Santa Fe, New Mexico
February 27, 2008
The field of genetics holds
tremendous potential to advance human health and to meet many of
the food and fiber needs of the world. Recognizing this,
New Mexico State University
will offer a new genetics degree in the fall of 2008.
The new Bachelor of Science degree in genetics is a
cross-college undergraduate degree offered through the College
of Agriculture and Home Economics and the College of Arts and
Sciences. The degree program will be offered jointly by the
departments of biology and plant and environmental sciences.
“This scientific field has grown exponentially during the past
decade as researchers have raced to identify most genes of
humans and many other animals, plants and microorganisms,” said
Ian Ray, professor and chair of the advisory committee for the
genetics program. “Geneticists now have tremendous opportunities
to investigate how these genes influence important
characteristics in all types of organisms. This information, and
technologies derived from it, will affect all of us by impacting
human health and food production.”
The intent of the program is to prepare students for a variety
of genetics-related professions, including academic research,
agriculture, biology, biotechnology, health sciences and
medicine. Students also will be well prepared to enter graduate
school, medical school or veterinary school.
The new genetics program will capitalize on the combined
expertise of more than 30 faculty in six NMSU departments to
provide a diverse curriculum that will cover chemistry,
biochemistry, cell and organism biology, microbiology, molecular
and population genetics, human/livestock/plant physiology,
biotechnology, computer science and ethics.
“We want to provide a challenging degree for New Mexico
students, and make NMSU even more appealing for high achieving
students,” Ray said.
The majority of the courses needed for the curriculum are
currently taught on campus. Eight credits of new courses will be
created and several existing courses will be modified.
Scholarships for this new program will be made available through
both the biology and plant and environmental sciences
departments. Additional support also will be provided through a
variety of undergraduate programs, such as the Howard Hughes
program.
Based upon enrollment data from other institutions and the 2004
NMSU enrollment statistics, 60 to 150 students are expected to
be in the program once it has matured.
“With the tremendous faculty expertise available at NMSU, our
goal is to develop a program that is known for its excellence in
developing students’ critical thinking and analysis skills,
providing “hands-on” training in multiple laboratory and
computer-based techniques and equipping students to understand
and solve technical problems in genetics,” Ray said. |
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