News-Letter

Not all students are celebrating the recent openings of the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and the School of Education. For some, the move means a forced transfer into a different degree program than the one in which they are currently involved, according to Assistant Dean of External Affairs Chris Godack.

On Jan. 1 the former School of Professional Studies in Business and Education (SPSBE) was divided into the two new schools as a result of a $50 million gift for business education from Hopkins trustee emeritus William Polk Carey through his W. P. Carey Foundation.

"Both [the business and education] programs have existed for a long time, and both are well-developed. There was a feeling that both are at a place in history where they are ready to stand on their own, and have an impact," Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs Dennis O'Shea said.

O'Shea cites the establishments of the new schools as an opportunity to take a stronger role in Baltimore's economy and education.

In a University press release, President William R. Brody explained that the new business and education schools will seek to augment existing graduate-level programs, such as SPSBE's joint master's/MBA programs in biotechnology, public health and nursing.

The Carey Business School will add a five-year B.A.-B.S./MBA option for liberal arts and engineering students in Hopkins undergraduate programs. To prepare for this further education, Brody said, students should take the Entrepreneurship and Management minor offered to undergraduates.

However, according to O'Shea, the University has not yet announced when the five-year program will begin.

Godack said, "Now the two divisions of SPSBE are able to focus better on their mission and be their own special schools."

According to O'Shea, it is too early to tell precisely how the new programs will affect current undergraduate degree programs.

But it is clear that the changes are bad news for many undergraduate students at the business school, whose courses are now a part of the Carey Business School. Students who are pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies must now either finish by May 31, 2008, or pursue a different degree, possibly at a different university, because the program is "being phased out," according to a letter sent by the school to undergraduate business and technology students.

Additionally, students interested in applying for the Bachelor of Science in Business and Management (BSBM) and the Bachelor of Science in Information Systems (BSIS) "must have 60 college credits along with any other admission requirements," the letter read.

"Effective immediately, no applications are being processed for the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies, as this degree program is being phased out," the letter states.

In fact, the Carey Business School will no longer offer any lower-level courses or interdisciplinary studies courses after May 31, 2008.

A University press release addresses the change in degree requirements, stating, "As in the past, programs will continue to change in response to evolving professional standards, environmental conditions and new ideas generated by the faculty and leadership. Current students should continue to follow programs of study approved by their advisors."

For BSBM and BSIS students, the changes mean that after May 2008 their degree programs will continue to exist, but "strictly" as upper-level programs offering only 300 and 400-level classes. This means that students taking lower-level courses as part of the BSBM and BSIS programs are directly affected and must alter their program plans.

For the former Interdisciplinary Studies student, the discontinuation of his degree program presents him with some choices, which are outlined on the Hopkins Undergraduate Web site.

The site states that for those close to completing their degree requirements, the best option is to simply continue to take courses through the next 15 months and try to finish by May 2008.

If the student cannot complete specific requirements for the social science or communications concentration, he will be allowed to switch to general studies, the site explains.

Students who have finished the interdisciplinary studies requirements must now either take up to 27 credits of business courses and apply these to the BSIS degree as electives, or take up to 12 credits at another university and transfer these into the new Carey Business School.

Students also have the option to take up to two independent projects for a total of six credits.

However, there are many students "for whom the prospects of completing the BSIS degree look unlikely," as the Web site explains.

These students are encouraged to change their degree program to BSBM or BSIS or to transfer their credits into a degree program at another university.

Interim Dean of the Carey Business School Pam Cranston and Dean of the School of Education Ralph Fessler, along with Charlene Hayes, the vice president for human resources, will consider changes to Hopkins' tuition remission policies with regard to the students in the last category.

The school will also investigate possibilities in partnering with local universities and community colleges, the site concludes.

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