Tarleton’s physics and hydrology undergraduate programs are facing the axe thanks to a ruling made by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Due to recent education budget cuts, the board has been actively reviewing low graduate producing programs in state universities. Because of the small number of physics and hydrology students at Tarleton, both programs are in the process of being phased out.

 

According to the THECB, the decision was made to increase the universities’ accountability in their spending. The board claimed that cutting low producing programs would save the state $73 million over the next four years, and that the physics programs being discontinued only count for 2% of the state’s bachelor’s degrees in physics.

 

However, there is still hope. According to Dr. Daniel Marble, an assistant professor of physics and mathematics at Tarleton, “a consortium of physics schools led by Tarleton will be submitting a proposal next week to the THECB staff for a replacement physics degree program (Joint BS in Physics degree) that can be taken by a student at any of the nine universities across the consortium.”

 

Current physics students would be included in the new program.

 

“If approved,” Marble says, “it should make the Texas Physics Consortium at least the third largest physics degree producer in Texas.” The proposal’s approval would help secure a more successful future for physics programs at Tarleton, as well as many schools across Texas.