Through new degree programs starting this fall at the 天美影视传媒, students will learn architecture from a liberal arts perspective, complete social sciences degrees online, study international affairs, become expert in the teaching of science, and much more.

A new four-year degree responds to student interest and a growing need for a degree option in that area that does not involve design, said Alex Anderson, associate chair and graduate program coordinator of the , which celebrates its centennial this year.

“For students interested in architecture as a discipline that straddles the liberal arts and applied sciences, the new degree can be a good fit,” Anderson said. Students can focus their studies on architectural history and theory, materials, construction 鈥� hand craft, and digital fabrication at various scales 鈥� or sustainable technologies.

It’s also the first of the architecture department’s majors to be open to freshmen, and the students seem interested, Anderson said. About 2,000 students took the department’s introductory architecture course last year 鈥� far more than will continue on as majors.

In the , practicing school teachers wanting to advance their knowledge and sharpen their research skills can work one-on-one with UW faculty members to earn a .

Designed with flexibility to meet the needs of K-12 teachers; the program will pair teachers with faculty mentors in fields of their interest, from medicine to engineering to environmental sciences. Participants might study the impact of aquaculture on native marine species or work with snow and ice core samples to better understand the interaction between the atmosphere and climate change.

Social sciences students with associate degrees or two years of college credit will be able to complete their studies at a distance through the College of Arts and Sciences’ online degree completion program.

Matthew Sparke, program director, that students in the program will compile electronic portfolios “designed to both plan a personalized pathway to completing a bachelor’s and to curate a library of their best work that can subsequently be used to showcase achievements to employers and graduate schools.”

Intended as a flexible and lower-cost option for students wishing to complete their degrees but unable to regularly come to campus, the program “promises to open university access to large numbers of students who have previously found it impossible to complete a bachelor’s degree,” Sparke said.

The UW Graduate School is offering a new , developed by the and a number of engineering and science departments. The program, which will enroll a cohort of eight this first year, will train students to develop a rational approach to engineering molecular systems that can be applied to fields such as health care, energy and technology.

The goal is to reduce the trial-and-error approach in many research and development labs that often relies on chance or lucky discoveries by instead systematically studying how molecules connect and behave with each other.

The program is, by nature, interdisciplinary, and students will work with faculty members and labs across many departments as they structure their degree around interests in biotechnology and clean technology. The UW is one of the first in the U.S. to offer a doctorate in molecular engineering.

is offering a new , an intensive, 10-month program for professionals with at least five years of experience in “fields across the international affairs spectrum” — including business, government, military and philanthropy — who want to gain a deeper understanding of world affairs.

Several new programs are starting up on the UW Bothell campus.

The school will become the first institution in the country to offer an , which will give students basic knowledge in math, science, policy and economics as well as the societal issues important to the Earth’s climate system.

Also at UW Bothell:

• A degree through the UW Bothell School of Business.
• New bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees in .
• A new bachelor of science in .
• A new degree.
• A new degree for first-year students, offered in partnership with Everett Community College.

The UW Tacoma campus also has new degree programs starting up this fall.

The campus Urban Studies Program is beginning a new degree that will, its website states, give students advanced training in geographic information systems, “training students to use and apply geospatial hardware, software and data in urban and environmental planning scenarios.”

UW Tacoma’s degree, offered by the Social Work Program, will now also be available online.

Last weekend, 14-year-old Samantha spent yet another day in a hospital, but this visit was different. This time she got to be the nurse, rather than the patient.

Samantha experienced the world of a nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the UW Medical Center 鈥� her dream career, said mother Mary.

Hospital stays characterize Samantha鈥檚 long-winded battle with a heart condition. She has undergone countless surgeries and recovered from two strokes that impaired her speech and motor abilities. Samantha is drawn to nursing, she said, because of all the nurses who have helped make her hospital visits easier and more comforting.

When assistant nurse manager Lori Chudnofsky heard about Samantha鈥檚 wish, she was motivated to make it reality. She and other NICU nurses prepared for a week before Samantha鈥檚 visit.

鈥淲e really appreciate their creativity and willingness to make it work,鈥� said Angela Geiss, regional co-director for Make-A-Wish Washington. 鈥淭his was the first time I鈥檇 ever seen a child have a wish like that, and the nurses did an excellent job making Samantha feel welcomed and loved.鈥�

On her special day, Samantha was taught how to hold and change a baby, and listen to its heart. She took a class that involved activities like journaling and play therapy designed to support siblings of an infant in the NICU.

One highlight for Samantha was bottle-feeding Scarlett, the two-month-old daughter of NICU nurse Britany Sembower. The new mother also showed Samantha how to read the baby鈥檚 vital signs on a computer.

No detail was neglected in making Samantha鈥檚 experience as realistic as possible. She received an ID badge, scrubs and a stethoscope. A welcome sign greeted her at the entrance to the unit and 鈥淩N: Samantha!鈥� was written on the whiteboard in baby Scarlett鈥檚 temporary patient room. The nursing staff even made a potluck lunch because, as Chudnofsky said, 鈥渘urses love potlucks.鈥�

Mary, Samantha鈥檚 aunt Margaret and little sister Juistine tagged along for the day. Their presence made the experience richer for Samantha, and echoed the hospital鈥檚 commitment to patient- and family-centered care, Chudnofsky said.

Samantha鈥檚 visit wasn鈥檛 just a dream come true; it also provided inspiration for the nursing staff.

鈥淥f all the things Samantha could ask for, she wanted to be a nurse. For us nurses, that meant so much,鈥� Chudnofsky said. 鈥淓very work day is just a normal day to us, but actually we鈥檙e living a wish. Samantha鈥檚 presence reminded us how important our jobs are.鈥�

* Samantha鈥檚 last name has been withheld to protect her and her family鈥檚 privacy.

See KING 5鈥檚 coverage of Samantha鈥檚 story: