Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Astronomy Dual Degree Program 04/2017

Memorandum of Understanding for a Dual Degree Program Between: Berry College and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

This agreement establishes a Dual Degree Program in which an undergraduate student will attend Berry College for approximately three (3) years and then transfer to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (hereinafter referred to as UH Hilo) to complete coursework required for UH Hilo’s Astronomy degree. Participating students that complete all of the requirements outlined in this document shall be awarded a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate major from Berry College and a bachelor’s degree in Astronomy from UH Hilo.

Section 1: Program of Study and Degrees Awarded

  1. Participating students shall have earned at Berry College
  • Approximately three-fourths of the number of credit hours required for the BS degree at Berry College (a minimum of 93 out of the required 124 hours, at least 62 of which must be taken in residence at Berry) including all courses necessary to complete the Foundations curriculum, two writing intensive courses, and an appropriate number of cultural events (at least 3 for each semester in residence at Berry).

  • All courses specifically designated to be taken at Berry prior to transfer to Hilo in order to be prepared to complete the Astronomy degree at UH Hilo (Appendix A).

  1. Participating students will complete at UH Hilo the courses required for UH Hilo’s Astronomy major and any additional courses and credit hours required for a BS degree at UH Hilo.

  2. The total program shall satisfy any and all additional requirements for the degrees sought at both Berry College and UH Hilo. A total of at least 156 credit hours is required to obtain both degrees.

  3. Upon completion of Berry College’s degree requirements, including those required to satisfy a major (e.g., General Physics), a BS degree from Berry College will be awarded, even if the requirements for the UH Hilo Astronomy degree remain incomplete. Satisfying the degree requirements will typically necessitate transferring appropriate completed credit from UH Hilo back to Berry.

Section 2: Admission and Readmission

  1. To be admitted to UH Hilo in the Astronomy Dual Degree Program a student must
  • Complete the program of study described in 1.1 at Berry College and obtain a positive recommendation from the designated official at Berry College.

  • Meet the minimum grade point average requirements for admission of transfer students to UH Hilo which are in effect at the time the student matriculates at Berry College.

  • Submit application materials for evaluation by the Office of Undergraduate Admission at UH Hilo.

  1. Because of some programmatic differences between Berry and UH Hilo, the following waivers will be allowed for Berry College students seeking a UH Hilo Astronomy degree as part of this dual degree agreement:
  • Since UH Hilo’s PHYS 170/171 (with labs) sequence is 10 credit hours and Berry’s comparable PHY 211/212 sequence is 8 credit hours, 2 credit hours of introductory physics will be waived.

  • Calculus I, II and Multivariable Calculus (MAT 201, 202 and 203) at Berry College (12 credit hours) will fulfill the UH Hilo Astronomy degree requirements of Calculus I-IV (MATH 205, 206, 231, 232) at Hilo (14 credit hours). Thus, 2 credit hours will be waived. Berry students must still complete MAT 304 (Differential Equations) at Berry prior to transfer.

  • The requirement for UH Hilo’s Introduction to Computer Science course (CS 150) will be waived for the Astronomy degree.

  1. Any Dual Degree student admitted to UH Hilo who does not successfully complete the requirements for the UH Hilo Astronomy degree will still be awarded a degree from Berry College if they have met all Berry College degree requirements, or may be readmitted to Berry College to complete the requirements for a degree.

Section 3: Program Management and Reporting

  1. So as to facilitate the admissions process and promote the academic success of participating students, UH Hilo and Berry College agree to develop, maintain, and improve continuously a program management and reporting system.

  2. Each institution will:

  • Appoint a program coordinator to coordinate activities, monitor student progress, and evaluate and improve the program. At UH Hilo, the Astronomy Department Chair will serve as the program coordinator.

  • Appoint an advisor for each participating student.

  • Make readily available current copies of their general catalogs and any other publications of sources of information which may be helpful in advising students.

  • Provide timely information about significant changes to the program of study that relate to the preparation of participating students.

  • Highlight other information that UH Hilo and Berry College believe helpful to monitor and that will promote the academic success of participating students.

  1. Berry College will:
  • Identify students interested in the program as soon as possible and provide a list of such students to UH Hilo at the beginning of each academic year.

  • Provide UH Hilo admission requirement information to all prospective Dual Degree students.

  1. UH Hilo will:
  • Provide reports to Berry College at the end of each term in which a Dual Degree student is enrolled that include the record of grades of students participating in the program.

  • Provide annual updates, if any, to Berry College regarding the grade point average requirements for admission of transfer students.

  1. The program coordinators from each institution will assess the program as needed (but at least every 3 years) in collaboration with participating faculty, advisors, and students so as to continuously improve the program. A report of the assessment and recommendations for improvement will be provided to the UH Hilo Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the UH Hilo Chair of Physics & Astronomy, the Director of Undergraduate Admission at UH Hilo, the equivalent officials at Berry College, and to the appointed coordinators at each institution.

Section 4: Termination/Modification

  1. This Memorandum of Understanding is subject to change or modification by mutual written consent between the parties hereto.

  2. This Memorandum of Understanding may be terminated by either party upon written notice to the other party given at least one year in advance of such termination date. It is understood and agreed that any student participating in the program at Berry College specifically tracked for admission to UH Hilo or admitted to UH Hilo under the Dual Degree program will be allowed to complete the program notwithstanding the termination provisions above, so long as the student remains in good academic standing, is continuously enrolled once starting at UH Hilo, and is making measured progress towards completion of a degree program.

Signatures of Responsible Authorities at the Cooperating Institutions:

Berry College

President
Dean, Mathematical and Natural Sciences
Vice President of Enrollment Management

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

Chancellor
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Signed March 2017

Appendix A

Dual-Degree Astronomy Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo with Berry College

  1. This agreement makes the following assumptions:
  • That students transfer to UH Hilo at the end of approximately three years at Berry College after being awarded at least 93 credits

  • That in order to be awarded two BS degrees from both institutions, a minimum of 156 total credit hours must be earned, and all major and degree requirements are met at both Berry College and UH Hilo.

  1. Science Courses Required to be taken at Berry prior to Transfer to UH Hilo in order to be prepared to pursue a BS Astronomy Degree

    AST 106/L The Solar System (embedded lab): 4
    AST 107/L Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology (embedded lab): 4
    MAT 201 Calculus I: 4
    MAT 202 Calculus II: 4
    MAT 203 Multivariable Calculus: 4
    MAT 304 Differential Equations: 3
    PHY 211/L General Physics I with Calculus (embedded lab): 4
    PHY 212/L General Physics II with Calculus (embedded lab): 4
    PHY 321I Computational Methods in Physics: 4 Note: writing intensive course PHY 350I Experimental Methods of Physics: 3 Note: writing intensive course
    PHY 307 Modern Physics: 3
    CHM 108/L Introduction to Chemistry (embedded lab): 4

  2. Additional Requirements to Earn a BS Degree from Berry College

  • Complete the Foundations Curriculum. See below for a mapping of Berry courses that match the General Education curriculum at UH Hilo. Note that beyond the mapped courses, 1 KIN course and 1 KIN activity are required.

  • Berry’s writing intensive requirement is satisfied by taking PHY 321I and 350I.

  • Complete an appropriate number of cultural events (at least 3 for each semester in residence at Berry College).

  • Complete the requirements for a major at Berry College. The General Physics major is recommended for this dual degree program because it allows credit hours from courses completed at UH Hilo to count towards courses required in the major. An additional 12 hours of courses in physics and/or astronomy at the 300-level or above taken at Berry and/or UH Hilo will satisfy the major.

  • Complete a total of at least 124 credit hours. If a student transfers to UH Hilo with the minimum required 93 credit hours, then an additional 31 credit hours from UH Hilo will be required. A minimum of 15 credit hours at the 300-level and above are required for the Berry BS degree. Therefore, 2 additional credit hours at this level beyond those required prior to transfer are required to be completed.

  • The Berry College BS degree will be conferred upon meeting all of these requirements.

  1. Additional Requirements to Earn a BS Degree in Astronomy from UH Hilo
  • Complete UH Hilo’s General Education Program. See below for a mapping of Berry courses that match the General Education curriculum at UH Hilo. In addition to these mapped courses, an additional 3 credit hour course is required to meet the Hawaiʻi Pan-Pacific requirement; and a 3 credit hour course to meet the Global and Community Citizenship requirement (this may also fulfill Berry’s F3 Foundations requirement).

  • One additional writing intensive course in PHYS or ASTR must be taken at UH Hilo in addition to the two writing intensive courses transferred from Berry College.

  • Complete the following courses that are required to be taken at UH Hilo to Satisfy the BS Astronomy Major

    ASTR 250 Observational Astronomy and Lab: 4
    ASTR 350 Stellar Astrophysics and Lab: 5
    ASTR 351 Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics and Lab: 5
    PHYS 331 Optics: 3
    PHYS 341 Thermodynamics: 3
    Upper division ASTR/PHYS electives: 3 additional elective hours (PHY 350l is the other required elective)
    ASTR 495 (A and B) Seminars: 2

  • Complete at least 30 credit hours at the 300-level or above to satisfy the UH Hilo BS degree requirement. This requirement is satisfied by the 13 credit hours of 300-level and above courses to be transferred from Berry (MAT 304 [3]; PHY 307 [3]; PHY 321 [4]; PHY 350 [3]), along with the 18 credit hours of 300-level and above are required to satisfy the Astronomy major (PHYS 331 [3]; PHYS 341 [3]; ASTR 350 [3]; ASTR 350L [2]; ASTR 351 [2]; ASTR 495 A and B [2]; one remaining elective in ASTR or PHYS [3]).

  • In order to be awarded a BS degree from both Berry College and UH Hilo as part of this dual degree program, the cumulative hours earned from both institutions must total at least 156 credit hours. Beyond the 93 required for transfer from Berry, this leaves 63 credit hours to be earned at UH Hilo which requires approximately 2 additional years beyond Berry at 15-16 credit hours per semester to earn both BS degrees. Meeting the requirements for the Astronomy major requires 25 credit hours, and meetings the additional UH Hilo General Education requirements requires 6 credits hours. Thus, an additional 32 credit hours of coursework will be needed to meet the 156 total hours required to earn BS degrees from both institutions.

  • The UH Hilo BS degree in Astronomy will be conferred upon meeting all of these requirements.

  1. The following exceptions for Berry students seeking the Astronomy dual degree apply:
  • The credits for some equivalent courses are smaller at Berry than at UH Hilo (for example, PHYS 170/171 are 10 credits at UH Hilo and PHY 211/212 are 8 credits at Berry). The 2 “missing” credits from will be waived for Berry College transfers.

  • The UH Hilo Astronomy degree requirements for CS 150 is waived for Berry students.

  • Calculus I - III (MAT 201, 202 and 203) at Berry College (12 credit hours) will fulfill the UH Hilo Astronomy degree requirements for Calculus I - IV (MATH 205, 206, 231, 232) at Hilo (14 credit hours). Thus, 2 credit hours will be waived. Berry students must still complete MAT 304 (Differential Equations) at Berry prior to transfer.

  • Berry College’s requirement for completing the last two semesters in residence are waived. Similarly, Berry College’s waives 2 hours at the 300-level that are normally required to be completed in residence at Berry College (13 of the 15 hours typically required are satisfied with MAT 304, PHY 307, 321 350).

  1. Mapping UH Hilo’s General Education Program to Berry’s Foundations Curriculum (students are to complete Berry’s Foundation Curriculum prior to transfer to Hilo, see 1.1)
Hilo Courses Berry Courses equivalent
ENG 100 Composition (satisfies composition) RHW 102 Sem. in Rhetoric/Writing (satisfies F1a)
COM 251 Public Speaking COM 203 Rhetoric and Public Address (satisfies F1c)
ENG 240 English Lit Greatest Hits (satisfies Language Arts) ENG 210/211 British Lit I / II (satisfies 1x F4a)
MATH 205 Calculus I (satisfies 1x Quantitative Reasoning) MAT 201 Calculus I (satisfies F2)
MATH 206 Calculus II (satisfies 1x Quantitative Reasoning) MAT 202 Calculus II (satisfies F2)
ANTH 100 Cultural Anthropology (satisfies 1x World Cultures) ANT 200 Cultural Anthropology (satisfies 1 x F4c)
HIST 151/152 World History to/since 1500 (satisfies 1x World Cultures) HIS 154/155 World History to/since 1550 (satisfies 1x F4a)
PHIL 1xx (satisfies 1x Humanities) PHI 1xx (satisfies 1x F4a)
DRAM 271 [Introduction to Theatre] or ART 175/176 [Survey of World Art I/II]) (satisfies 1x Humanities) THE 201 Experience Theatre or ART 201/202 Survey of Art I/II (satisfies 1x F4b)
PSY 100 Survey of Psychology (satisfies 1x Social Science) PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology (satisfies 1x F4c)
ECON 100 Intro to Economics (satisfies 1x Social Science); Quantitative reasoning? ECO 110 Markets and Society (satisfies 1x F4c)
CHEM 162/L General Chemistry I (satisfies 1x Natural Sciences) CHM 108/L General Chemistry I (satisfies 1x F4d)
ASTR 110/L General Astronomy (satisfies 1x Natural Sciences) AST 107 Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology (satisfies 1x F4d)

Note: additional courses from Berry might be suitable for satisfaction of UH Hilo’s General Education program. Students should consult the Berry program coordinator prior to enrolling in any course not previously approved.