Program Review for

Biology (M.S.)

2005-2006 Recommendations

 

 

I.  Strengths

 

            1. The faculty are well-qualified for the program, are up-to-date.

 

            2. Biology faculty are well represented on the Graduate Faculty.

 

            3. The program attracts an adequate number of graduate students.

 

 

II. Weaknesses

 

            1.  Although some of the graduate classes have adequate enrollment to offer them

 independently, they are offered as stacked courses because of a lack of faculty.

           

            2. The department does not have enough graduate assistantships to

                        a. provide optimal instruction of labs

                        b. Support their graduate majors

                        c. Assist graduate students in completing their degrees in a timely manner.

In fact some take jobs for support and never return to complete the degree.

4. Over 15 graduate students are majors in the program in a given year. A MS is a two to three- year program. One would expect to have at least 5 graduating each year. Attrition is high, part of that due to the lack of financial support and the need to have off-campus jobs (personal communication with graduate students in the program.) The attrition seems to occur at the point of completing the thesis or project.

 

            3. The salary of graduate assistantships in Biology and university-wide fall

 below the minimum to support the student, as judged by the official amount

required to pay tuition, housing books, health care and other essentials, as judged

by the US government figures.

The official rate is $9750 for 9 months or $13,000 for 12 months, as announced

by President Juárez and Provost Clayton in fall 2003. However, the minimum

 established for Financial Aid and International Programs is over $14,000. that

means each student, living frugally on campus, must have at least $5000 from

 off-campus jobs or other sources. That extra job deprives the student of full

 attention to graduate studies and timely graduation. It deprives the program of

students who should graduate but never do. It deprives society of the services of

the higher qualifications.

 

            4. Graduate assistantships are effective vehicles for training the students to be

effective teachers, to prepare them for being TAs at the doctoral level, and for

mentoring them as the faculty is in contact with the TAs. One of the goals of the

program is to develop effective teachers.

 

 

III. Recommendations.

 

            1. The program needs to hire at least one additional faculty member.

            2. The program needs adequate resources to support the graduate students. As

calculations have shown, the student on a TA takes more classes and pays for

 himself in WSCH.

3. In Biology and university-wide, the university should endeavor to provide a TA

salary at least at the minimum established by federal guidelines for self-support for in-state students. Currently TAMUK pays under $10,000, the equivalent of full time of under $20,000. That is not consistent with our claims of the value of a college degree.

4. Consider a program to track the students and avoid some of them drifting off to not compete the MS.

 

Recommendation:      Biology Master’s Program recommended for continuation.

 

Dean’s comments:

 

  • The program needs to hire at least one additional faculty member.
  • The program needs adequate resources to support the graduate students.
  • Department must actively recruit graduate students into the program.

Reduce the number of stacked courses taken by master level students.

 

 

 

Outcome/Assessment Report

Master’s Program in Biology

Spring 2007

 

Dean’s Comments:

 

The program needs to hire at least one additional faculty member.

 

  • A Molecular Biologist, was hired as an Assistant Professor
  • Lecturer and Pre-professional Advisor was converted to an Assistant Professorship

 

The program needs adequate resources to support the graduate students.

 

  • The department has two graduate stipends
  • Graduate students were supported on Graduate Research Assistantships via MBRS funding

 

Department must actively recruit graduate students into the program.

 

  • Dr. Massa went to Mexico City last year to help recruit graduate students.
  • Other faculty also have recruited at least two graduate students.

 

Reduce the number of stacked courses taken by master level students.

 

  • The department was able to offer only one stand-alone graduate course in CY 2006.  (he department has difficulty in offering stand-alone graduate courses because, despite having more faculty available, the undergraduates overwhelmingly need the variety and choice offered by our 4000 level courses, most of which were needed for graduation.)