Beyond the 806
Texas A&M System considers removing courses on LGBTQ, ethnic studies and climate change from core offerings
The Texas A&M University System is weighing whether to strip more than 200 courses, including classes on LGBTQ literature, cultural studies, and climate change, from the core degree requirements at its 11 universities. If the change moves forward, students across the A&M system would no longer be able to use those courses to fulfill their core curriculum, the set of required classes every undergraduate must complete before graduating.
If the change moves forward, students across the A&M system would no longer be able to use those courses to fulfill their core curriculum, the set of required classes every undergraduate must complete before graduating. That affects a wide range of students, not just those majoring in related fields.
For students here at Texas Tech, this is a direct contrast worth watching. Tech operates under the Texas Tech University System, separate from A&M, so this proposal does not touch courses on the Flint Avenue campus. But Lubbock is home to plenty of students who started at South Plains College or who have family at A&M schools like Tarleton State or Texas A&M Commerce, and those students would feel the shift directly.
The practical effect for A&M students is that courses they may have already planned into their degree path could lose core credit status, potentially forcing schedule changes or adding time to graduation. Incoming students would also see the menu of options for satisfying core requirements shrink.
Texas A&M enrolls hundreds of thousands of students across its 11 campuses, making this one of the largest course-requirement reviews in Texas higher education in recent memory.
Common questions
Does this Texas A&M course change affect Texas Tech students in Lubbock?
- No. Texas Tech operates under a separate university system, so this proposal does not affect courses on the Lubbock campus. However, Lubbock students who transferred from an A&M system school or plan to enroll there could be impacted by the curriculum changes.
What kinds of courses could Texas A&M remove from its core requirements?
- The A&M system is reviewing more than 200 courses, including classes on LGBTQ literature, cultural studies, and climate change. If approved, students at any of the 11 A&M universities could no longer use those courses to satisfy their required core curriculum for graduation.
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