Where the students are

Following a decline in enrollment since 2012, UMD announced a plan in October to cut $2 million from budget. Enrollment tuition currently accounts for 70 percent of UMD’s operating budget.

Of the five colleges on campus, only three were affected by the cuts. Those were The College of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP), The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and The School of Fine Arts (SFA).  The Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) and the Swenson College of Science and Engineering (SCSE) were unaffected.

Now administration looks to where the students are, and where they are not. Below is a rundown, by college, of the majors with the most and least growth between 2012 and 2015.

To be noted, however, is that these numbers only examine what majors have grown and declined, not which majors are largest. For example, Geographic Information Systems is the fastest growing major in CLA, yet only makes up 0.4 percent of CLA’s student body. Meanwhile the largest major, Communication, has experienced an 18 percent decrease in enrollment, yet still equals 16 percent of the college.

CEHSP

One of the three colleges hit by budget cuts, CEHSP announced $500,000 in budget cuts due to lowered enrollment. Of the 20 majors offered within the school, only five have increased enrollment between 2012 and 2015 while 11 have declined. Teaching French BAA and Teaching Physical Science remained constant.

CLA

The college hit hardest with the budget cuts, CLA lost $1.1 million. Of the 24 majors offered, 18 saw a decrease in enrollment while only five saw growth.

The Tribal Administration and Governance major, which was introduced in 2015, has not existed long enough to provide data.

LSBE

One of the two colleges spared by the budget cuts, LSBE saw a small growth in enrollment yet enrollment growth in majors was primarily was isolated and spread to more recent major creations. Of the 12 majors offered in 2012, only four saw increases while eight decreased.

Three majors were not factored into these results. The Financial Planning BBA, which was introduced in 2015, has not existed long enough to provide data. The Marketing and Graphic Design BBA, which was introduced in 2013, has grown by 33 percent. The Entrepreneurship BBA, introduced in 2014, increased by 20 percent.

SCSE

The other college spared from the budget cuts, SCSE saw moderate growth in enrollment since 2012. Of the 19 majors offered in 2012, ten saw growth while eight saw declines. The Geological Science BA remained constant.

Not included in the results is the Biochemistry BA, introduced in 2013, which grew by 172 percent.

SFA

The last of the three colleges hit by the budget cuts, SFA saw a moderate drop in enrollment since 2012. Of the 12 majors offered, only three saw growth while six saw decreases. The Art History, Theatre BA and Theatre BFA majors remained constant.

Not included in the results is the Graphic Design and Marketing BFA, introduced in 2013, which has grown 76 percent.