51ÂÒÂ×

As required by the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, which went into effect in June, 51ÂÒÂ× has submitted its proposed plans to the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) for undergraduate programs that do not meet the new law’s threshold of at least five annual conferrals on average over the last three years.

Any resulting program changes approved by the state will only impact future entry terms; students who have already declared a program planned for suspension or merger can still complete that program’s requirements as outlined in accordance with the Undergraduate Catalog.

A total of 36 programs fell below the required threshold. OHIO plans to sunset 11 of those identified, and admission to those programs will be suspended following appropriate approvals. An additional 18 will merge with similar or overlapping programs if approved by the state, and OHIO has requested a waiver in order to complete those mergers prior to the fall 2026 term. OHIO has also submitted waiver requests to continue offering seven of the 36 programs due to the unique nature of the program, recent curricular adjustments, or alignment with workforce needs.

To determine the list of programs to submit for waivers, mergers or suspension, OHIO Executive Vice President and Provost Donald J. Leo asked college deans to work with their chairs, directors, and faculty. No immediate impacts to full-time faculty are anticipated as a result of the program mergers or suspensions.

Degrees proposed for suspension include:

• Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry – OHIO will continue to offer a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
• Bachelor of Arts in Geological Sciences – OHIO will continue to offer a Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences
• Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics – OHIO will continue to offer a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
• Bachelor of Arts in Physics – OHIO will continue to offer a Bachelor of Science in Physics
• Associate of Applied Science in Electronic Media – The associate degree was offered at select regional campuses. The Athens campus will continue to offer related bachelor’s degrees.
• Associate of Applied Science in Equine Studies
• Bachelor of Science in Education in Family and Consumer Sciences Education in Teaching
• Associate of Applied Science in Child Development – OHIO will continue to offer a Bachelor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education
• Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Flight Technology – OHIO will continue to offer a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Flight
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts – OHIO will continue to offer a minor in Interdisciplinary Arts
• Associate of Individualized Studies – OHIO will continue to offer a Bachelor of Specialized Studies

Students who have declared any of the programs planned for suspension will be able to complete the program’s requirements and will receive more information from their college during academic advising. They may also contact their academic advisor for more information.

51ÂÒÂ× has also proposed to ODHE a plan to merge 18 programs with similar offerings. In some cases, multiple programs will be merged into one parent program. As an example, 51ÂÒÂ× offers six Bachelor of Music degree programs, which would merge into one program with a variety of concentrations.

Academic leaders are in the process of preparing curricular adjustments to merge these programs with other existing degree programs over the course of the academic year. Students who have officially declared these programs can still complete their programs as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog. Programs that will be merged, if approved by the state, will include:

• Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Geography
• Bachelor of Science in Geography
• Bachelor of Science in Geography in Environmental Pre-Law
• Bachelor of Science in Geography in Geographic Information Science
• Bachelor of Science in Geography in Meteorology
• Bachelor of Arts in French
• Bachelor of Science in Education in Spanish Education
• Bachelor of Arts in Art History
• Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art
• Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance
• Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance in Contemporary Music and Digital Instruments
• Bachelor of Music in Music Composition
• Bachelor of Music in Organ
• Bachelor of Music in Piano
• Bachelor of Music in Voice
• Bachelor of Arts in Theater

Finally, seven degree programs have been submitted to ODHE for a full waiver due to their alignment with the workforce needs of the state or the unique nature of the program:

• Bachelor of Science in Economics
• Associate of Applied Science in Engineering
• Bachelor of Arts in Dance
• Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy
• Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science
• Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Management
• Associate of Technical Studies

Additional updates will be provided as ODHE completes its review of merger and waiver requests.