Faculty and academic leaders have been working for the last 18 months to create new academic programs -- Degrees of the Future -- that address student and workforce demands. Degrees of the Future is a three-year, $1.5 million initiative, funded by Iowa State's 2022-2031 strategic plan, to spur innovation in the curriculum. From 22 faculty proposals in 2023, six degrees were selected for development.
Ann Marie VanDerZanden, associate provost for academic programs and leader of the initiative, reports three of the six programs have crossed or reached the finish line. Two have been approved by the state Board of Regents:
- An online master's degree in digital health offered by the kinesiology department and delivered through Iowa State Online (another strategic plan investment).
- A bachelor's degree in game design led by the departments of community and regional planning and computer science.
A third program, a bachelor's degree in integrated health sciences led by the departments of genetics, development and cell biology and food science and human nutrition, is expected to be approved by the regents in the spring.
The remaining three degree programs funded through the strategic plan are making their way through department and college curriculum committees and are expected to be evaluated by the Faculty Senate during the spring semester:
- Bachelor's degree in digital storytelling, led by the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and music and theatre department.
- Master's of finance and technology (FinTech), led by the departments of finance and computer science.
- Bachelor's degree in precision agriculture, led by the departments of agronomy and agricultural and biosystems engineering.
One notable aspect is that three of the programs involve multiple colleges. Game design involves Design and Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS); integrated health sciences includes LAS, Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Health and Human Sciences; and FinTech includes LAS and the Ivy College of Business.
While interdisciplinary programs typically take longer to route through the approval process, according to VanDerZanden, the final product can appeal to students across the entire range of a discipline.
"Our students are coming to campus looking for programs that leverage faculty expertise from multiple disciplines to best prepare them for professional success," she said. "We very much appreciate how colleges and departments have come together to create academic opportunities that will attract these students to Iowa State."
As programs are approved, faculty have begun creating courses to meet degree requirements, and colleges are working with the admissions team to market the degrees to prospective students.
