Undergraduate Course Catalog 2014-2015
Thompson School of Applied Science
» http://www.thompsonschool.unh.edu/
Director: Regina A. Smick-Attisano
Assistant Director: Cynthia Giguère , Deborah Pack (TSAS Admissions)
Introduction
The Thompson School of Applied Science (TSAS), established in 1895, is an academic unit of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (COLSA) offering the associate in applied science degree and 17 program concentrations. Curricula comprise a balance of professional, science-related, and general education courses that prepare students to meet the specific demands of a technical or applied profession, continuing education, and the general demands of life.
Thompson School of Applied Science Overview
Faculty members at the Thompson School have significant work experience in industry and business; extensive and up-to-date knowledge of their specialties; ongoing contacts with practicing professionals; dedication to students and to excellence in teaching; and a commitment to practical, science-based education. They work closely with students, providing academic advising, career counseling, and special assistance, even outside the classroom, when needed.
Located at the western entrance to campus, the Thompson School's classrooms, laboratories, and working enterprises are designed for career-related experiences.
Barton Hall contains an animal science lab, a food preparation lab, a state-of-the-art grooming facility, a veterinary technology clinical lab, several classrooms (two of which are high-tech learning labs), faculty offices, and a student lounge.
Cole Hall includes a 150-seat lecture auditorium, a commercial kitchen and restaurant, a student study and lounge area, a computer laboratory (which serves as a GIS lab), classrooms, and administrative offices.
Putnam Hall houses two multipurpose geospatial computer labs used for courses in geographic information systems (GIS), computer-aided design (CAD), and building information modeling (BIM); a surveying and mapping lab; an agricultural mechanization shop (welding, engines, and building science); forestry and multiuse classrooms; staff and faculty offices.
More detailed information on our various program areas and concentrations follow.
- Whether the concentration is dairy, equine, or small animals, students in applied animal science utilize professional facilities both on and off campus. On-campus facilities include the Thomas P. Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, UNH's Organic Dairy, UNH's equine facilities (http://www.equine.unh.edu/facilities), and the Thompson School Grooming Shop. Our small animal care program partners with the New Hampshire SPCA (Stratham, N.H.) and Cocheco Valley Humane Society (Dover, N.H.).
- Applied business management students enjoy the combination of academic and industry-based education and training in all aspects of managing and/or owning small to medium-sized businesses and organizations. Students may also pursue restaurant management as a concentration within Applied Business Management. Restaurant management focuses on business courses with a few culinary arts and nutrition classes included within the curriculum. The N.H. Seacoast area business community serves as our working laboratory for students, who observe operations, conduct interviews, and perform a wide variety of business analyses with local merchants, entrepreneurs, and other community leaders.
- Civil technology students have a variety of experiential classroom experiences available to them, including materials testing, residential wiring, field surveying, high-precision and mapping-grade GPS, laser scanning, welding, and many others. Unique to civil technology are two exclusive state-of-the-art computer labs with 24/7 access. These labs feature the most up-to-date software for computer aided design (CAD), geographic information systems (GIS), building information modeling, 3D architectural design (BIM/Revit), project management, civil design, surveying and mapping, and point-cloud modeling.
- Students majoring in community leadership gain enriching experiences working with organizations such as Families First, the N.H. Housing Partnership, the Red Cross, New Hampshire Public Television, and on-campus groups. Students are involved with creating, operating, and evaluating these service-learning activities.
- Culinary arts students are engaged in a carefully designed curriculum combining theory with more than 700 hours of practical application of culinary techniques in modern production kitchens located on UNH's campus. Students also are required to complete a summer work experience of a minimum of 400 hours at a pre-approved establishment between their first and second years of study.
- Dietetic technology students utilize skills gained in the classroom by applying them in local hospitals and long-term care facilities and in community programs such as UNH Cooperative Extension Nutrition Connections and NH Food Bank Cooking Matters. Students complete a minimum of 450 practice hours under the supervision of preceptors who have expertise in their fields; they mentor students as they provide patient care as part of a hospital's nutrition care team, teach nutrition and healthy cooking classes in community programs, and design and prepare healthy recipes for our on-site restaurant.
- Forest technology students integrate all aspects of forest management as they complete projects on more than 3,000 acres of University land. Using the school's sawmill and harvesting equipment, they contribute to the sustainable management of UNH lands. In the classroom and the forest, they develop skills and techniques critical to the future ecological and economic health and management of the natural resources of the state and region. Students are expected to enhance class work with an extensive work experience requirement.
- Horticultural technology students have the use of the Thompson School horticultural facilities (glass and poly covered greenhouses used for propagation and cultivation of a wide selection of ornamental plant material), refrigerated compartments, display gardens (public and private), and the campus arboretum as well as a wide variety of landscaping tools and equipment. Students design, install, and maintain landscaping components on the grounds of the University and with local organizations and homeowners in surrounding communities.
- Students can customize their own agricultural course of study in the integrated agriculture management program. Possibilities for study include: sustainable agriculture, organic production, local foods, farmers markets, slow food, community-supported agriculture, business, and nutrition, as well as soil, water, and forest conservation. As a cross-curricular program, integrated agriculture management shares extensive facilities with several UNH programs. These include greenhouse and hoop-house complexes, pasture and crop lands, multiple-use demonstration forest lands, "forever wild" College Woods, two dairies (one organic), equine and small animal facilities, a state-of-the-art sawmill, a large-scale composting operation, computer labs for GIS and CAD, the campus landscape plant collections, and horticultural research farms for fruit, vegetables, and ornamentals. Most of these facilities are on campus or within walking or campus shuttle distance.
- Veterinary technology students have the unique opportunity to work with both small and large animals at UNH and have access to professional facilities both on and off campus. On-campus facilities include the Thomas P. Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, UNH's Organic Dairy, UNH's equine facilities, and the Thompson School Grooming Shop. We also partner with the New Hampshire SPCA (Stratham, N.H.) and Cocheco Valley Humane Society (Dover, N.H.). Students will be well prepared to take the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) to become a credentialed veterinary technician.
Associate in Applied Science
To graduate with an associate in applied science degree, a student must complete specified coursework in general education, technical concentration, and general electives (see the following section), with an overall grade-point average of no less than 2.0. In addition, students must earn the minimum number of total credits required for their degree, no fewer than 64.
General Education
In addition to curriculum-specific coursework, the associate in applied science degree includes a general education component that is designed to educate and to enlighten students about the world around them. General education courses develop each student's ability to think and communicate effectively; to better understand the many social, cultural, and environmental issues and challenges of the world; to become problem solvers; and to make positive contributions to society. This is achieved through a combination of coursework in the sciences, including mathematics, arts and humanities, and the social sciences. A minimum of 20 credits are dedicated to this component of the degree.
In this area, a student must complete:
- courses in the sciences, including mathematics (minimum of three credit hours) and technology;
- courses in arts and humanities, to include COM 209, Expository Writing and Reading;
- courses in the social sciences, to include either SSCI 201, Human Relations, or SSCI 202, Social Issues.
The remaining eight to nine credits (at least two additional courses) of the minimum 20 needed to fulfill the general education component of the associate in applied science degree must be taken from two of the three named areas. A maximum of eight credits may be double counted as a required course within the student's program area.
Specific Requirements for General Education for the Associate of Applied Science Degree at the Thompson School:
Arts & Humanities, including communication
COM 209 4 credits
Social Sciences
SSCI 20X 4 credits
Science, including math and technology
Math 202, Math 203, or higher 3 credits
Technical Concentration
These are courses designed to develop the necessary scientific knowledge, technical skills, and practical experience required for employment in a professional discipline. Each student must complete all technical courses specified in the selected program of study.
See the following Programs of Study sections for course requirements and descriptions.
General Electives
This component of the degree program allows the individual to pursue courses of personal or professional interest. In this area, a student may choose a number of courses in each program of study specified as electives. These may be chosen from courses offered by the Thompson School or from other selected University undergraduate courses with adviser and administrative approval.
