Mechanical engineering, chemical sciences and physics are among the new majors students will be able to choose from.
UC Merced officials say they've made academic development a top priority this year in an effort to address the needs of current and future students.
"We've definitely seen progress this year," said Karen Merritt, UC Merced's director of academic planning. "We're headed in the right direction toward the vision we set out with."
Each of UC Merced's three main schools -- engineering, natural sciences and social sciences -- has a strategic plan for curriculum growth, which specifies the majors to be added in the coming years.
Merritt said the university is on track so far, and will eventually offer as many degree programs as other UC campuses, most of which have more than 100 majors.
Of the five new programs at UC Merced, three come from the school of natural sciences: applied mathematical sciences, chemical sciences and physics.
"We're really just trying to round out our science offerings," said Assistant Dean Marna Cooper. "These are really three cornerstone disciplines in the sciences."
At least eight new natural science faculty members will be added by fall to teach classes and conduct research, said Cooper.
Perhaps the most popular major set to launch this fall is mechanical engineering.
"There is such a demand for mechanical engineers right now," said Dean of Engineering Jeff Wright. "Just about any manufacturing process relies on mechanical engineers."
Right now, UC Merced offers bioengineering and environmental engineering. Wright said the university will also add materials and science engineering this fall, and hopes to offer electrical engineering by 2007.
"By that time, we should be right up there with most engineering schools," said Wright, who added that most schools offer between six and 12 different engineering degrees.
While UC Merced's school of social sciences won't offer any new majors this fall, it will launch the university's first 10 minors including art, economics, history, philosophy, Spanish and writing.
Dean Kenji Hakuta said most of the new minors are laying the groundwork for future majors, set to be fully developed in the next two to three years.
Hakuta said many of the social science degrees now offered at UC Merced are very broad, such as the university's social, behavioral and cognitive science program and its history and world cultures program.
That will eventually change.
"One of our realizations this year was that students in our school wanted to see more distinction in the majors," said Hakuta. "Majors are very important identity markers for many students."
He said academic decisions are based on what students want and what faculty members have to offer.
"It's a balance between where student interests are and where we feel our strengths are in terms of being able to do something exciting and unique."
Minors such as history and art are in high demand; minors such as philosophy are less popular.
"We feel some subjects, such as philosophy, are just as important, even if students don't flock to them ... because they have important implications for other disciplines," said Hakuta.
The university voted this spring to drop one of its inaugural majors, human biology.
The program won't be open to any students after this fall, but those already enrolled will have the option to continue in the major.
The university will continue to offer a human biology emphasis under its biological sciences major.
All new majors and minors will be open to freshmen this fall, though some won't accept transfer students until 2007 or 2008.
"We'll wait until the first group (of freshmen) is at the junior level, and then we'll bring in more juniors so they can all go through together," said Cooper. "We want to have a big enough audience."
Reporter Corinne Reilly can be reached at 385-2477 or creilly@mercedsun-star.com.
Major changes
FALL 2005 MAJORS
Computer Science and Engineering
Bioengineering
Environmental Engineering
Biological Sciences
Earth Systems Science
Human Biology
Management
Social, Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
World Cultures and History
MAJORS ADDED FOR FALL 2006
Mechanical Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Applied Mathematical Sciences
Chemical Sciences
Physics
