a societal context.
The program, which will not have an extra fee, also hopes to enroll 30 students by its third year.
College of Veterinary Medicine
For UA’s new veterinary medical program to become fully accredited, the UA is required to create a College of Veterinary Medicine. With the approval of the regents, the UA is now one step closer to being the first accredited Arizona public university to train future veterinarians.
“This has been a five year uphill run in an attempt by the university to fulfill our land grant mission,” said Jeffrey Goldberg, Interim Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at UA.
The regents approved UA’s veterinary medical program back in 2014 with the goal of helping train students to fill the gaps in veterinary care and deficiency of veterinarians in Arizona and the United States as well as lowering the cost of such an degree for Arizona residents. .
The new college will provide students with research opportunities, internships in rural communities and the skills to keep up with changing technologies.
Bachelor of Science in Education in special education and rehabilitation
In fall 2018, UA began offering a Bachelor of Science in Education in Deaf studies, mild-moderate disabilities and rehabilitation studies service. According to the university, these new programs were meant to replace the Bachelor of Science in Education in special education and rehabilitation, offering students a more specialized core curriculum and a better educational experience.
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Currently, no students will be affected by the change. Students in the program will be allowed to continue and graduate, with all necessary classes offered.
The regents must approve all new programs at the UA. Check back in to the Daily Wildcat to read about all the new programs and colleges UA plans to offer to students.
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