Class by class, hour by hour, one ETSU department is in the process of rebuilding its curriculum to make it stronger for students.
Since the Tennessee Board of Regents mandated that all programs require no more than 120 hours for a bachelor’s degree, many departments at ETSU are being required to arduously revise their curriculum by 2006 because of the year-old mandate.
But, said Dr. Anna Roberts, associate professor of family and consumer sciences, the department of family and consumer sciences took the mandate as opportunity to make things better.
This department is one of the original departments to be a part of the university when it was founded in 1911.
The department, which began in 1911 when the university was founded, was originally named domestic science, which became home economics to emphasize teacher preparation. Applied human sciences followed, emphasizing specializations.
They change names often, Roberts said, “because society changes.”
Although the department of family and consumer sciences is accustomed to evolution, this is a major change for the department, Roberts said.
This has been an “arduous task to go back and re-enter data and go through the approval process,” said Dr. Mary Langenbrunner, associate professor of child and family studies.
And the task is far from easy because many degrees within the department require 128 to 143 hours.
Instead of just cutting the hours, the department decided to restructure its curriculum.
“We spent so much time looking at this from all four areas of concentrations to find what similarities and compatibles there are to find a core that picked up each one of these,” Langenbrunner said.
Rather than canceling courses within a concentration, the department decided to break down courses.
“We took it as an opportunity to take a long hard look at curriculum and rebuild it,” Roberts said.
Instead of requiring two three-hour courses, students will take four one-hour courses, Roberts said.
Also, the department has decided to eliminate physical education and computer proficiency requirements.
Since the department is in the process of applying for the American Association of Family of Consumer Sciences accreditation, the faculty also took those requirements into consideration and included feedback from students, social issues and trends.
The proposed changes encompass four areas of concentration: child/family/consumer studies; interior design; merchandising with options of interior or apparel; and nutrition and foods, with options of food service management, dietetics or nutrition.
“We have given students more comprehensive, more courses to choose from,” Langenbrunner said.
“Each one of the four concentrations has made a real effort to identify the absolute best courses here and on campus and create a nice overview of courses. We think students will love it.”
Students’ responses to the proposed changes have been mixed.
“My favorite thing is getting an overall look at what is out there and what you can do with your major,” said sophomore Sharon Gystad, 20, an apparel merchandising major just beginning to take classes in her major.
Andrea Miller, 21, a junior at ETSU recently switched her major to apparel merchandising. “I have already taken the PE requirements,” she said.
“I feel that they should keep the PE, because everyone needs that, but I am excited about my new major and losing some time.”
Interior design students encounter very few changes with the mandate, but still receive positive results.
“The changes are not going to help you in this department,” said Lisa Salley, 22, an ETSU senior in the interior design major who will not be affected by the changes.
“But the art classes they added will be helpful,” she said.
The changes have allowed the department to reflect on the current programs in place and address some of the deficiencies, Roberts said.
The new curriculum is in the approval process and was tentatively approved at the end of the Fall 2003 semester.
If the new curriculum is approved, it will start fall 2004. Students will have a choice if they would like to start the new program or continue with the curriculum they are already pursuing.

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