The UNC Board of Governors voted to alter four undergraduate and graduate degree programs at NC State, this May, as a result of low popularity and low enrollment.The decision was part of a biennial productivity review showing significantly low participation in women’s and gender studies, Africana studies, business and marketing education, and the research Ph.D. in physiology. 

While women’s and gender studies and Africana studies will each be consolidated into a concentration under the interdisciplinary studies major, business and marketing education, and the research Ph.D. in physiology will no longer be offered to new students beginning fall of 2016.

Though women’s and gender studies, and Africana studies will merge into a single concentration, the programs are still intact, according to Deborah Hooker, director of the women’s and gender studies. 

Dean of College of Humanities and Social Sciences Jeff Braden also assures students that no current majors will be affected. 

“Students currently in the majors can finish the program with the degree they started,” Braden said. “Nobody will be given a different degree than the one offered when they entered the program.”

For students entering women’s and gender studies, and Africana studies in fall of 2016, transcripts will state interdisciplinary studies as their major with a concentration in “women’s and gender studies” or “Africana studies,” according to  Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Warwick Arden.

In addition, no faculty member’s salary will be affected, and no professors will be let go as part of the consolidation and discontinuation of the programs. The current directors for women’s and gender studies, and Africana studies will become coordinators under the interdisciplinary studies director, and yet will still be able to advise students with the new concentration, according to Hooker. 

Other UNC campuses too face similar discontinuations and consolidations — about 56 degree program changes — due to low participation. 

The NC State campus-wide review of productivity and efficiency is a continual process that began in 1995, according to Senior Vice Provost for Academic Strategy and Resource Management Duane Larick. The following is a list of programs that have been consolidated or discontinued since 2011:

MA in French and MA in Spanish – These two degrees were consolidated into an MA in Foreign Languages & Literatures in spring 2011. 

Immunology – The MS, Masters and Ph.D. degrees were discontinued, and instead, a concentration was created in immunology under the existing comparative biomedical sciences program in spring 2014.

BA’s in French Language and Literature; French Language and Literature, Teacher Education; Spanish Language and Literature; Spanish Language and Literature, Teacher Education; and German Studies – These five degrees were consolidated into one degree titled BA in Foreign Languages & Literatures with a concentration in each under an umbrella degree in the fall of 2014. 

The productivity review is a review that begins at the campus level in which faculty members analyze the efficiency of their programs. Their findings are sent and voted on by the campus’ provost and chancellor, and then the Board of Governors makes the ultimate decision of whether or not to alter the degree program, according to Alex Parker, former president of the Association of Student Governments.  

“[The Board of Governors] like that campuses are going about doing these initiatives on the efficiency of their programs,” Parker said. “If it is coming from that local level from the campuses, they believe it deserves to be put on the table and considered.” 

Despite the low numbers of students with the women’s and gender studies, and Africana studies majors, the classes offered are still popular as general education courses, according to Braden. 

“It’s very appropriate to offer them as concentrations because these programs have significant impact to students and make an impact at NC State,” he said. “This is the appropriate course of action when a major doesn’t have high enrollment.” 

Although all of the same courses will still be offered, Hooker said she worries about future students knowing that women’s and gender studies, and Africana studies are available as majors. 

“The only thing I’m concerned with is the visibility with students knowing it’s available if they’re interested,” she said. “But, the administration of interdisciplinary studies have really promised to highly publicize the program in order to let the students know that they’re there.” 

In response to the four changes in degree programs at NC State, Arden said they are important to the efficiency of the university. 

“The university tries to maintain a portfolio of relevant and popular programs,” he said. “Part of that is adding new degrees to all levels and continually evaluating the degrees we have and continuing to make sure our portfolio is current.”