The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will eliminate 20 programs after an academic portfolio review.

What You Need To Know

  • A combination of undergraduate and graduate programs at UNC Greensboro are being cut

  • Students in good standing will be able to finish their degrees, the university said

  • The programs facing elimination will stop accepting students as they wind down in coming years, the chancellor says

The school says all current students in the affected programs can still complete their degrees if they maintain good academic standing. 

Some of the programs on that list include anthropology, a Chinese minor and secondary education in geography. Other programs will be moved. 

“For some people whose jobs are getting cut, this is not just a job cut, it’s potentially the loss of an entire career that they have worked years for,” said Ashlee Andrews, assistant professor of religion.

Andrews says the announcement of the academic portfolio review left her with a mix of emotions.

“Contemplating on not being able to do that work anymore was really heartbreaking, and on top of that, you know, it's incredibly difficult to get a job in academia,” she said.

The religious studies department is being discontinued, but the field will remain a concentration within the Liberal and Professional Studies Program.

She says she feels relieved that she won’t be directly affected.

Petitions that had more than 2,000 signatures showed Andrews how much of an impact the department has.

“It was also beautiful to read about the ICU nurse who used her classes in religious studies to inform the work that she does, helping patients and their family members through difficult life events like death,” she said.

Chancellor Franklin Gilliam said the religious department made compelling arguments on how they could grow and improve.

“We don't necessarily need a department to do that, and given that we already have this other academic unit, the idea was to essentially keep them intact, but just simply move them someplace,” he said.

The programs facing elimination will stop accepting students as they wind down in coming years, Gilliam says in a message to students, faculty and staff. 

The chancellor says the review process, which began in 2022, is intended to prepare the school for the future. "By better aligning resources with our mission, student and community needs, and competitive demands, we ensure UNCG’s academic and financial footing for the next generation," he states in the message.

Andrews says her students are top of mind during all of this.

“I know that since the initial announcement two weeks ago, there was some anxiety from our students, and we've tried to communicate with them that this doesn't mean you can't finish your major and finish your degree. I think that has alleviated some of that anxiety,” she said. 

The programs being eliminated are:

Undergraduate majors

  • BA, anthropology
  • BA, secondary education in geography
  • BS and BA, physics
  • BS, physical education, teacher education (K-12)
  • BA, religious studies

Undergraduate minors, certificates and course offerings 

  • Chinese minor
  • Russian minor
  • Korean language courses 

Graduate Programs

  • Post-baccalaureate certificate in nursing
  • Post-baccalaureate certificate in advanced practice foundations (nursing)
  • MA, applied geography
  • MFA, drama concentration in directing (concentrations in musical direction for musical theater, theater for youth and design will continue)
  • MFA, interior architecture
  • MA, languages, literatures and cultures
  • MAT, languages, literatures and cultures in teaching
  • MA, mathematics (all concentrations)
  • MEd, special education
  • Dual masters in nursing science and business administration 
  • PhD, communication sciences and disorders
  • PhD, computational mathematics