By Selena Burke, News Correspondent

Northeastern’s Faculty Senate approved a new major in the School of Pharmacy yesterday, a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences which will allow students interested in the growing field more options.

The school proposed the major to meet the needs of an expanding set of career options in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Administrators hope to retain current students who might decide to the pharmacy school’s doctorate program isn’t for them.

The Pharmaceutical Science bachelors degree could serve as a feeder major into Northeastern’s masters and Ph.D. programs. Graduates with only a bachelor’s degree could work in drug development, research and development.

There are existing connections for co-op students between the School of Pharmacy and the pharmaceuticals and biotech industries, but as the program expands, school officials expect they will need to establish more coop opportunities for the new major.

“We’re hoping to attract students who are good in math and science and who have an interest in biotechnology or pharmaceutical sciences or pharmaceutical industry,” said Mike Gonyeau, clinical associate professor in the School of Pharmacy.

To be accepted into the program, students are required to have at least a 2.5 grade point average (GPA). Once in the program, however, students must only maintain a 2.0 GPA to graduate. Currently, only transfers from within Northeastern will be accepted into the new major.

Norman Boisse, an associate professor in the School of Pharmacy, helped develop the program and spoke about at the faculty senate meeting yesterday.

“By having a 2.5 standard at the gate, we’re assured of having only the highest quality of students in this program,” Boisse said.

It is estimated that the major will accept between five and 10 students when it first begins. Some students in the current pharmacy program have expressed an interest in switching their major to pharmaceutical sciences, Gonyeau said.

“We’ll see what happens in the future,” Gonyeau said. “If it becomes very popular, then we would look at potentially expanding the program.”

The new major will not require the university to create a host of new classes, but there is one additional research course that students in the major will be required to take.