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Public universities across the state are complying with Ohio Senate Bill 1 by reviewing and cutting low-enrollment degree programs.
With this, the University of Cincinnati joins other institutions. They are adapting to the new Ohio Senate Bill 1 mandates regarding academic offerings.
Ohio Senate Bill 1 has officially altered the landscape of higher education in the Buckeye State. Signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine in March 2025, the legislation—formally known as the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act—requires public colleges and universities to evaluate their course catalogs critically.
The goal is to eliminate programs that consistently fail to attract students. This process is described by officials as “right-sizing” for a modern workforce.
The law specifically mandates that institutions must cut undergraduate programs. This applies to programs averaging fewer than five graduates annually over a three-year period. While waivers are available for specific cases, the directive has forced administrations to choose carefully.
For the University of Cincinnati (UC) and its peers, this means phasing out specific degrees in the arts, humanities, and theoretical sciences that no longer meet the state’s efficiency standards.
The mandate for efficiency
The driving force behind these changes is a push for fiscal responsibility and workforce alignment. Proponents of the bill, including State Senator Jerry Cirino, argue that public funding should support degrees. These degrees should lead directly to careers and high student demand.
According to the bill’s language, universities must report low-enrollment programs to the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) and either provide a justification for keeping them or begin the process of deactivation.
This “academic portfolio review” is not entirely new, but the state’s direct intervention is. Previously, universities managed their own curriculum adjustments. Now, the timeline is accelerated. Institutions had to notify the state by late September regarding programs that fell below the threshold. This has led to a wave of announcements across Ohio regarding the suspension of admissions for various majors.
Impact on University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati has begun identifying programs that do not meet the new criteria. According to reports by Signal Ohio and WVXU, one of the immediate casualties at UC is the music composition degree. It was flagged for low enrollment. This specific cut highlights the vulnerability of specialized arts programs under the new strictures of Ohio Senate Bill 1.
While UC has not released a comprehensive list of all potential cuts compared to some other state schools, they are actively using the waiver process. This process allows the university to argue that certain low-enrollment programs are critical for the region’s cultural fabric. They may also serve specific industry needs. However, students currently enrolled in these programs are protected. The law ensures they can complete their degrees even if the major is sunsetted for future applicants.
Statewide reductions in liberal arts
The trend is visible across the entire state university system. Ohio State University has announced the elimination of eight majors to comply with Ohio Senate Bill 1, including medieval and renaissance studies, music theory, and musicology. Similarly, the University of Toledo announced plans to cut bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and religious studies.
Ohio University is also restructuring its offerings. The institution plans to eliminate several Bachelor of Arts degrees in fields like chemistry and mathematics. Students are being shifted toward the more applied Bachelor of Science tracks instead. These moves reflect a broader shift away from the liberal arts model. There is a concern about moving toward pre-professional training. This change has drawn sharp criticism from faculty who worry about the loss of intellectual diversity.
Faculty and student concerns
The implementation of Ohio Senate Bill 1 has sparked concern among academic communities. Critics argue that measuring the value of a degree solely by the number of graduates ignores the intrinsic value of small, specialized programs.
Faculty members have expressed fears that the “right-sizing” rhetoric will lead to a homogenized higher education system where only profitable, mass-appeal majors survive.
For students, the changes create uncertainty. While current students are “taught out,” prospective students have fewer options for niche fields of study.
The focus on workforce data means that students interested in highly specialized humanities fields may have to look toward private institutions or out-of-state schools to find their desired programs.
Future of Ohio higher education
As the full effects of the law take hold, universities will continue to consolidate programs. Some departments are merging distinct majors into broader categories to save them.
For example, separate language degrees might be folded into a single “World Languages” major. This would meet the enrollment minimums required by Ohio Senate Bill 1.
The coming years will determine if this streamlined approach improves the financial health of Ohio’s public universities or if it diminishes their academic prestige. For now, students at the University of Cincinnati and beyond must navigate a shrinking catalog of choices.
Also read:
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