Academic Program Futures Overview
The Academic Program Futures Working Group was charged with guiding a comprehensive, university-wide review of academic programs at The University of Texas at Arlington. Aligned with UTA’s strategic plan and commitment to student success, the group’s work will ensure our academic offerings create positive outcomes for students, are financially sustainable, and are responsive to the evolving needs of our students and communities.
The working group included a tenured faculty representative from each college/school, along with one academic administrator from each college (a combination of business officers, chairs, associate deans, and deans). Members of the Academic Program Futures group may be found here. Andrew Hippisley, Vice Provost, Joanna Merrit, Director of University Analytics, and Susan Elliott, Assistant Vice President for Academic Resource Planning served as ex-officio non-voting members providing administrative support to the working group. The working group was responsible for making recommendations to the Provost.
The working group:
- Conducted a holistic, data-informed review of undergraduate and master’s-level academic degree programs using various indicators.
- Considered additional factors such as program distinctiveness, contributions to UTA’s mission, and regional or societal relevance.
- Formulated clear, evidence-based recommendations that classify programs into one of three categories:
- Commended for High Performance: These programs demonstrate strong performance across multiple dimensions—such as student outcomes, demand, and financial efficiency.
- Recommended for Collaborative Enhancement: These programs hold meaningful promise and serve important needs but show areas where improvement is necessary.
- Recommended for Thoughtful Transition: These programs face persistent challenges across several key indicators and, after careful review, may not be positioned for long-term viability.
Program Measurement
The working group evaluated each academic program holistically, guided by data and aligned with UTA’s strategic commitment to student success, academic excellence, and responsible stewardship of resources. This included a two-phase review process.
In the initial phase, the working group evaluated each academic program based on the considerations outlined below:
- Student demand (enrollment trends, etc.)
- Student success (graduation rates, retention rates, etc.)
- Financial efficiency (program support costs, efficiency of faculty workload, etc.)
- Student outcomes (post-graduation earnings, manageable debt, etc.)
The working group collaborated with University Analytics on any additional factors to be considered as needed. You may learn more about program evaluation metrics here, and definitions of the metrics by using the data dictionary here.
Outcomes
In alignment with UTA policy, following the initial review, any programs being considered for thoughtful transition were invited to participate in a secondary review process. Potentially impacted programs were invited to provide a written response based on a questionnaire (here) and participated in a meeting where additional factors were considered. These meetings were held between February 11th and February 25th.
After completion and evaluation of the secondary review process, the working group submitted its recommendations to the Provost for further review and consideration, on March 6th. In collaboration with the academic deans, the Provost will finalize a set of recommendations to present to the President by April 1st.
You may contact the APF working group by completing this form.