The change will impact students entering Massachusetts state universities in 2017.
Beginning in 2017, students entering Massachusetts state universities will need to have completed three years of lab-based sciences, an increase from the two years of lab-based sciences which is presently required. (Republican file photo by Don Treeger)The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education has voted to set a standard for admission to its four-year universities, which will require students have already completed three years of a lab-based science, including the natural/physical sciences and technology/engineering courses offered within the Science Department.
Presently, the standard of admission to the nine state universities and the University of Massachusetts is three years of science with two being lab-based sciences. The new standards will take effect in 2017.
“We know that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields are critical to future economic growth here in the Commonwealth,” said Education Secretary Paul Reville. "This new requirement will help us further prepare our students for future careers in STEM-related industries and find success in the Commonwealth’s growing innovation economy."
Charles E. Desmond, chairman of the Board of Higher Education, said the changes will better prepare students for the challenges of working in a global economy.
"Students entering our state universities and UMass need to be prepared for a rigorous academic experience, especially in science and math," Desmond said. "The nature of knowledge is changing and this expanded emphasis on engineering and technology will help prepare students for both post-secondary pursuits and the jobs of the future."
Jacob Oliveira, a member of the Ludlow School Committee, said the change will apply to students entering college in 2017 and be implemented over time, allowing high schools across the state to make more science courses available.
Richard M. Freeland, Commissioner of Higher Education, said that “completing a rigorous high school curriculum is the best predictor for college success.”
The Board of Higher Education vote follows a March 2011 vote to require four years of high school math as the standard of admission to the state’s four-year universities and the University of Massachusetts, beginning in the fall of 2016.
Goals of the governor’s STEM advisory council include increasing the percentage of students who demonstrate readiness for college level study in STEM fields and increasing the number of students who graduate from a post-secondary institution with a degree in a STEM field.