Four programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are set to pause after an extensive academic review.

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Magnus Egerstedt presented the findings of an Academic Program Review and an overview of the Faculty Recruitment Process to the Board of Trustees during Wednesday’s committee meetings. 

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Egerstedt told the Board the goal is to ensure offerings at UNC align with both student demand and workforce needs.

Phase One of the Academic Program Review was completed by the interim provost, during which UNC applied data driven metrics to flag programs that needed another look. 

The University reviewed 275 programs; 28 were flagged. 64 departments were also reviewed, and 19 were flagged. 

Egerstedt then engaged in what he called a deeper review, including conversations with deans. Of the 28 programs flagged, Egerstedt said about half of them were “small on purpose,” with a sustainable and accepted configuration. 

For example, “We need neurosurgeons, but not a ton of them,” Egerstedt explained.

Four flagged programs are being put on pause. 

According to the agenda item, faculty voted to eliminate and repackage the content of UNC’s MPS in Digital Curation and Management as a concentration for an existing master’s, rather than a free-standing degree.

UNC’s EdD in Curriculum and Instruction has no students currently enrolled. The university’s MSPH in Environmental Sciences and Engineering, also with zero students enrolled, is going through “rethinking.”

UNC’s MSPH in Health Policy and Management has two students remaining with graduation dates in the next year; UNC is considering a change in the degree to accommodate undergraduate interest in health administration. 

“We want to make sure that even though we're not admitting new students we're not kicking current students out,” Egerstedt said. 

Five of the 28 flagged programs had adjustments already underway. Those include Latin American Studies, African & African American Diaspora, Anthropology, Clinic Laboratory Sciences, and Information and Library Science. 

"I have been asked with a hint of surprise that this is a small number given that we looked at 275,” Egerstedt said. “We're in an unusual situation in that we're growing our enrollment,” 

Egerstedt told Trustees that more students means many degrees are growing. 

However, UNC Trustee Marty Kotis wasn’t satisfied with the program review. 

“What stands out to me is the lack of a single dollar sign,” Kotis said. “We’ve got to do a better job of considering the money involved.” 

Kotis argued the university needs to do more than identifying programs with low demand and study the cost per degree deferred.

“It should be transparent, and people should know what they’re buying,” Kotis said, asking for a review with student outcomes and earnings. 

Egerstedt acknowledged the importance of being transparent with students but added that he "never thought of this as money savings exercise, but rather "a reinvestment in where students are going exercise." 

He pointed out the difficulty of identifying the most lucrative degree in a rapidly evolving world, pointing to computer science as an example. 

“We need to acknowledge that, so we don't say this degree guarantees this outcome, because right now we can't make that statement,” Egerstedt said.

He pointed to the faculty recruitment process as linked to the academic review, particularly in the 19 departments that were flagged. 

During his presentation on that process, Egerstedt said faculty hiring must be data-driven, rational, and done by shared governance. Deans now have to submit requests to the provost’s office before a search can happen. 

Considerations for faculty hiring include sponsored research potential, enrollment trends and instructional needs, and North Carolina workforce demands. 

The Board of Trustees has their full board meeting scheduled to begin at 9 am on Thursday. 

You can find both agendas here.