I may be a bit biased, but as a long time employer of chemists, I would take someone who got a BS over a BA in a heartbeat (and I have a BA). If your daughter is 100% certain that she'll get in to Med school, then who cares what coursework she takes (I've seen Classics majors get in). However, if she ends up looking for a job later, she'll regret the BA. If she really likes Bio, she should take a summer program. Just my 2 cents... -----Original Message----- From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Smallbrock, Margaret A. Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 2:55 PM To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] ACS accreditation of undergraduate programs Stacy, ACS accreditation is very interesting. I currently work at a school with the accreditation for a BS in Chemistry. There are classes that are required for accreditation and there are classes that are optional that fit into the program to fulfill the requirements. What I would do is see if ACS will tell you what is required and then you can talk to the school to see their rational for offering the limited classes. Sometimes it is just the field area of the professors that determines the classes taught; other reasons may be that the classes will not make because of insufficient enrollment. There are a lot of rules for ACS accreditation so I would talk to both parties and get the biggest picture you can. Good luck, Margaret -----Original Message----- From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Stacy Bucherl Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 12:35 PM To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: [DCHAS-L] ACS accreditation of undergraduate programs Sorry this is a bit off topic, but a lot of you work in higher education and I could use your help. My daughter's college choice was primarily driven by finding a school that offered an ACS accredited BS in biochemistry. At the last moment, she switched from school A to B (school B offered a full ride). On arrival at school B, she discovered that their particular ACS biochemistry program is so rigidly chemistry-focused that it only allows 3 bio classes. After several discussions with her adviser, she switched to the BA in biochemistry, which gives her room to study the bio part of the degree. Daughter is likely going to med school and she wants to do research. So... I talked to ACS to gain an understanding of the accreditation process. Do any of you have experience in developing the ACS accreditation curriculum for your school? I would like to have a discussion with School B to try to understand their rationale to minimize bio from the biochem degree, but don't know where to start. Advice? Suggestions? Stacy
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