Penn State University Recommends Closing 47 Academic Programs

Yahoo ^ | October 13, 2026 | Michael T. Nietzel

[george76]

Pennsylvania State University is recommending the closure of 47 undergraduate programs across its various campuses, including 11 programs at its flagship campus in University Park.

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The affected programs represent 11.5 percent of the 403 undergraduate programs that are offered across all Penn State campuses, affecting 784 students, equal to about 1.1% of Penn State's overall undergraduate population.

The 11 programs flagged for closure at the University Park campus are professional photography (BDES), geobiology (BS), geosciences (BA), elementary and kindergarten education (BS), middle level education (BS), world languages education (BS), information sciences and technology (BS), security and risk analysis (BS), multidisciplinary studies (BA and AA) and planetary science and astronomy (BS).

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Nine of the programs currently have no students enrolled in them, and 15 have either submitted teach-out plans plans for current students or are suspending future enrollments. Just over half (24) of the programs slated for closure will continue to be offered at one of the university's campuses.

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Another 71 academic programs will be subjected to additional evaluation over the next year, and 55 programs have been selected for possible new investments in the future.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: affirmativeaction; dei; die; diversity; esg; pennsylvania; studies; university; woke

[FLT-bird]

A lot of universities are going to close and a lot of academic programs are going to get shut down. The Birthrate in the US dropped from replacement level to its current 1.6 starting with the Great Recession in 2008.

Well.....its 18 years since 2008. A lot of the students who would be needed to keep those programs going were never born.

[aspasia]

So what’s the new program?

[PeterPrinciple]

Nine of the programs currently have no students enrolled in them

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The market place is speaking.

On the other and, how is a new program started? How does that work?

https://www.fullfabric.com/articles/successfully-launch-a-new-academic

Reminds me of: Any damn fool can start a love affair, but it takes considerable skill to end one.

[Paladin2]

Only one is a “Studies” discipline?

[rightwingintelligentsia]

What about Diversity Studies?

[posterchild]

I was expecting to see not so many sciences but closings of things like ‘underwater gender transitioning’ or ‘nano and pico agressions amongst bacteria.’

[PeterPrinciple]

Copilot Search Branding

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Penn State Diversity Studies Program
Penn State offers an interdisciplinary Diversity Studies undergraduate certificate — available on‑campus and 100% online — that examines social differences through an intersectional lens and prepares students for careers in education, human resources, nonprofit work, and more
University Bulletin
University Bulletin
+1
.

Program Overview
The Diversity Studies certificate explores how gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, aging, religion, and disability shape opportunities, institutions, and daily life. It focuses on exposing, critiquing, and confronting historical and contemporary sources of inequality, moving beyond tolerance toward deeper understanding and systemic change
University Bulletin
University Bulletin
+1
.

The program is intersectional, meaning it examines how these identities overlap and interact, and it is designed to complement other majors such as psychology, labor and human resources, and social work
University Bulletin
University Bulletin
+1
.

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the net says, diversity is a certification, not a degree.

[woodbutcher1963]

I was at a GOP meeting on Tuesday night here in NH.
Someone said they are probably going to close Keene State College. Which is part of the UNH state system.
It tended to be where the dumb kids went who could not get into UNH Durham or Manchester.

Keene is a big/small town in the SW corner of NH. it is where they filmed the movie Jumanji.

[Honorary Serb]

........information sciences and technology (BS)......

.....planetary science and astronomy (BS)......

1. I thought that “information sciences and technology” was the next big thing, because of AI!

2. “Planetary science and astronomy” is a legit scientific discipline! Too bad they are closing it!

3. Why aren’t they closing the “woke” disciplines and departments?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

* declining birth rates
* poor ROI on college compared to the trades
* worthless degrees
* government efforts to make college “affordable” did the opposite
* liberal indoctrination centers anathema to true Americans

I’m surprised the list of programs being shuttered did not include the usual melange of woke / DEI crap. Maybe all that junk has already been killed off?

[Verginius Rufus]

Who needs "world languages education" anyway? Everyone else just needs to learn to speak English.

/s

[Red Badger]

I suppose “Underwater Basket Weaving” is still available to Football players..............

[T.B. Yoits]

The Birthrate in the US dropped from replacement level to its current 1.6 starting with the Great Recession in 2008. The U.S. birthrate has been below replacement rate since 1973.

[Paladin2]

Me too.

[PAR35]

Looks like the all important BA, BS and graduate degrees in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) aren’t on the chopping block.

[Political Junkie Too]

"World languages education" is the study of how to say the opposite of what you really mean in multiple languages.

-PJ

[T.B. Yoits]

The decline in enrollments in Penn State University is also due to the changing demographics in New York and New Jersey which make up a large part of the Penn State student body.

[Paladin2]

Thanks for the plot.

It’s a keeper.

[unixfox]

Reminds me of: Any damn fool can start a love affair, but it takes considerable skill to end one.

I'm working on one now. The fool I am.