Weber State University plans to cut 17 majors in response to legislative-mandated budget cuts and restructuring. The Ogden school will also discontinue seven certificates and eight minors and merge some programs.
Utah lawmakers took a collective $60.5 million from the state’s eight public degree-granting institutions during the 2025 legislative session. Schools can only get that money back if they eliminate “low-performing” or “inefficient” programs and reinvest the money elsewhere. On top of the budget restructuring, lawmakers also cut the higher education budget by 1.5% in 2024, which schools cannot get back.
Weber isn’t alone. Other schools face a fast-approaching May deadline to come up with their plans. Utah State University, in Logan, plans to discontinue 14 academic programs and Utah Valley University, in Orem, announced the closure of its Center for Intercultural Engagement. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the University of Utah, the state’s flagship school in Salt Lake City, is looking to cut majors with fewer than 40 graduates per year.
Weber State University
In an email to students, President Brad Mortensen said current students in the programs slated for cuts will be able to complete their degrees. New students will not be accepted.
The 17 majors the school plans to discontinue are:
- Applied Environmental Geosciences
- Applied Physics (BS)
- Art Education (BA)
- Computer Science Teaching
- Construction Management (BS) – Facilities Emphasis only
- Electronic Engineering Technology
- English – Professional & Technical Writing Emphasis only
- French for the Professions (BA)
- French Translation in Business and Industry
- Geography (BA) - BS will still be offered
- German (BA)
- German for the Professions (BA)
- Mathematics (to be combined with Applied Mathematics)
- MSRT (Respiratory Therapy Master’s)
- Physical Education (non-teaching)
- Physical Science (AAS)
- Workplace Communication & Writing (AA/AS)
The certificate programs include Biotechnician, Ethics, Facilities Management, Forensic Science Fundamentals, Field Botany, Jazz Studies and Music Entrepreneurship.
Minors in Ethnic Studies, French for the Professions, German for the Professions, Linguistics, Public Administration, Queer Studies, Spanish for the Professions and Women & Gender Studies will also be eliminated.
Along with programs, the school plans to eliminate 28 faculty, 11 administrative and 10 staff positions.
At an April 22 question-and-answer session, students raised concerns about how the decisions were made.
Jessica Oyler, the school’s student access and success vice president, acknowledged that “cutting $6.7 million is hard.” Decision-makers considered factors like student enrollment, number of graduates and employment outcomes when choosing which programs to cut. In all, Oyler estimated 89 courses will be eliminated and it will affect 209 students.
“The process is, we're cutting this number of majors, and then we're working with departments to say how many classes are only required in that major and wouldn't be required in another,” she said.
Koda Allen, a second-year student studying medical microbiology, chemistry and Chinese, was glad to see the queer studies minor eliminated. He was concerned with the loss of linguistics, though.
“My main concern, really, is about how they targeted some of the language majors and minors,” he said. “That really just reflects the anti-humanism that we're kind of seeing, the technocracy and the rise of AI.”
Other students wondered what the elimination of the Women & Gender Studies and Queer Studies minors mean for the university’s LGBTQ+ community.
“I just think there's a little bit of a miscommunication and a lack of transparency in who's involved in the decision making and what students can do on the ground level to make sure that their needs are being voiced,” said junior Macy McCormack.
The school will also restructure its teaching majors “into broader categories to simplify licensing and support collaboration across content areas,” according to Mortensen’s email. Weber State also plans to merge some programs to “reduce overlap and create stronger academic pathways.”
As a part of the budget cuts, Weber State previously announced it would restructure its College of Education and eliminate the dean position of that college. It will be incorporated into the new College of Social Sciences & Education.
Utah State University
The Logan-based land grant school first offered a buyout program for staff who voluntarily leave or retire in response to the Legislature’s budget restructuring. The school said it's doing this before considering potential layoffs. USU is also restructuring and merging some of its colleges in addition to the cuts it announced April 18.
The affected degrees are:
- Agriculture Communication, bachelor’s degree
- ASL Interpretation, emphasis
- ASL/Deaf Education Teacher Prep Program, bachelor’s degree
- Community and Public Health, emphasis within Health Education
- Deaf and Elementary Education, bachelor’s degree
- Environmental engineering, bachelor’s degree
- Family Finance, emphasis within Human Development and Family Studies
- Family Life Studies, bachelor’s degree
- Applied Kinesiology Fitness Promotion, master’s degree
- National Environmental Policy Act, graduate certificate
- Physical Education, emphasis in Kinesiology
- Rehabilitation Transition, graduate certificate
- Psychology Data Science and Research Methodology, Ph.D. specialization
- Theater Program at the Price Campus, associate degree
Utah Valley University
Utah Valley University said the closure of its Center for Intercultural Engagement was due to budget cuts, but also to adhere to the state’s 2024 law prohibiting DEI. The center was initially created to comply with that law because it focused on the needs of all students instead of specific communities. In a statement to KUER, the school said that “given the required budget allocations, as well as the strict enforcement of state law and intense legislative oversight, it became clear that the center could not meet the students’ needs in a meaningful way.”
UVU has also cut some positions, and the school said the jobs represent less than 2% of its full-time workforce. Their statement added that “nearly one-third of the eliminated positions are currently vacant or are being discontinued following retirements or contract expiration.” The school does not anticipate additional layoffs in the future.
Other schools
With the largest overall budget, the University of Utah has the largest share of the cuts compared to other colleges. The school is also bracing for federal research and grant cuts.
Salt Lake Community College, Snow College, Southern Utah University and Utah Tech University will also have to come up with budget cuts and reallocation plans.
Colleges have to submit draft proposals of their reinvestment plans to the Utah Board of Higher Education in May. The board will vote to approve the plans after colleges formally present them at their June 6 board meeting. After that, the plans will go through two legislative committees for their approval. Schools could potentially get their money back by September.
