Four new degree programs are in the works at the University — doctoral programs in materials science and engineering, environmental sciences, and coastal engineering sciences, and a master’s program in coastal and ecological engineering.
The new programs are interdisciplinary and will pull from resources already at the University. Professors from different departments will come together to form the faculty for new programs, said John Pardue, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering professor who wrote the proposal for the new programs in coastal sciences.
The Board of Supervisors approved the programs at its October meeting, and now the final step is approval from the Board of Regents. Their examination of the programs will include an external review team which will evaluate the potential program and its quality.
“The earliest [they are implemented] would be a year from now,” said Carolyn Hargrave, vice president of academic affairs. “That would be fast-tracking it.”
 
—-Contact Ryan Buxton at [email protected]