Many curriculum changes are underway for the Business and Engineering divisions.

For those with a business degree in the works, current schedules count toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in business.

Business Division Chairman Raymond Wrabley said the division is undergoing a switch, and in the fall, it will offer a five-pronged Bachelor of Science degree in business.

The degrees offered are to be split into majors such as accounting, finance and information systems. There will also be management and marketing majors available.

According to Wrabley, incoming freshmen are to work toward the Bachelor of Science degree, whereas returning students are to have the option of switching to the new degree program if they so choose.

Wrabley predicted that most of the current freshmen and sophomores are to move into the new program.

“We have a really solid program right now, but we’re enhancing the quality of these programs,” Wrabley said.

He estimated that he has more than 500 students in his program at the moment, claiming to be it the biggest on campus.

Wrabley said that the new degree is to be better for job opportunities.

“It’s more what our competitors offer,” he said.

He said that there are to be two new concentrations under some of the majors offered. A new concentration under information systems is to be health systems, and a concentration under management is to be health care management.

“Our faculty have worked hard to complete proposals,” Wrabley said.

“These proposals are now at (Pitt-Oakland). Hopefully, they’ll be approved this summer and be in effect in the fall.”

Business major freshman Allura Rigoni is considering switching to the new program, she said.

“The classes are going to change a little bit. The requirements are going to change.”

“It’s more or less dependent on what the requirements change to.”

Engineering faculty have also made changes to their curriculums. According to Division Chairman Jerry Samples, all current freshmen schedules are to work toward engineering degrees rather than engineering technology degrees. Returning students’ schedules are to remain on the engineering technology track, although the possibility to switch is still available.

This change does not mean that an engineering technology degree is no longer available for freshmen.

“You can take courses from what’s there. There are lots of equivalents,” Samples said.

“We need to get a class graduated to get accredited.”

Samples said that the difficulty of the major doesn’t change and that the only difference is an extra chemistry course. He said that most students take a math or physics minor anyway, so there is little difference.

“Fewer credits are required. You’ll have three or four semesters with fifteen credits.”

Samples said that chemical engineering is to be available next semester, but infrastructure for the major is still underway.

“It’ll be nice to get people out of here (with the new degree).”