EWU To Phase Out Nine Majors

After a year-long review process that included analysis of graduation and student-enrollment trends, Eastern Washington University will phase out nine majors offered at the university.

All students currently enrolled in the affected programs will be able to complete their degrees through what’s referred to as a “teach-out” process that will take place over the next few years, and the university plans to continue to make classes on those subjects available for the foreseeable future.

Each major to be phased out has a five-year history of relatively few degrees awarded.

The affected majors are:

• M.S. Applied Mathematics
• M.A./M.S. Interdisciplinary Studies
• B.A. English as a Second Language
• B.A. Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies
• B.A. International Affairs
• B.A. Urban and Regional Planning
• B.A.E. Early Childhood PreK-3
• B.S. Applied Technology
• B.S. Data Science

Lorenzo Smith, EWU’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, says the decision is the culmination of the university’s annual program discontinuation process that’s aimed at preserving academic integrity and providing opportunity for strategic growth.

“There’s an expectation that EWU’s academic portfolio, taken as a whole, should remain responsive to student demand, regional opportunity, and workforce needs,” Smith says. “As a public institution entrusted with finite resources, we have an obligation to periodically examine whether our academic offerings remain aligned with those expectations.”

Program review is a normal and healthy feature in higher education. Colleges and universities routinely assess programs to ensure academic quality, workforce relevance, fiscal sustainability and strategic alignment. Such reviews help institutions, including EWU, identify opportunities for improvement, investment, innovation, and in some cases, discontinuance. While discontinuance receives the most attention, it’s just one possible outcome of a broader continuous-improvement process designed to strengthen the institution over time.

EWU offers about 100 fields of study and develops new programs when demand warrants. A new bachelor’s degree in law enforcement leadership, for example, will launch this upcoming fall, and a master’s degree in dental therapy is slated to begin in the fall of 2028.

“Our vision statement emphasizes opportunities for applied learning in high-demand fields,” Smith says, “while our values commit the university to provide educational programs that remain responsive to changing community demands.”