HIGHER EDUCATION IMPLOSION UPDATE: University of Oklahoma may cut 16 degrees following review by board of regents.

It recently identified 16 “low-producing programs” at the public university in Norman that should be cut. In total, the regents said “41 programs [should] be deleted and 21 programs [should] be suspended” across all universities.

Specifically, the University of Oklahoma should cut its doctoral program in French, along with its masters’ degrees in drama, French, German, and two in “Interdisciplinary Programs.”

Bachelor degrees in various languages, along with both the bachelor of science and bachelor of arts in geography should also be cut, the board recommended. The minutes for the December regents’ meeting lists the remaining programs that should be ended.

A spokeswoman for the board provided further details on the review process.

“Programs that are not suspended or deleted as a result of that review are then placed on a five-year review cycle,” Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications Angela Caddell said in an email to The Fix. “This effort reflects public higher education’s ongoing commitment to aligning academic programs with workforce needs and ensuring optimal allocation of state resources.”

Anything with “studies” in the name ought to be given a good, hard look.