On Friday, Averett University announced that the school will shed more programs. In a release the school said the move is to further focus its offerings and continually adapt to a more current business model for modern learners, Averett University is discontinuing two majors, two minors and a concentration.

Bachelor’s degree programs in Communications and Political Science will no longer be offered as majors, but will continue to be available as minors. Minors in Art and Music, as well as a concentration in Environmental Science, will also be eliminated. All of these have experienced low or no enrollment (anywhere from zero to six total students), or lack of a full-time faculty member following retirements.

“Like many institutions of higher education, Averett continually assesses its majors, minors and special programs against regional workforce needs, national trends and institutional capacity,” said Averett President Dr. Thomas Powell. “I’ve said often that Averett can be anything, but we can’t be everything to everyone, so this is another measure to sharpen our focus during this critical time when smaller, independent colleges must continue to carve out their space in an increasingly crowded marketplace.”

Averett’s core curriculum for all students, regardless of major, will continue to include foundational courses in the sciences and liberal arts. Therefore, no faculty positions will be terminated due to the reductions. Rather, the cost savings will be realized through not filling vacancies from which there was a retirement or other attrition.

Current students in any of the impacted majors will still complete the degree for which they came to Averett.

These discontinued programs will join Averett’s other program cuts announced in November 2024 – all effective this upcoming 2025-26 academic year – which included bachelor’s degree programs in Art, Chemistry, Math, Modern Languages and Religion, as well as a master’s degree program in Criminal Justice.