By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Bowling Green State University Faculty Senate last week took action on degrees in aviation and software engineering.
Now students who study aviation at BGSU get a Bachelor’s of Science in Technology degree. That doesn’t reflect what they’ve spent four years studying, said Carl Braun, the liaison for the aviation program.
When BGSU graduates apply for aviation jobs, they face questions about exactly what that degree means. “This helps the industry recognize Bowling Green as having an aviation program,” Braun said.
For students, he said, “they finally get to have a reflection of their four years of hard work.”
The new degree, Braun said, is simply a name change which he expects will go in place next fall. And despite requests by some alumni, it will not be retroactive.
The senate also approved a new degree a Bachelor’s Science in Software Engineering.
Robert Dyer, a professor of computer science, said there’s a growing need, about 17 percent a year, for software engineers. “We see a lot of demand in industry,” he said. “They want software engineers. … Software drives everything we do.”
This will be only the second such program in the state, and one of the few in the region.
Jake Lee, professor of computer science, said the course will require 40 credit hours with another nine electives.
The curriculum was developed, he said, with an eye toward achieving accreditation by the Association of Computing Machinery.
Both resolutions passed unanimously.
At the meeting, Provost Rodney Rogers said BGSU was looking into adopting a 15-week semester.
This comes as the University of Toledo and Owens Community College move to that calendar. The three institutions closely collaborate some programs.
Having a 15-week semester would allow the university to offer a brief winter session in January during which students could take a course.
