On Thursday, University of North Texas leaders announced the closure of degrees, minor and major studies — as well as the merger of other programs — as a part of the university’s strategic budgeting plan.
The university will also cut certification programs.
A few weeks ago, UNT announced it has a $45 million deficit, largely due to a decline in international student enrollment. UNT President Harrison Keller defined the budget shortfall as “structural,” meaning the university is facing long-term financial challenges.
“UNT remains steadfast in its commitment to the long-term success of all its students and is taking steps to stabilize the university’s budget and enhance its educational mission,” UNT leadership said in a statement shared Thursday. “The university is committed to making sure every UNT student has the possibility to graduate with a degree that translates into meaningful opportunities beyond graduation.”
The statement confirmed that leaders have begun the process of “closing or consolidating a selection of academic programs.” Some programs have focused on areas that have drawn fire from state lawmakers over the last four years because they relate to race, gender and sexual orientation.
Students already enrolled in these programs marked for closure will be able to complete their degrees as planned. However, new students will not be able to enroll in these programs.
An overview of the changes
The biggest change leaders are making is merging the Department of Linguistics with the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures. The merger will end all degrees offered through the linguistics department after current students complete their programs, with new students choosing degrees through the world languages department. Officials said linguistics has seen a decline in master's and undergraduate enrollment since 2021, and that graduates take longer to see their degree pay off. Officials also said the costs of instruction in the linguistics program were higher.
Additionally, university administrators said UNT is “phasing out” a number of programs with an eye toward cost-effectiveness:
- Three master’s programs will end due to low enrollment (an average of 15 or fewer students per year over the past five years).
- One undergraduate major will end due to low enrollment, as well as relatively lower time-to-value and higher cost of instruction. (A program that has a lower time-to-value is generally a program that prepares students for careers with lower earning potential, or a salary that shows a slower growth trajectory in present-day industry.)
- Twenty-five undergraduate minors that have average enrollments of 20 students or fewer since 2021 will close.
- Twenty-one graduate and 21 undergraduate certificates that have average enrollments of below two students per year will be phased out.
Certification programs are different from degrees, and from both minors and major study programs. UNT students in certification programs pursue career-focused studies they can complete faster than a degree, and often with less debt.
What programs are closing?
The following master’s programs will be closed after the remaining students complete their degrees:
- Media industry and critical studies, a degree offered in the UNT media arts program in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
- Women and gender studies, a degree offered by the School of Applied Liberal Arts in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Studies
- Linguistics, a degree offered by the linguistics department in the College of Information
- Early childhood education, offered through the College of Education
The following bachelor’s degree programs will close after current students complete them:
- Linguistics, a program currently offered through the College of Information
- Latino and Latin American studies, currently offered through the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
The university will close the following minor programs in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Studies:
- Applied heritage management
- Dance
- American studies
- Geology
- Africana
- Classical studies
- Mexican American studies
- Peace studies
- Asian studies
- LGBTQ studies
- Women’s and gender studies
- Arabic
- Italian
- Latin
The following minors in the College of Information are being closed after current students complete their programs:
- Digital content and information systems
- Project and knowledge management
- Computer education
- Team science
- Human language technology
The following minors will end after current students complete the program:
- General engineering technology in the College of Engineering
- Special education in the College of Education
- Applied gerontology in the College of Public Affairs and Health Science
- Music business and entrepreneurship in the College of Music
- New media art in the College of Visual Arts & Design
- Aviation logistics in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business
The following graduate certificate programs offered in the College of Engineering will end after current students complete them:
- Energy
- Data engineering
The following graduate certificate programs offered in the College of Information will end after current students complete them:
- Storytelling
- Computational linguistics
- Interactive and virtual digital communication
- Digital content management
- Teaching English to speakers of other languages
- Advanced management in libraries and information agencies
- Children’s and young adult library community services
The following graduate certificate programs offered in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences will end after current students complete them:
- Digital sociology
- Narrative journalism
- Public relations
- Proposal writing
- Geographic information systems
- Digital communication analytics
The following graduate certificate program offered in the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism will end after current students complete it:
- Hospitality management
The following graduate certificate programs offered in the College of Education will end after current students complete them:
- Autism intervention
- Community college leadership
The following graduate certificate program offered in the College of Public Affairs and Health Services will end after current students complete it:
- Health services administration
The following undergraduate certificate programs offered in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences will end after current students complete them:
- Arab and Islamic studies
- Theater technologies
- Health and medical geography
- Jain and India studies
- Spanish language media
- Applied sociology and career readiness
- Urban studies
- Food studies
The following undergraduate certificate programs offered in the College of Public Affairs and Health Services will end after current students complete them:
- Drug and alcohol studies
- Applied gerontology
The following undergraduate certificate program offered in the College of Visual Arts and Design will end after current students complete it:
- GeoPhoto: Imaging technology and visualization
The following undergraduate certificate programs offered in the College of Business will end after current students complete them:
- Retailing
- International business
- Logistics and supply chain management
- Risk management and insurance
The following undergraduate certificate program offered in the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism will end after current students complete it:
- Green leadership
- Omnichannel strategy
- Fashion entrepreneurship
The following undergraduate certificate programs offered in the College of Science will end after current students complete them:
- Health professions student management
- Mathematics of scientific computation
The following undergraduate certificate program offered in the Office of the Vice Provost and Academic Affairs will end after current students complete it:
- Global perspectives
What programs are merging?
The following master’s level program will be merged:
- Creative writing will be merged with an English degree in CLASS.
- The Master of Arts degree in biology with be merged into the Master of Science degree in biology through the College of Science.
- The M.A. in interdisciplinary studies will be merged into the M.S. in interdisciplinary studies.
The following bachelor’s degrees will be merged:
- The Bachelor of Arts degree in geography will merge with the Bachelor of Science degree in geography in the liberal arts college.
- The B.A. program in sociology will merge with the B.S. degree in sociology in the liberal arts college.
- The B.A. degree in physics will merge with the B.S. degree in physics in the College of Science.
The following minors will be merged into concentration in major programs, all in the College of Visual Arts & Design:
- Sculpture
- Printmaking
- Ceramics
- Metalsmithing and jewelry
- Photography
- Drawing and painting
One undergraduate certificate will be merged:
- Integrated management into hotel operations in the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism.
UNT leaders said the closures and consolidations are cost-saving measures that sustain programs that lead students into good-paying jobs.
“This move is part of a broader effort to position UNT for long-term stability and strengthen academic and career pathways,” the statement said.
“Programs were selected after a thorough evaluation of many factors, including student demand and enrollment trends, time to value, resource efficiency and alignment with our university’s mission.”
LUCINDA BREEDING-GONZALES can be reached at 940-566-6877 and cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
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