The Board of Regents of Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) recently approved the addition of three new majors. The programs are available to both current and incoming students. The new majors are: bachelor of arts in engineering sciences, bachelor of arts in graphic design, and bachelor of arts in biochemistry.
Bethany’s new engineering program is modeled closely after the bachelor of arts in engineering sciences program at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Two concentrations or tracks are available: mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering.
Professor Peter Kjeer is the coordinator for the engineering major and has been the architect of the program, he explained, “The new engineering program is ideally suited to match the growing trend within the engineering community to seek and hire well-rounded candidates with the ability to interact on many levels with a diverse group of professionals.”
Bethany will now also offer graphic design as a standalone major. Bethany students have previously had the option to pursue graphic design as a component of the College’s studio art curriculum. The addition of the standalone major allows the College to more accurately promote the graphic design program to prospective students. The new major will join the already-established studio art and media arts programs under the umbrella of the College’s Fine Arts Division.
Professor Andrew Overn is the coordinator for the graphic design major, he noted, “Although Bethany has offered the coursework for a graphic design major for years, it was considered as part of the studio art major, allowing students to choose design from a list of optional emphases. It’s our hope that as students search for graphic design programs, the new major will help them to more quickly identify Bethany as a possible place to study. Knowledge is the source of creativity, and Bethany’s broad-based, liberal arts program is a terrific complement to a major with creativity as its core.”
Bethany’s new biochemistry major maintains the broadly based exposure to all areas of chemistry that are part of Bethany’s current chemistry major and defines additional courses that further develops the students laboratory skills and knowledge base in biochemistry.
Dr. Doyle Holbird is a professor of biology and will also teach in the biochemistry major, he says, “Students who are interested in pursuing positions in medical labs, environmental labs, and food science labs would be well served by the biochemistry program as well as students who hope to attend medical school or graduate programs in biochemical sciences.”