UNT said it is cutting or consolidating more than 70 academic programs, minors and certificates as it seeks to close a projected $45 million budget shortfall, according to a message to faculty and staff Thursday from University of North Texas President Harrison Keller and Provost Michael McPherson.
In the announcement, Keller and McPherson said the university’s largest change would come through the phasing out of all linguistics degree programs, along with a plan to merge the linguistics department with the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures. They said the merger is set to take effect Sept. 1.
The university also said it will eliminate a women’s and gender studies master’s program and cut a bachelor’s degree in Latino and Latin American studies. UNT said it is additionally eliminating 25 undergraduate minors and more than 40 certificate programs.
Among the undergraduate minors UNT said it is eliminating are women’s and gender studies, LGBTQ studies, Mexican American studies, Africana studies, and Asian studies, along with minors including dance, geology and special education. The announcement also said students enrolled in affected programs will be able to complete their degrees, but new students would no longer be admitted.
UNT said its deficit is driven largely by a sharp decline in international enrollment—students who typically pay higher tuition—and by reduced state funding. Keller and McPherson said that earlier warnings from university leaders last month indicated that program consolidations, faculty buyouts and higher teaching loads were likely as the university addressed the shortfall.
In their message, Keller and McPherson said the linguistics department has seen declining enrollment since 2021, along with higher instructional costs and lower “time to value,” and they said the cut master’s programs enrolled an average of 15 or fewer students over the past five years. They said the undergraduate minors had 20 or fewer students since 2021, and that certificate programs had fewer than two students per year.
The Texas Tribune report distributed by the Associated Press also said William Salmon, chair of UNT’s linguistics department, told The Texas Tribune that faculty learned of the decision around 3 p.m. Thursday and that they “weren’t consulted on the matter at all.” Salmon declined to elaborate further, telling the Tribune he was focused on supporting students and faculty and “answering the many questions coming in.”
Students and university critics said the changes are occurring alongside a broader political climate in Texas in which conservative activists have pushed public universities to limit teaching about gender, race and sexuality. The cluster described that last fall, the UNT System and other public university systems ordered reviews of their courses and that some systems said the reviews were meant to ensure compliance with an executive order from President Donald Trump, a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott and House Bill 229, which recognize only two sexes—male and female—though the sources said none explicitly bans teaching gender-related topics. The cluster also said the UNT System did not cite a specific law when it ordered its review and that it was unclear whether the reviews had been completed, what the results were, and whether they factored into the decisions.
The report said UNT officials did not immediately respond to detailed questions on Friday from The Texas Tribune about how much money the cuts are expected to save or how faculty and staff positions will be affected, and they did not explain how the university measured “time to value” or why some programs were eliminated while others were merged. It also said last month UNT offered buyouts to faculty with at least 15 years of service, with applications due by April 10, and that officials had not said how many faculty members had applied or been approved or whether layoffs could follow if desired reductions are not met.
UNT is also planning to shift more lectures online in response to the budget shortfall. Beginning this fall, the report said more than 40 courses will move to a model in which lectures are delivered online and students attend weekly in-person sessions in smaller groups focused on discussion and problem-solving. The report said it was not yet clear how many students are enrolled in the affected programs or how long required courses will continue to be offered.
Grace Youngberg, a third-year linguistics major, told The Texas Tribune she was shocked by the decision and felt “disrespected” because she said she received little prior notice. She said she had planned to attend graduate school at UNT and pursue a career in forensic linguistics, using language analysis in legal settings, but that she now may have to look elsewhere. Youngberg also questioned the university’s emphasis on “time to value,” saying “Putting a monetary value on education to begin with is closed-minded,” and that there is a need for linguists even if the field is not the highest paying.