11/15/2019 GAC Minutes
Minutes of the Graduate Academic Council meeting of November 15, 2019, 9:00 AM MSC 102A.
Approved by the Council by vote of 8-0-0 on December 9, 2019.
In attendance: S. Appe, D. Card, A. Dawson, S. Faught, D. Li, O. Lunin, R. Morse, KN. Stanwicks, C.
Wolff, K. Williams, J. Bartow (staff), S. Kent (staff), S. Pease (staff), C. Davis (staff), J.
Deden (staff)
Guests:
Daniel Mahar – Registrar’s Office
1.
Substitute Chair J. Bartow asked the members if there was any other business to be added to
today’s agenda.
There was none.
2.
Minutes of the GAC meeting of 10/17/19 were approved with amendment by a vote of 9-0-0.
3.
Dean’s Report – Dean Williams reviewed current Graduate School accomplishments.
4.
Chair’s Report – None (Chair George Berg was not in attendance.)
5.
Report of the GAC Committee on Curriculum & Instruction – S. Faught, Chair, reviewed the 5
proposals presented to the CC & I Committee and recommended (below) for GAC approval. The
Graduate Academic Council voted to accept the Committee’s report and approve all the
recommendations contained therein by a vote of 9-0-0.
Meeting adjourned without opposition at 9:30 AM
End of GAC 11/15/19 Minutes
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Curriculum and Instruction Committee
November 11, 2019
Committee Members: Sydney Faught (chair), Billy Zakrzewski, Alec Dawson, Susan Appe, Dylan Card,
Keith Chan, Stephen Weinberg, Christopher Wolff
Staff: Colleen Davis
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Proposals reviewed: Biomedical Sciences PhD Proposal, Rockefeller College Master’s Programs, Higher
Education MS and International Education Management and Leadership MA Programs, Data Science MS
Program, Public Health MPH Program
Biomedical Sciences PhD Program Proposal
The School of Public Health is proposing the following changes to the Biomedical Sciences PhD program:
Increase the core from 19 credits maximum to 22 credits maximum
Change the requirement of BMS601 (3 credits) to the following: 6 credits of Fundamental
Biomedical Sciences Courses: BMS531 (3 credits), BMS555 (1 credit), BMS556 (1 credit), BMS557
(1 credit), and BMS601(3 credits)
The purpose of the change is to allow more flexibility in the courses that satisfy the requirement
for fundamental courses in biomedical sciences. Previously, all students were required to take
BMS601, but now they are increasing the overall credits to 6 and adding more course options.
This does not affect the overall credits required for the program (there are some courses that
are 0 to 1 credit so there is flexibility in the individual program requirement). The overall
remains at 60 credits.
Based on the department’s justification above, the committee voted to approve the proposed program
changes (7 approve, 0 disapprove, 0 abstain).
Rockefeller College Master’s Programs Proposal
Rockefeller College has submitted 3 program proposals, requesting that the GRE be removed from the
admission requirements for their Political Science MA, Public Administration MPA, and International
Affairs MIA programs. Currently, the program allows for GRE waivers in the following situations:
5 years of professional work experience in Public Affairs (MPA and MIA)
Completion of at least 2 quantitative courses with a grade of B or better (MPA and MIA)
All combined undergraduate/graduate applicants are exempt from the GREs (all three
programs)
The department justifies the changes based on the following:
Extensive analysis of the applicant pool from the last 5 years, specifically reviewing those that
took the GREs and those that were waived. Analysis indicates that there is little to no correlation
in GRE score achievement and a student’s success in the master’s program.
For students with low GRE quantitative scores that have been admitted, they have
demonstrated very strong academic performance with GPAs 3.3 or above.
The GRE has been seen as a barrier for students of color and low socioeconomic status, and with
its removal it will allow the departments to access more applications that have not been
submitted due to this requirement. It will allow the department to become broader and diverse
in its student population.
Rockefeller has also witnessed peer institutions begin to move away from the GRE as an
admission criteria (George Washington, Marist, and SUNY Binghamton).
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The college plans to offer students additional resources prior to enrollment so if they are
concerned specifically with the quantitative expectations of the program, they have the
opportunity to refresh their skills and understand what lay ahead in the program.
Based on the department’s justifications above, the committee voted to approve the proposed program
changes (7 approve, 0 disapprove, 0 abstain).
Educational Policy and Leadership Program Proposals
The Department of Educational Policy and Leadership is proposing the following changes to two of their
master’s programs:
Add “or other courses as advised” to several sections of the requirements for the Higher
Education MS and the International Education Management and Leadership MA programs.
Higher Education MS:
o
Program consists of Core Course (9 cr), Support Discipline (6 cr), Concentration Courses
(12 cr), Elective Courses (6 cr), and Research Capstone (3 cr).
o
Add “or other courses as advised” to the Support Discipline, Concentration Courses, and
Elective Courses
International Education Management and Leadership MA:
o
Program consists of Core Courses (9 cr), Specialization Courses (9 cr), Data Analytics
Course (3 cr), Electives (6 cr), and Research Capstone Course (3 cr)
o
Add “or other courses as advised” to the Specialization Courses, Data Analytics Course,
and Elective Courses
The justification for these changes is that it would permit subject-appropriate courses beyond
those explicitly listed for each degree to count for the degree as long as the course is approved
by the student’s academic advisor. For example, a professor may offer a special topics course
that fits directly into one or more categories of requirements for the master’s degree, yet is not
listed as qualifying course on the University webpages. The department wants academic
advisors to be able to approve such a course to count towards the relevant degree. The
department may also offer a rarely scheduled course in a given semester and they want this
course to count towards the relevant degree with advisor approval.
In all cases, the department will uphold degree standards rigorously and apply decisions
equitably.
It is also noted that both of these programs are fairly new (within 2 years) and new courses are
being developed. Previous topics courses are transforming into established courses and this will
allow the department to substitute appropriate courses into the students’ programs.
Based on the department’s justification above, the committee voted to approve the proposed program
changes (7 approve, 0 disapprove, 0 abstain).
Data Science Master of Science Program Proposal
The Mathematics and Statistics Department is proposing the following changes to the Data Science MS
program:
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Remove AMAT524 (advanced linear algebra) from the requirements and replace it with
AMAT522 (linear algebra for applications).
The new course AMAT522 exactly fits the program while AMAT524 was a temporary substitute.
The remaining requirements are unchanged.
Based on the department’s justification above, the committee voted to approve the proposed program
changes (7 approve, 0 disapprove, 0 abstain).
Public Health Master of Public Health Program Proposal
The School of Public Health is requesting that the GRE be removed as an admission requirement to all of
their Master in Public Health programs. Currently, the programs allow for GRE waivers in the following
situations:
Completion of the UAlbany SPH Certificate in Public Health Fundamentals and Principles
Previous completion of a graduate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 from a US Institution
Passing grades of Part 1 and 2 of the US Medical Licensing Exam
Submission of MCAT, PCAT, DAT, GMAT or LSAT scores
The department justifies the changes based on the following:
Statistical analysis examining the relationship between quantitative GRE scores and academic
performance in the required statistics course. Little evidence found of a relationship between
the quantitative score and the final grade in the course. Academic performance in
undergraduate coursework is the more accurate predictor.
Studies suggest that GRE scores are not the best indicator of ability to succeed, are culturally
biased, and pose a significant financial barrier to underserved students. Miller and Stassun argue
that the GRE better reflects demographic characteristics such as sex and color than of ability to
succeed. Data obtained from ETS reports that on average women score 80 points lower than
men, and African Americans score 200 points lower than white people (citation included in
proposal).
The costly financial burden includes cost of the exam, cost of sending the scores, cost of prep
courses; this makes it unaffordable for prospective students. High scores have also been shown
to correlate with the socioeconomic status of a student.
The school cited multiple articles in its research.
Peer institutions have eliminated the GREs: Boston University, Colorado School of Public Health,
Drexel University, Emory, New York University, University of Maryland, Jackson State University
and University at Washington.
Removing the GRE will make the program more attractive to students who may not otherwise
apply, thus enabling the school to welcome a larger and more diverse student body which is in
line with the University’s strategic goals.
Based on the department’s justification above, the committee voted to approve the proposed program
changes (8 approve, 0 disapprove, 0 abstain).
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