The University of Texas at Austin and the Texas A&M University System are cutting specialized classes out of the core curriculum that every undergraduate must complete, saying those courses are too narrow to count as general education.
UT’s provost office this week proposed automatically removing 113 “topic” courses from the core starting in spring 2027, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Senior Vice Provost Michael Drew told department chairs the classes were too narrow for a core President Jim Davis has described as a broad foundation. The list includes courses on slavery and its legacies, race and U.S. society, global environmental history, and other shifting-topic classes. Most of the proposed cuts are in the College of Liberal Arts. Professors have until Sept. 16 to ask that a course stay in the core. The spring catalog must be locked by Oct. 1.
The Texas A&M System Board of Regents voted Thursday to drop more than 250 core-course listings across 11 universities, the Houston Chronicle reported. The flagship in College Station cut its core from 260 courses to 182, about 30%, interim Provost Jerry Strawser told faculty. Courses coming off the core there include LGBTQ literatures, introduction to women’s and gender studies, Blacks in the United States, and climate change, according to the Chronicle and The Texas Tribune. The classes can still be taught as electives if students enroll.
A shared foundation. A first-class education. Preparing another generation of Longhorns to think critically, lead with purpose, and contribute to the prosperity of our state and nation.
— UT Austin (@UTAustin) August 13, 2026
Learn more about UT Austin’s new Core Curriculum and the work behind it. https://t.co/GFii26dLgq
Both reviews follow Senate Bill 37, the 2025 law that requires public university boards to make sure core courses are “foundational and fundamental” and prepare students for civic life. The University of Houston recently cut about 40% of its core list, the Statesman noted.
UT is separately planning a larger rebuild that would drop required core hours from 42 to 36 and emphasize Western civilization, American politics and STEM. That model would need coordinating-board and regents approval and is aimed at 2028. Davis has said students would then have more room for electives.
Faculty critics say the cuts sideline race, gender and climate topics. Regents and university leaders say the core should be broad, not specialized, and that narrow courses must attract demand on their own.
