Less than a decade after Marquette became the first college in the country to offer a general health sciences major, the program has become the fastest-growing major the university has ever seen.

A Feb. 5 article in The New York Times has given the program national recognition and explored the general health sciences fad that is currently sweeping the country. Colleges from the University of Colorado to Stony Brook University in Long Island have created programs mirroring Marquette's biomedical sciences formula.

According to William E. Cullinan, associate chairman of the department of biomedical sciences, biomedical sciences was established as a major in 1997 when the College of Health Sciences was created. The program has since gone from graduating three students in 1998 to more than 100 in recent years.

Cullinan told The New York Times that biomedical sciences has "exploded beyond anyone's imagination."

"The emergence of biomedical sciences was heavily intertwined with many factors, including the former presence of a medical school on campus, its relationship with the Marquette School of Dentistry, an outstanding and highly committed faculty and an amazing group of student leaders who have helped to expand and promote it," Cullinan said in an interview with the Tribune.

What makes the biomedical sciences major different is that it is not centered on a traditional genre of science, such as biology. Instead, biomedical sciences focus on human medical sciences with curriculum including human physiology and molecular pathology, according to College of Health Sciences sophomore Mary Gloss.

Biomedical sciences appeals to students with interests in health and medical fields and consists of coursework that is "exceedingly rare prior to graduate school," Cullinan said.

"No existing program in the nation can match all of the elements that the Marquette program provides," Cullinan said. "I have spoken to many students who have said they have chosen Marquette over Notre Dame, Boston College and Georgetown for this program."

Among those who play a role in promoting the major at Marquette are members of the Biomedical Sciences Association, according to Cullinan.

BMSA is a "very active student-run organization" that hosts a health care career speaker series, monthly health-related service opportunities and social events, according to BMSA President and College of Health Sciences senior Monica Krcmarik.

The association also runs an interactive Web site, www.mubmsa.com, and publishes a monthly newsletter containing department news.

"These benefits (of biomedical sciences) will only continue to increase as our major continues to grow," Krcmarik said.

However, according to Cullinan, with the current level of faculty and resources available the biomedical sciences program can not expand any further.

"The program grew from a handful of students upon its inception to about 500 students several years ago, and hovers around that number because we have reached the maximum number that can be accommodated," Cullinan said.

The tremendous level of student interest was "not fully anticipated," he said.

According to The New York Times, some critics of general health science majors argue that the programs are generic.

Cullinan said he disagrees with and doesn't understand such criticism "at all."

"Biomedical sciences curriculum has a solid foundation in the natural sciences and the university's core of common studies," he said.

In creating this new undergraduate program Marquette established something that spread not just across campus but across the country, and according to Cullinan, "We're not through yet. Not even by a long shot.

"Establishing and maintaining an academic program of excellence is an ongoing process. But I believe we are up to that challenge."