The Coordinating Board has implemented a new system to eliminate programs with low enrollment. Programs that don't produce five graduates per year over five years will face being cut (current students would be allowed to graduate).
"Institutions had the opportunity to request a temporary exemption, which could last two or four years, or permission to combine their underenrolled programs with more robust ones. Any appeals of the 94 requests that were denied are due Friday, with final decisions to be made at a board meeting in October," according to an article in the Texas Tribune by Reeve Hamilton.
The article deals mainly with the discipline of physics. However, at the conclusion of the piece readers can access the current list of "low-producing" programs, which includes subjects at many community colleges. The article states that the list could change before October.
It might be a good idea to pay attention to programs at universities as well, since two-year colleges could be affected indirectly. For instance, if the physics program at Texas Southern University is eliminated, introductory courses in the discipline at nearby community colleges could experience lower enrollment.
Some of the programs in jeopardy are not surprising, given contemporary trends toward employment-related majors. However, the list contains some surprises.
Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes told the Tribune, “We can’t afford the luxury of idealizing courses without actually enrolling in them.”
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