The Wittenberg Board of Directors has officially approved the granting of a Bachelor of Science degree. A B.S. will now be offered in the following subjects: biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, math, physics and possibly psychology.

“The degree gives science majors more choice and, upon graduation, more job options,” Provost Sammye Greer said.

“The B.S. degree will provide recognition that our students are well educated in science without sacrificing our liberal arts tradition,” added Tim Lewis, associate professor of biology and department chair. Wittenberg graduates about 50 biology majors a year, and Lewis estimates that about 10 will now graduate each year with a B.S. degree.

The B.S. degree has the same 130-hour graduation requirement as the current B.A. degree, and it meets the university’s general education requirements. However, “it is designed to prepare graduates who are both liberally educated and ready to enter graduate studies and careers that demand more preparation in their major discipline and collateral fields than does the Bachelor of Arts degree,” according to the Educational Policies Committee (EPC).

“Our B.S. degree will be decidedly superior to B.S. degrees from non-liberal arts institutions since the students will have the best of both worlds: a sound scientific background coupled with extensive course work that broadens their view of humanity and enhances their critical-thinking and communication skills,” said David Finster, professor of chemistry and department chair.

Finster predicts that about 30-40 percent of chemistry majors will graduate with B.S. degrees during the next five years.

The new B.S. degree is also expected to aid in university recruitment efforts. The university expects the proposed B.S. curriculum to increase Wittenberg’s attractiveness to potential science majors and broaden the pool of prospective natural science students. In addition, offering a B.S. supports the National Science Foundation’s goal of producing a more scientifically literate population.

“It’s important to note that the B.A. degree in each of these majors still exists, and we expect that the majority of students will choose the B.A. degree track,” Greer said. “It’s the best degree for many careers and for some graduate programs, including medical school, which expects a strong background not only in the sciences but in the humanities and the social sciences.”

The B.S. degree still must be authorized by the Ohio Board of Regents and approved by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges, Wittenberg’s regional accrediting body, but Greer expects this process to be completed in time for students to graduate with a B.S. as early as next year.