French, Interpreting and Translation degree programs cancelled at UH

Lily Huynh/The Cougar

The UH System Board of Regents voted Thursday, Aug. 21, to terminate the French and Interpreting and Translation Bachelor of Arts programs. The French minor will continue to be offered.

French B.A.

In a letter to the board, the Academic, Research and Student Success Committee said the cancellation of the French B.A. reflects a national decline in language majors and shrinking enrollment at UH.

Only eight students are currently in the program, with graduation numbers falling from seven in 2021 to just one in 2025.

“Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board classifies ‘low producing’ undergraduate programs as those graduating fewer than 25 students over five years,” said UH Director of Media Relations Bryan Luhn. “If a program remains on that list for three consecutive years, the board requires it to be closed or merged.”

UH said students currently enrolled will be able to complete their degrees, as required courses will continue to be offered. Afterward, full-time faculty will continue to teach the minors courses, language courses and other courses as needed.

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences will stop enrollment of new majors and the program will be discontinued in 2026.

“We try to make a case for studying French. I’ve been doing this for the past 30 years,” said French program director Claudine Giacchetti. “But we are up against a general decline in enrollment, a sharp decline in the liberal arts and a sharper decline in foreign languages.”

Pointing to the program’s French club and committee professors, faculty and students are disappointed, Giacchetti said.

She also emphasized how people don’t see the point of speaking multiple language and that artificial intelligence is going to make things worse. 

“Students wrongly assume that if they pursue liberal arts, especially foreign languages, they won’t get a good job,” Giacchetti said. “That’s not true, a degree in a foreign language can really open a lot of doors.”

She added that faculty hope to sustain the French minor and its diverse course offerings, which currently include business French and women in French cinema.

Interpreting and Translation B.A.

The Interpreting and Translation program, which focused on American Sign Language and English, will also be phased out. CLASS will stop enrolling new majors, with the final cohort set to graduate in 2028.

“The decision to phase out the INTN program was based on routine program evaluation to ensure the college’s resources align with student priorities,” Luhn said. “The college will gradually shift resources to areas with higher student demand and instructional impact.”

Despite the closure, UH pledged to support students in finishing their degrees by having access to all required courses through 2028.

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Published in The Daily Cougar on Aug. 27, 2025.