Mathematics, philosophy and French are among the subjects that Earlham College says it will no longer provide curriculum or degree programs in which students can major.
The Richmond liberal arts college’s president, Paul Sniegowski, wrote in a March 30 email to community members that Earlham has concluded a curricular planning process tied to its recent decision to cut staffing, programs and campus operations in hopes of reaching financial sustainability.
The process identified programs and majors that it will continue offering based on various criteria, including student interest, enrollment and graduation numbers for a given subject area.
Sniegowski wrote that Earlham will maintain its core identity as a college “grounded in the liberal arts tradition, including the sciences,” and that it will continue strengthening interdisciplinary connections across programs to encourage collaboration and breadth of education.
The 26 majors that will continue are Art; African and African American Studies; Biochemistry; Biology; Business; Chemistry; Computer Science; Creative Writing; Data Science; Engineering; English; Environmental Sustainability; Exercise, Sport and Health Studies; History; Japanese Studies; Museum Studies; Music; Music Studies; Neuroscience; Peace and Global Studies; Politics; Pre-Engineering; Psychology; Social Services; Theatre Arts; and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
The majors that will be discontinued are Accounting; Ancient and Classical Studies; Earth and Environmental Sciences; Economics; French; International Studies (to be folded into Politics); Mathematics; Media and Communications; Philosophy; Physics and Astronomy; Public Policy (also to be folded into Politics); Quantitative Economics; Spanish and Hispanic Studies; and Sociology/Anthropology.
The college’s Religion major will be suspended pending plans to redesign it with contributions from Earlham School of Religion, the college’s seminary. It will also continue to offer self-designed majors.
Current students who have already declared a major being discontinued will still be able to fulfill their degree requirements.
In October, Earlham officials said it will cut $18 million from its operating expenses over four years, including cutting staffing costs by 35% through hiring freezes, resignations and eliminating positions. In December, officials said 109 roles would be affected.
In his latest message, Sniegowski acknowledged the “anxiety, uncertainty and anguish this process has caused members of our community” as faculty and students awaited the program decisions.
“Earlham is certainly not alone among colleges and universities in having had to make painful decisions about budget, personnel and academic programs in recent months, but this has not made things any easier for us,” he wrote. “I hope that we can increasingly look to the future together. Our work to sustain this marvelous and beloved institution for future generations will continue.”
For more information about Earlham’s recent announcements, visit earlham.edu/faqs.
Disclosure: Chris Hardie is a graduate of Earlham College.
A version of this article appeared in the April 8 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.