UVSC adds three new bachelor degrees

Utah's Board of Regents recently approved three new degrees for UVSC's fall 2007 semester. Here is the press release that College Marketing put out:


UVSC adds Three New Bachelor Degrees
Beginning fall semester 2007, Utah Valley State College will offer three new bachelor degrees, two in the Foreign Languages Department and one in the Computer and Networking Sciences Department. The new four-year degrees include a Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language and Deaf Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering. With the addition of these new degrees, UVSC now offers 54 bachelor degrees.

The American Sign Language and deaf education degree is a secondary education teaching program that will prepare graduates to teach in middle schools and high schools as well as prepare them to serve the deaf community. The deaf studies degree aims at serving the students and community and will offer an emphasis in general deaf studies and an emphasis in interpreting.

“There is a huge new surge in the market for signers because of Sorenson Communications in Salt Lake City, a service that helps the deaf use the telephone. We are responding to the need,” said Karl Worthington, interim vice president for academic affairs. “Deaf studies is a unique major and this degree proposal has been well received by other institutions and the deaf community. Many students, hearing and non hearing, will be involved in learning how to sign as well as teach.”

In addition to these two new degrees, software engineering is making the transition from an emphasis to a stand alone degree. “This will greatly assist students in the job market,” said Worthington. “Employers are specifically looking for those who have received a higher education in software engineering.”