This memo is number one of three: updates pertaining to the General Education CLAS Core and CLAS policies can be found in separate memos.
This memo contains a list of significant additions, revisions, and closures to undergraduate CLAS majors, minors, and certificates, as well as structural changes in the college that affect undergraduate programs of study. The changes in this list were approved during the 2024-2025 academic year and have been included in the 2025-2026 General Catalog. This list is organized by department or division, then program. All changes are effective as of the fall 2025 session unless otherwise indicated.
- The BA in American studies has been discontinued, with spring 2025 its last active session. The minor in American studies will continue to be offered.
- The Latina/o/x studies program, including the minor in Latina/o/x studies, has been administratively moved into the Department of American Studies, effective July 2025.
The Department of Global Health Studies, including the BA, BS, and minor in global health studies, has been administratively moved into the Department of Anthropology, effective July 2025.
- Within the BFA in art, the subprograms in intermedia and sculpture have been combined into one subprogram in “Sculpture and Intermedia.”
- To support this change to the BFA subprograms, a new course code has been created, SCIM, for use beginning in fall 2025. For now, SCLP and INTM will remain active in the course library, and the courses currently listed under those codes will be cross-referenced with SCIM.
- A new subprogram, “Art, Museums, and Museology,” has been created within the BA in art history. This new subprogram will be offered in addition to the major’s two other subprograms, “Global and Interdisciplinary Connections,” and “Iowa Idea.”
- The requirements for the BA in biology have been slightly restructured to provide some flexibility around biochemistry courses and their prerequisites.
- The requirements for the BS in neuroscience have also been slightly restructured to provide some flexibility around biochemistry courses and their prerequisites.
The requirements of the BS in chemistry have been changed to reduce the number of lab hours students must complete and add more choice and flexibility to the major, while keeping the program aligned with American Chemical Society (ACS) requirements.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Non-Degree Programs
- In consultation with the College of Education, CLAS has created a “Counseling and Behavioral Health Services Interest” designation, to assist with the academic advising of CLAS students who wish to pursue admission to this College of Education program.
- At the request of the College of Pharmacy, CLAS has renamed the Pharmacy Interest qualifier from “Pharmacy Assured Admission Program” to “Pharmacy Preferred Admission Program,” to better reflect the intention and practice of this program. This change was effective in June 2025.
- In consultation with the College of Nursing, CLAS has discontinued the Pre-RN-BSN program of study, effective spring 2025. This designation had not been used in some time, because students planning to apply to the College of Nursing’s RN-BSN program may enroll in CLAS courses as non-degree students.
- In consultation with the College of Education and University College, CLAS and University College have administratively moved the Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP) into the Belin-Blank Center, in the College of Education, effective summer 2025. The College of Education will now be the program college and curricular college for SSTP.
Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
- Effective July 2025, the College created the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability (SEES) by merging the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Science, along with the Sustainability Program (formerly administered by University College).
- To support this new department, a new course code has also been created: SEES. All courses formerly offered under the EES, ENVS, GEOG, and SUST course codes will be offered under SEES, effective fall 2025. Please see this page on the CLAS Resource site for a complete list of courses affected, along with their new course numbers.
- SEES has restructured all programs of study in this area, to eliminate redundancies and clarify student pathways. Going forward there will be three majors with a total of seven subprograms, two minors, and two certificates. The programs to be offered by SEES, along with revisions and closures to existing programs, are as follows:
- Environmental sciences has been renamed “Earth and Environmental Sciences.” SEES will offer a BA, BS, and minor in this area.
- The BA will not have any subprograms.
- The BS will continue to offer the existing subprograms in “Environmental Bioscience” and “Environmental Geoscience” and will also offer a new subprogram in “Earth and Planetary Sciences.”
- SEES will continue to offer a BA and minor in environmental policy and planning. The BS in environmental policy and planning will close.
- The BA will continue to have two subprograms, “Policy” and “Planning.”
- The BS in sustainability science; the BA, BS, and minor in geography; the BA, BS, and minor in geoscience; and the minor in geographic information science will close. In their place, a new major has been created in “Geographical and Sustainability Sciences.” SEES will offer a BA and a BS in this area.
- The BA will not have any subprograms.
- The BS will have subprograms in “Geographic Information Science” and “Sustainability Science.”
- SEES will continue the undergraduate certificates in “Geographic Information Science” and “Sustainability” (formerly administered by University College).
- Environmental sciences has been renamed “Earth and Environmental Sciences.” SEES will offer a BA, BS, and minor in this area.
Tippie College of Business (TCOB) will be the program college for the Economics BA, BS, and minor, effective fall 2025. TCOB was already the curricular college for these programs; now it will confer the degrees in these programs of study as well. In preparation for this change, TCOB began advising economics BA and BS students in fall 2024.
Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies
The BA in social justice has been discontinued, with spring 2025 its last active session. The minor in social justice will continue to be offered.
Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
- Effective July 2025, the Department of Health and Human Physiology was renamed the Department of Health, Sport, and Human Physiology to better reflect the department’s breadth and the connections across all of its programs of study.
- One subprogram of the sport and recreation management BS has been renamed from “Sport and Diversity” to “Organizational Culture Management” to better communicate the career paths available to graduates of this subprogram.
- The curriculum of the exercise science BS will change effective fall 2026. Among other changes, the overall size of the major will decrease by 3 semester hours, and one of the advanced labs will move from the 4000 level to the 3000 level to alleviate possible scheduling issues for students in their final year. Because this change involves sequenced coursework that will be phased out and replaced, students wishing to complete the current major requirements will need to finish certain courses by the end of spring 2026.
- To support the newly created undergraduate certificate in Jewish studies, a new course code has been created: JSTU. The code was created in fall 2024 for use beginning in fall 2025.
- The medieval studies program, including the undergraduate certificate, has been administratively moved from the Department of Classics into the Department of History.
- The enterprise leadership BA has had the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center removed as a learning center option, effective spring 2025.
- Several subprograms of the interdepartmental studies BA have been closed or renamed, as follows:
- “Applied Human Services—Corrections Services,” “Business Studies—Values and Ethics,” and “Individualized Plan of Study” have closed, with summer 2025 their final active session.
- “Health Sciences—Global Health” has been renamed “Health Sciences—Cultural Contexts,” effective fall 2025, to more accurately reflect the program’s focus and differentiate it from global health studies.
Journalism and Mass Communication
The BA in journalism and mass communication now includes an experiential learning requirement. The requirement is called “SCRIPT,” for Study Abroad, Community Engagement, Research, Internships, Professional Practice, and Teaching. Students will have options to fulfill this requirement that grant semester hours, as well as zero-hour options.
Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures
- Effective July 2025, the College created the Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures (LLLC). This department takes the place of the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures as CLAS continues to phase out the use of “Divisions.” LLLC administers the programs of study and courses in the following former departments and programs:
- American Sign Language
- Arabic Language and Literature
- Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean)
- English as a Second Language
- French and Italian
- German
- International Studies
- Linguistics
- Russian
- Swahili
- Translation
- The requirements for the BA in French have been changed in the “Language, Literature, and Culture” subprogram. Intermediate level language courses will count toward the major, as will more French culture courses taught in English. These changes will make the major more accommodating to students completing multiple programs of study or declaring a French major after their first year at Iowa. (The “French and Arabic” subprogram will be closed effective fall 2026, so its requirements have not been changed for the 2025-2026 year. The minor in Arabic studies will continue to be offered.)
- The minor in Russian and Eastern European studies has been discontinued, with summer 2025 its final active session. The minor in Russian, formerly focused on language study, has been revised to include more of the cultural studies courses and topics that previously comprised the Russian and Eastern European studies minor.
- The requirements for the BA in Russian have also changed. The level of proficiency in the language required to complete the major (and minor) has been lowered, and more culture courses taught in English will count toward the major and minor. These changes will make the programs more accommodating to students beginning college with a lower level of Russian language proficiency.
The BA and BS in mathematics have had additional subprograms created within “Program C”: “Physical Sciences,” “Data Sciences,” and “Business.” These subprograms each group together multiple specializations (e.g., students pursuing a BS in mathematics program C—physical sciences will choose biochemistry, biomathematics, chemistry, or physics). The newly created subprograms are for the purpose of creating degree audits for “Program C” and do not reflect a change in the requirements of the mathematics major.
The requirements for the astronomy BA have been changed to further differentiate it from the BS in astronomy. The BA already required fewer math courses than the BS, and now the BA requires two fewer astronomy courses than the BS as well. The BS provides a strong preparation for students planning to pursue an advanced degree in astronomy, but the BA is intended for students who plan to enter other fields, such as science writing or education. This change will provide these students with more flexibility to supplement their astronomy work with other courses.
The BA in political science has had the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center removed as a learning center option, effective spring 2025.
- The Aging and Longevity Studies program, including its courses and programs of study, has been administratively moved into the School of Social Work.
- The undergraduate certificate in aging and longevity studies has been discontinued, with summer 2025 its last active session. The minor in aging and longevity studies will continue to be offered.
- The Critical Cultural Competence program, including its courses and undergraduate certificate, has been administratively moved into School of Social Work.
The programs of study in criminology, law, and justice (BA, BS, and minor) have been renamed to add the Oxford/serial comma, in keeping with the editorial style guide of the University of Iowa Office of Strategic Communication and the General Catalog.
- The Department of Spanish and Portuguese was administratively moved out of the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and is a separate department from the Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures.
- The Latin American Studies program, including its courses and programs of study, have been administratively moved into the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, effective July 2025.
- The BA in Portuguese has been discontinued, with summer 2025 its last active session. The minor in Portuguese will continue to be offered.
- The requirements have been changed for the BA and minor in Spanish. Intermediate II-level coursework will now count toward the major, and there will be fewer required advanced courses. Three optional subprograms have also been created in the Spanish BA, to allow students to specialize in one of the following areas: “Linguistics,” “Cultures,” or “Professional Communication.”
Statistics and Actuarial Science
The subprograms have been removed from the BS in statistics. Those subprograms were “Statistics in Business, Industry, Government, and Research”; “Statistical Computing and Data Science”; and “Mathematical Statistics.” Students will still be able to specialize in any of these areas if they wish, by selecting specific advanced electives within the major requirements, but eliminating the subprograms will also allow students increased opportunities to take courses in multiple areas before (or instead of) choosing one as their focus.
The BA in theatre arts now includes a required, 1-semester-hour course, THTR:2000 Orientation to Theatre Arts for students new to the major.