In recent years, colleges and universities across the country have increasingly eliminated traditional academic majors, particularly in the humanities and liberal arts. They have reallocated resources toward more career-oriented and high-demand fields. This trend reflects a broad transformation in higher education driven by financial pressures, shifting student preferences, and changing labor market demands.
In February, Waynesburg University announced its “academic program prioritization” results, after a three-year in-depth strategic review process. Twenty academic programs will be phased out, 17 will be modified, and five will pause enrollment. Many of these changes were proactively proposed by the Department Chairs.
Waynesburg University students with declared majors in affected programs will be able to continue their programs through their expected graduation, but incoming students will not be able to declare the phased-out majors.
However, the realignment at Waynesburg University has not taken the form of sweeping major eliminations (like some larger universities such as WVU). Instead, the University focused on a strategic restructuring of their curriculum, programs, and resources to position itself for growth in the future.
Vice-President for University Relations Stacey Brodak told the Yellow Jacket “The Academic Program Prioritization was a significant process. The main reason for these changes is to modernize our curriculum and create opportunities to add new programs in the future that are relevant to the job market, student interests, and the workforce needs of our region.”
According to an interview with the university’s Yellow Jacket newspaper, Provost Dr. Mindy Walls explained this process has been going on for several years. “We began three years ago looking at course optimization. Last year, we had a consulting firm come in and look at everything to help us improve efficiency. It was recommended by them that we take a holistic look at our curriculum.”
Prior to the Academic Program Prioritization, the university also redesigned its general education curriculum model to include greater flexibility for students to customize coursework, while maintaining a liberal arts foundation. However, that foundation is also integrated with career-relevant focus.
The faculty and administrators enacted these changes to both the general education curriculum and the academic programs based on strategic recommendations from both its accrediting body and a consulting firm. In addition, they considered program-level qualitative data, and quantitative data, such as enrollment trends, program costs and future job-market demand. Additionally, input was received from faculty, alumni, students, employers and corporate partners.
Walls continued, “These data informed decisions by the board of trustees came after studying and reviewing the reports generated by the academic prioritization process. The board of trustees made the decisions with the University’s best interest at heart.”
However, the changes also include the opportunity for the development of new programs and more experiential learning opportunities. This includes expansion tied to new assets (e.g., donated farms used for academic programming and applied learning) and growth in professional and applied fields like nursing, counseling, forensic science, criminal justice and business (already strong areas at the university with recent investments).
Nationwide, the primary cause of this shift is declining enrollment in traditional majors such as English, history, philosophy, and foreign languages. Over the past decade, the number of degrees awarded in these fields has dropped significantly. At the same time, students have gravitated toward STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and pre-professional programs, which are perceived as offering clearer career pathways and higher earning potential. This shift in demand has made it difficult for universities to justify maintaining low-enrollment programs.
At a recent press conference in Alumni Hall addressing the changes, University President Doug Lee explained, “You really love a place, but sometimes you have to do a hard thing. Wisely spending each and every tuition dollar on programs that directly affect student outcomes is part of our mission. This is even more important today given the challenging dynamics of higher education.”
Public policy has also played a role in reshaping academic offerings. Some states have even introduced legislation requiring universities to review and eliminate programs with low enrollment or poor post-graduation outcomes. In Indiana, policymakers have pushed to cut hundreds of degree programs based on metrics such as student demand and graduate earnings. These policies reflect a growing emphasis on aligning higher education with workforce needs and economic productivity.
Many institutions are investing heavily in areas such as data science, artificial intelligence, healthcare, and business. New interdisciplinary programs that combine technical skills with applied learning are also becoming more common. Traditional disciplines are being merged into broader, more marketable programs.
Critics argue that eliminating traditional majors undermines the broader educational mission of universities. The humanities, they contend, play a crucial role in developing critical thinking, communication skills, and cultural awareness. Supporters of the trend, on the other hand, argue that these changes are necessary for institutions to remain financially viable and relevant in a rapidly evolving economy.
