East Carolina University plans to cut 44 academic programs

“Dive Brief: East Carolina University plans to discontinue 44 undergraduate and graduate programs “that aren’t meeting expectations” after an internal review of its portfolio, the public institution said Friday in a news release. ECU has teach-out plans for students enrolled in the programs slated for closure , senior leaders said last week in a community memo. The university also plans to consolidate several institutional units, including merging two of its health colleges into one . The cuts and consolidations are part of ECU’s push to eliminate $25 million in expenses , or about 2% of its budget. So far, officials have targeted $6.2 million in cuts, the university said last week. Dive Insight: Three-fourths of the programs on the chopping block were recommended by their own faculty, senior leaders said last week. Those include a handful of education degrees, a master’s in rehabilitation studies, a bachelor’s in applied atmospheric studies, and several minors and certificates. An academic committee recommended discontinuing nearly a dozen additional programs, including a bachelor’s in sociology, a master’s in software engineering, and a master’s in sustainable tourism and hospitality. Ending the programs will not require layoffs, but administrators have worked with eligible faculty on signing up through ECU’s existing retirement incentive program to “support them in a mutually agreeable transition,” senior leaders said. East Carolina University to cut 44 programs The credentials that the public institution is discontinuing after a program review The credentials slated for elimination were in the bottom 10% for enrollment and graduate rates at ECU, according to WUNC News . “ Programmatic discontinuations are consequential decisions, and we need to be mindful of the human aspects associated with these changes ," ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers told the university’s governing board Friday. The university is also consolidating units to save money. ECU is moving its Integrated Coastal Studies into its arts and sciences college, as well as merging its College of Health and Human Performance and College of Allied Health Sciences into a single school, to be called the College of Health and Human Sciences. Additionally, it plans to merge its health sciences library with its academic library services unit. Last September, the university unveiled a goal of cutting $25 million from the budget over three years, with reviewing its academic programs part of the effort. At the time, administrators had come with $4.2 million in savings. O fficials also tasked the newly formed Academic Portfolio Review and Optimization Committee with looking at ECU’s majors, minors, certificates and concentration s to “ ensure that the university maintains a broad collection of programs supporting the choices students are making today ,” according to the university. In all, the committee — which includes faculty, deans and administrators — reviewed 107 programs across ECU’s eight colleges. Weighted metrics included enrollment data, labor market forecastst and return-on-investment studies , all produced by the university’s institutional research office . The budget initiative also includes looking at boosting enrollment, including through online education, as well as increasing recruitment and retention, renting its facilities, and examining the distribution of its financial aid. ECU in September cited the demographic headwinds facing the higher education sector. The university had seen its own enrollment slide in recent years. Between 2019 and 2024, fall headcount dipped about 6% to 26,940 students, according to federal data. That enrollment loss has translated into financial pressure. The university’s tuition revenue fell 7.8% year over year to $175.2 million in fiscal 2025. At the same time, its operating expenses jumped by over $73 million.

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