Four proposals outlining potential new degree programs will be voted on during this week’s final Faculty Senate meeting for the academic year.

Students may soon be able to graduate with a minor in wind energy. Frank Peters, associate professor in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, said he thinks an increase in wind-related efforts by a number of faculty as well as increased state initiatives have led to the creation of such a minor.

“We need students with this background,” Peters said. “It will give them an understanding of the issues surrounding wind energy and see how one aspect affects all others.”

Peters said he wants students of all disciplines to know that if they meet the prerequisites stated for acceptance into the program, they are welcome to enroll. He cited the proposal, where it states that the minor is “primarily intended for students majoring in engineering or meteorology, but will be available to all that meet the prerequisites.”

The wind energy minor will consist of two required courses: ENGR 340x: Introduction to Wind Energy: System Design and Delivery and AER E 381: Intro to Wind Energy.

Nine credits of electives will also be required for the minor, with students able to choose from 22 different courses designated as eligible for elective credit.

Another proposal being voted on this week details the potential creation of a Master of Design in sustainable environments. Clare Cardinal-Pett, associate professor of architecture, said the idea for such a program came from Luis Rico-Gutierrez, dean of the College of Design. Rico-Gutierrez appointed a committee to develop the proposal.

“The College of Design touched on this topic and talked about doing this in the past, but the leadership really got it going,” Cardinal-Pett said.

Cardinal-Pett said a program of this magnitude is needed because the world is continually facing challenges in sustainable management and designers are in a unique position to contribute to a solution.

“This program is designed for people with professional degrees in any design or engineering field,” Cardinal-Pett said. “Many may have been in the workplace and can bring in that real world experience and they can go back to their careers with new knowledge to change ways and practices.”

She went on to say that students coming right out of undergraduate programs will also learn practices that will aid them when they eventually enter the work force.

“We hope to attract students from all over,” Cardinal-Pett said.

The Master of Design in sustainable environments will consist of three semesters. Students will be required to take six classes to make up 20 hours of coursework, with 15 elective hours remaining. Electives will come from three different categories: social equity, environmental stewardship and economic viability.

The third proposal the Senate will be voting on also comes from the College of Design.

The master’s in urban design, according to the proposal, will be an “advanced, interdisciplinary program of study for graduate students with previous degrees in architecture, landscape architecture and city planning,” or previous professional experience.

This program will also be composed of three semesters where students take 36 credit hours of workshop-focused course study. Eight courses of 30 credit hours will consist of required classes, with six hours of electives making up the rest of the program.

The final proposal outlines a master’s in engineering management. According to the proposal, this program will “prepare engineers for leadership/management positions within their organizations.”

It promises to give students the skills needed to create and manage a team of engineers, scientists and technicians in a constantly changing world of technology.

Students in the program must meet the prerequisite of a bachelor’s degree in engineering. 30 credit hours will make up the program, with 10 required courses creating the bulk of the program.