Two technology-oriented majors on campus may merge, although the faculty committee formed Sept. 26 to discuss the idea has yet to make any decisions.

Agricultural systems technology is one of two undergraduate majors offered by the agricultural and biosystems engineering department, part of both the College of Agriculture and the College of Engineering.

The other major, industrial technology, is the only undergraduate major offered by the industrial education and technology department, part of the College of Education.

“Both departments feel that there is some value in exploring this option,” said Charles Schwab, committee chairman and associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering.

The committee will decide if there needs to be a merger by December, Schwab said.

If the committee recommends combining the programs, they would still need to make formal proposals and get approval from the Board of Regents before implementing the change.

The six committee members represent the three undergraduate majors and two graduate programs offered by the departments, Schwab said.

The committee will go on to consider mergers between the graduate programs and departmental functions and features.

First, the committee is focusing on how to mold the existing undergraduate programs into a single technology program with multiple options, he said. Both curriculums prepare students to manage systems.

“They’re ag technology and we’re industrial technology, but it’s still technology,” said Roger Smith, professor of industrial education and technology.

Smith said some students in the agricultural systems technology major take classes from the industrial education and technology department, and vice versa.

The industrial technology honorary also inducts members from the agricultural systems technology major, Smith said. Enrollment in the industrial technology major is increasing, and is currently at about 220 students.

Each of the two majors offered by the agricultural and biosystems engineering department has about 150 students, so the department has about 300 students, Schwab said.

“We’re not going to eliminate anything,” said committee member Melody Carroll, academic advisor of industrial education and technology.

Carroll supports a merger that would allow students currently in the industrial technology major to graduate with the same classes, even though the name of their major might change.

“As an advisor, I hope we do go to [the College of Agriculture] because we’ll have better resources there,” Carroll said.

Patrick Patterson, associate professor and chair of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering and associate professor and chair of biomedical engineering, has also served as interim chair of industrial education and technology for the last year.

“For our students and for our companies in Iowa, [industrial technology] is a valuable program,” Patterson said. The committee’s goal is to make the program stronger, he said.