Two dozen undergraduate programs at Kent State University may be on the chopping block under requirements laid out in Senate Bill 1, Ohio’s new higher education law.
Kent State officials told Signal they’ve identified 24 majors across the university – ranging from science-centered programs to dance degrees – that don’t meet the law’s minimum benchmark of averaging more than five graduates per year over a three-year period.
Each of the state’s 36 public colleges and universities were required to tell the Ohio Department of Higher Education which programs didn’t meet that threshold by Thursday, Sept. 25.
Yet the law also allows schools to submit waivers in hopes of keeping these low-enrollment degrees alive a bit longer. Kent State did just that for each of the impacted programs on its list.
Officials asked for a one-year waiver for 19 of the affected programs. This would give these programs time to wind down during the current academic year before ultimately closing or merging with another degree program ahead of fall 2026.
For the five remaining degrees – including medical laboratory, insurance studies, music, philosophy and plant biology – university officials said they asked for a two-year waiver. That time would then give the university a chance to get these specific programs over the low-enrollment threshold by trying to boost both enrollment and graduation rates.
The ODHE has not yet responded to any of the university’s waiver requests, according to Kent State officials. Still, no matter what, current students enrolled in any of these programs will be able to finish out their degree.
Kent State enrolled more than 33,300 full-time students this fall, making it Northeast Ohio’s largest university, according to an analysis from Crain’s Cleveland Business.
Senate Bill 1 calls for many changes to Ohio’s public colleges and universities, including making faculty publicly share their class syllabi as well as demanding schools end all diversity, equity and inclusion (or DEI) work.
Kent State identifies 24 low-enrollment programs
Kent State officials said that, “in many cases,” these targeted programs will remain in some way, including by either merging with another degree or being offered through a different degree track.
A bachelor’s of arts degree in mathematics will likely end, for example, but a bachelor’s of science degree in mathematics will remain open.
The university has “always followed a process of identifying and sunsetting degree programs when appropriate,” Kent State officials told Signal via email.
Before Senate Bill 1 took effect this year, officials said the university ended nearly 50 degree programs on its own accord between 2022-25.
See the full list of low-enrollment programs below:
- Earth Science – B.S.E. (bachelor’s of science in engineering degree)
- Life Science – B.S.E.
- Life Science/Chemistry – B.S.E.
- Physical Science – B.S.E.
- Earth Science – B.A. (bachelor’s of arts degree)
- Horticulture Technology – A.A.S. (associate of applied science degree)
- Physics – B.A.
- Radiologic Technology – A.T.S. (associate of technical study degree)
- School Health Education – B.S.E.
- Africana Studies – B.A.
- Community Health Education – B.S. (bachelor’s of science degree)
- Dance – B.F.A. (bachelor’s of fine arts degree)
- Horticulture – B.A.H. (bachelor’s of applied horticulture degree)
- Chemistry – B.A.
- Botany – B.S. (now Plant Biology)
- Philosophy – B.A.
- Dance Studies – B.A.
- Music – B.A.
- Classics – B.A.
- French – B.A.
- Medical Laboratory Science – B.S.
- Insurance Studies – B.S.
- Mathematics – B.A.
- Respiratory Care – B.S.