Institution Submitting Proposal:
UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY
College:
Humanities and Social Sciences
Department or Area in Which Program
Will Be Located:
History and Political Science
Program Title:
BA History
Recommended Classification of Instructional
Programs (CIP) Code:
54.0101
Proposed Beginning Date:
Fall, 2011
Institutional Signatures:
_____________________________________________
Matthew S. Holland, University President
Utah Valley University
______________________________________________
Ian Wilson
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
_______________________________________________
David Yells
Dean
_______________________________________________
Kathren Brown
Department Chair
Date: 10/15/2010
Section I: Request
The History and Political Science department at Utah Valley University requests authorization to
discontinue the Public History and General History emphases from the B.A. degree in History effective Fall
2011, leaving History majors with a major in General History. Originally, the emphasis in Public History
was offered because student demand expressed in a departmental questionnaire suggested that it would
be a viable emphasis. Thus, the department created the Public History emphasis and expected significant
student enrollment. Three years later, however, Public History emphasis students make up less than 1.5%
of all History majors (Public History, General History, and History-Secondary Education). Discontinuing the
emphasis will allow the History program to focus on General History courses that better serve the General
History and History-Secondary Education majors.
The History program will continue to offer a small number of Public History courses, as is common in many
comparable universities, however, the number of courses will not be significant enough to justify
maintaining an emphasis in Public History.
Section II: Need
The change is justified because three years after the creation of the Public History emphasis, the program
has been unable to attract a significant number of students and to hire a full-time faculty member dedicated
solely to the Public History emphasis. Furthermore, enrollment in the Public History emphasis continues to
hover around 8-10 students (out of more than 650 total History/History-Secondary Education majors).
Interestingly, students have stated that the only reason they chose the Public History emphasis was to
avoid writing a senior thesis and not because they believed it would lead them to obtaining the skills
necessary in a Public History position. Because of the small number of students served, the department is
unable to justify the hiring of a full-time Public Historian; meanwhile, over 650 History majors lack access to
full-time historians in the areas of Latin America (required for History-Secondary Education majors), Asia,
or Early Modern Europe (all emphasis areas within General History). By eliminating the Public History
emphasis, the History program can focus on instruction in those areas that will serve the largest number of
students. Recent polls conducted by the department of Political Science and History showed an
overwhelming student demand for full-time instruction in Latin America, Asia, and Early Modern Europe
courses. Having a more well-rounded General History program should also contribute to higher retention
rates for the program, as many students claim one reason for transferring to another university is a lack of
consistent courses in Latin America, Asia, or Early Modern Europe.
No comparable university in the state has an undergraduate History emphasis in Public History. Weber
State University has a minor in Public History, but no emphasis. Other comparable universities have
undergraduate courses in Public History. Elimination of the emphasis leaves UVU’s History program at
neither an advantage nor a disadvantage compared to other regional universities.
Section III: Institutional Impact
It is anticipated that the discontinuation of the Public History emphasis will contribute to a slight increase in
the number of History majors in the General History emphasis. However, since only 8-10 students out of
650 typically choose the Public History emphasis, the discontinuation of the emphasis will not pose a
significant change to the overall program. The discontinuation of the emphasis has no anticipated effect on
administrative structures, faculty, or staff. No changes to physical facilities or modifications of existing
facilities will be needed.
Section IV: Finances
There will be no costs or savings from this change. It will have no budgetary impacts on other programs or
unites at UVU.