PULLMAN, Wash. — The Washington State Board of Regents approved two new degree programs at its meeting in Vancouver last Friday.
The regents approved a doctoral program in communication and bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees in biotechnology. Both programs will be effective this fall.
The WSU School of Communication doctoral program differs from other doctoral programs in its structure and content.
The new program requires a common core of courses in intercultural communication, an emphasis within the school in communication studies and/or mediated communication, coursework in a cognate area outside of the school, and coursework in research methods. The new program will also include coursework in teaching methods and supervised teaching experience.
The new doctoral program in communication will draw on the combined heritage of communication studies and mass communication programs in a quest to help citizens of the state of Washington cope with the intercultural forces that shape and reshape relationships, organizations and institutions.
The bachelor of science and master of science degrees in biotechnology will fill the gap of needed scientists in the biotechnology field in Washington state and the nation.
These degrees will be unique in Washington and representative of only a few in the western United States. The degree programs will be centered in the School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Sciences, where the necessary research and teaching infrastructure already exists.
The students who obtain these degrees in biotechnology will not only attain the necessary theoretical background and scientific knowledge base, but will also have advanced laboratory experience and computer skills to meet the growing demands of today’s biotechnology companies.
