The Irish Times reported last March that academic staff at the University of Galway have said they were “blindsided” by a report proposing a reform of its arts degrees, with the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT ) warning of a potential dispute due to a “lack of engagement”.
It was reported that the university is considering a “transformation” of its arts offering due to a downward trend in student numbers.
An internal report issued to staff noted that reform has become “urgent” due to this “sustained decline”.
Staff members said they were “shocked” by the report, maintaining that they and their colleagues were not opposed to change but criticised a “lack of engagement” and collaboration throughout the process, saying they were told “far too late”.
They said they were aware for several months that such a transformation was “desired” by the university, but “suddenly” received the “very detailed plan”, at which point, they believe, decision-makers had “already made up their mind”.
In short, the university is doing what it should and is reviewing how Arts is taught, to see how it could be modernised to suit the needs of students.
Having ruled out five of six different scenarios, the remaining option outlined in the report proposes a “discontinuing” of the Bachelor of Arts degree (GY101 ) in its current form, and to replace it with a new type of Arts degree with a wide range of subject choice and flexible combinations, in part to boost student numbers.
Now that students are about to make their final course choices over the coming 12 days, they should be reassured that no changes to Arts degrees at the University of Galway have been approved.
If any change to Arts is approved, no change could take place before September 2028, and students already enrolled in a degree programme would be unaffected.
To address any concerns among prospective students, the university has communicated directly with applicants and with guidance counsellors to confirm that all programmes remain unchanged – so prospective students hoping to register in September 2026 and current students are entirely unaffected by this review.
A spokesperson for University of Galway pointed out that it is important to note that other universities in Ireland have gone through similar processes – exploring ways of reforming and enhancing the programmes offered in Arts.
The spokesperson went on to point out that “University of Galway, as part of normal academic planning, has completed the first phase of a long-term, exploratory curriculum review. The purpose of this review is to ensure that Arts education remains academically rigorous, relevant, and responsive to students’ evolving aspirations and societal change. The process is at an early stage”.
