Six doctoral programs are in danger of being eliminated because of low enrollment.

These programs include the educational doctoral degree, or Ed.D., in music education, human resource education and special education as well as the higher education concentration in the educational organization and leadership Ed.D. The Ph.D. program for environmental science in civil engineering and the physiological and molecular plant biology concentration in the Ph.D. for biology are also being considered for closure.

In 2010, former interim Provost Richard Wheeler compiled an 18-member committee to thoroughly review the graduate programs offered on the Urbana campus.

Debasish Dutta, committee chairman and Dean of the Graduate College, said a year-long assessment of the 98 total doctoral programs was based on enrollment numbers and sought to examine if programs were effective.

“We wanted to see how satisfied and prepared these students are as they are leaving the University,” he said.

Through the assessment, the committee found that there were several programs that had very low enrollment, Dutta said.

For example, the Ed.D. program for music education has three students enrolled for fall 2012 and the Ph.D. program for environmental science in civil engineering has two students enrolled, according to the Division of Management Information.

Although departments may end up saving money over time by putting staff and faculty resources into more marketable programs, Dutta said none of the programs are being closed for financial reasons.

The committee first met with the department heads of the six programs and recommended they be looked into for possible elimination. The department heads then decided which of their programs should be closed based on enrollment and the committee’s recommendation, Dutta said.

After a department head puts together a proposal that outlines reasons for the program’s elimination, he or she must receive approval from the college, then the Graduate College, academic senate and finally, the Board of Trustees for official closure.

The six programs are in various stages of the closure process, Dutta said, but he estimates that some closures could be finalized by the end of the spring 2013 semester.

Provost Ilesanmi Adesida presented the list of programs to the Board of Trustees’ academic and student affairs committee earlier in November. Student trustee David Pileski said these eliminations would help the University “clean up the books to reflect the real status of our programs” and continue offering a high quality education.

Despite the low enrollment numbers for these programs, Dutta said the University’s main priority is its students, and the closure of these programs will not negatively affect those who are currently enrolled in them. Students will be able to continue and complete their programs, which will be grandfathered until the last student receives a degree, Dutta said, but new students will not be admitted. These students will also have the option to switch to a different program.

Some of the programs have already stopped admitting students during this intermediate period, including the educational doctoral degree in special education and the physiological and molecular plant biology concentration in the Ph.D. for biology.

Some programs are being considered for elimination because existing programs are too similar, he said.

The physiological and molecular plant biology program, for example, is unnecessary because it is much like other programs in the department, said Stephen Moose, director of the program and professor of crop sciences.

“It could not compete with Ph.D. programs in plant biology and crop sciences that have become stronger during the past decade,” he said.

Dutta said the closure of these programs is not necessarily negative, and the assessment serves to keep programs up-to-date.

“This is an opportunity for the institution to look at where the resources could be most effectively utilized,” Dutta said. “As things are changing, we need new programs to be established that are relevant for the times.”

Lauren can be reached at [email protected].