Kent State University cutting several majors, eliminating around 30 administrators

This story has been updated with additional information.

Kent State University officials announced Wednesday that the university would make several changes, including eliminating multiple majors, adding three new majors, restructuring its colleges and cutting around 30 administrative positions.

What majors will be terminated?

Kent State will be ending several majors, mostly due to low enrollment, university officials stated in a Wednesday media release.

The eliminations include:

• The College of the Arts will cease offering the conducting major within the Master of Music degree, effective fall 2025. Faculty voted to restructure the conducting curriculum as a new concentration within the performance major. This college also will end the music composition major within the Master of Arts degree, effective fall 2025. Faculty voted to restructure the music composition curriculum as a new concentration within the performance major.
• The College of Communication and Information will inactivate the media and journalism major within the Master of Arts degree, effective fall 2025.
• The College of Public Health will inactivate the public health major within the Master of Public Health degree, effective fall 2025. The four concentrations in that major — biostatistics, epidemiology, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences — were all made into standalone majors.
• The College of Education, Health and Human Services will inactivate the athletic training major within the Bachelor of Science degree, effective fall 2025.
• The Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship will inactivate the managerial marketing major within the Bachelor of Business Administration degree, effective fall 2025. Faculty will continue to teach and support the marketing major.
• The College of Applied and Technical Studies will inactivate the enology (wine and wine making) major within the Associate of Applied Science degree, effective fall 2025. Kent State will continue serving the enology undergraduate certificate, a curriculum that duplicates the major requirements, at its Ashtabula Campus. This college also will inactivate the viticulture (grape cultivation) major within the Associate of Applied Science degree, effective fall 2025, but will continue serving the viticulture undergraduate certificate at the Ashtabula Campus.
• The College of Applied and Technical Studies will inactivate the environment management major within the Associate of Technical Study degree, effective fall 2025.

In addition to these cuts, Kent State's board approved on Wednesday the elimination of 15 academic centers and institutes, including:

• Center for Executive Education and Development (Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship).
• Center for the Study and Development of Minority Businesses (College of Arts and Sciences).
• Center for the Treatment and Study of Traumatic Stress (College of Arts and Sciences).
• Institute for Applied Linguistics (College of Arts and Sciences).
• Institute for Bibliography and Editing (College of Arts and Sciences).
• Center for Privacy and the First Amendment (College of Communication and Information).
• Center for the Study of Librarianship (College of Communication and Information).
• Institute for Library and Information Literary Education (College of Communication and Information).
• Center for Educational Leadership Services (College of Education, Health and Human Services).
• Center for Health Promotion (College of Education, Health and Human Services).
• International Institute for Human Service Workforce Research and Development (College of Education, Health and Human Services).
• Motor Development Center (College of Education, Health and Human Services).
• Center for Emerging Technologies in Aerial Application Research (Trumbull Campus).
• Center for Environmental Technology and Applied Research (Trumbull Campus).
• Cuban Studies Institute (Office of the Provost).

What positions are being eliminated?

The university's board approved reducing academic leadership by 40%. The reductions include eliminating one dean, around 13 assistant and associate deans and around 16 chairs and directors. This will, according to the university, save an estimated $1.5 million.

However, the "vast majority of the leaders impacted by this strategy will return to their nine-month faculty roles," Emily Vincent, director or university media relations, said Thursday.

What majors are being added?

The university's board approved adding three majors for Kent State students, two that fall under the College of Public Health and one that falls under the College of Communication and Information. These degree options will be available starting in fall 2025, pending the final approval of the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission.

The College of Public Health will establish the health policy and management major and the social and behavioral sciences major, both within the Master of Public Health degree. In addition, the College of Communication and Information will establish the user experience design major within the Bachelor of Science degree.

Students in the health policy and management major will learn to address public health risks and develop effective public health services delivery models, according to Kent State. The new major prepares graduates for administrative and management positions in hospitals, clinics, state and local health departments, nursing homes and mental health facilities as well as policy analyst positions in health planning organizations and governmental agencies, and planning management positions in health maintenance organizations and health insurance companies. The job outlook for medical and health service managers over the next 10 years is anticipated to increase 29% nationwide and increase 24% in Ohio.

The social and behavioral sciences degree will provide students with interdisciplinary training to improve health in populations across the life course, where they learn to apply theoretical principles to design, implement and evaluate effective behavioral and environmental programs, according to the university. The new degree program prepares graduates for careers in health promotion, program design and evaluation, and prevention program development for state and local health departments, workplace health programs, hospitals, international health agencies, mental health centers and nonprofit organizations. Healthcare careers are projected to grow 13% from 2021 to 2031. Labor statistics on health education specialists and community health workers show a 17% increase in job growth from 2020 to 2030.These two majors will be offered fully online and in person on the Kent Campus.

With the establishment of the user experience design major within the Bachelor of Science degree, Kent State will become the only university in Northeast Ohio to offer an undergraduate degree in user experience design. The university currently offers an undergraduate minor in user experience design and a master’s design program in user experience. Given the stability of undergraduate interest in the minor and discussions with students, research indicated consistent job growth along with no regional peer institutions offering an undergraduate degree in user experience design. Careers in user experience include positions such as user experience designer, information architect, interaction designer, usability engineer, user interface designer, experience strategist, content strategist, user researcher, and web and digital interface designer. A report conducted in 2022 indicated a 43% increase in user experience design positions in Ohio between 2017 and 2022. The new degree program will be taught at the Kent Campus and be jointly administered by the School of Visual Communication Design and the School of Emerging Media and Technology.

What other changes are coming to Kent State?

• The university's board approved the revision of curriculum and degree designation of the insurance studies major from the Bachelor of Science degree to a reduced-credit hour Bachelor of Applied Studies degree, effective fall 2025, pending final approval of the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission.
• The board approved changing the name of the applied engineering major in the College of Aeronautics and Engineering to the industrial engineering technology major within the Bachelor of Science degree. The botany major in the College of Arts and Sciences will be changed to the plant biology major within the Bachelor of Science degree. Both changes are effective fall 2025.
• The Board approved contracting with Barnes & Noble College for the operation and management of bookstores and related services for the Kent and Regional campuses, effective July 1. The estimated total of commissions, scholarships and donations paid to Kent State will be $6.55 million for the initial six-year term and $950,000 per year during any subsequent renewals. There is no direct university cost associated with this agreement.