University of Texas to merge seven liberal arts departments into two new ones

In a campuswide email Thursday, President Jim Davis said the changes stem from “a combination of factors, including size and student demand.”

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin will consolidate several departments within its College of Liberal Arts as part of a major academic restructuring.  

In a campuswide email Thursday, President Jim Davis said seven departments will merge into two new ones. The departments of French and Italian, Germanic Studies, and Slavic and Eurasian Studies will form the Department of European and Eurasian Studies. The departments of African and African Diaspora Studies, American Studies, Mexican American and Latina/Latino Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will combine to create the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis.  

In his email, Davis said the changes stem from “a combination of factors, including size, scope, academic mission, student demand, student-to-faculty ratio, resource allocation and other dimensions.”  

University officials said a review found “significant inconsistencies and fragmentation” among the affected departments. 

Davis added that the findings provided insight into how some fields could work more effectively together, while others might function better independently within “expanded departmental structures that bring together faculty, students, programs and curricular offerings in new ways.”  

The university will review its curriculum to determine which majors, minors and courses will be offered under the new departments.