Degree program eliminations to be decided next week

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will make a ruling on Oct. 27 on whether or not to go ahead with plans to eliminate certain A&M-Commerce degree programs.

Currently, a master of arts (MA) in Spanish, MA in mathematics and MA in sociology would be phased out by the end of August 2014, while a bachelor of arts or science in athletic training would be gone by Fall 2018. The issue was brought up in the Sept. 6 Faculty Senate meeting, in which Interim Associate Provost Dr. Sandra Weeks presented the situation.

Since then, A&M-Commerce won an appeal for a two-year extension for a master of science in mathematics, which was also proposed for elimination by the Coordinating board. The appeals for MA in sociology and MA in Spanish were denied, and President Dr. Dan Jones will make one last plea for these degree programs at next week's Coordinating Board meeting.

"They have a state-wide review every year of the programs, and they have standards we have to hold to," Weeks said. "They have benchmarks that are required. The coordinating board looks at the data we recorded, the number of graduates, and we either hit the mark or we don't."

The Coordinating Board's proposed thresholds cover a five-year period, in which a certain number of students must graduate with a specific degree. The requirements are 25 students in five years for associate's and bachelor degrees, 15 students in five years for master's degrees, and 10 in five years for doctoral degrees.

"They are all good programs," Weeks said. "But, not enough students came here in those programs. We have good faculty. It's not about the quality of faculty or the curriculum; it's just a timing thing."

A&M-Commerce did not appeal the elimination of the athletic training degree plans, because so many students in that program will switch majors or universities before graduation time.

"We did not appeal that one, because, historically, they can get students in, but it's almost a pre-med major, and our students are not pre-med students that get into that program," Weeks said. "Therefore, by the time you get to graduation rates, you may start with a freshman class of twenty, but we're not even graduating one or two. They go into another program."

Students in programs targeted for elimination are given time to decide if they want to try and finish at A&M-Commerce in a similar degree plan or go to another university that has a more well-established program.

"Depending upon where they are in their program – if they were a freshman or a sophomore – they might say ‘you know, it will look better on my credentials if I went to a university that has an ongoing program,'" Weeks said. "We will provide them options to complete their degree here, or if they chose to go some place else, that's there choice."

More on this story as it develops.