Updates on DU’s Academic Structure
Why Academic Transformation and Why Now?
Higher education is changing, and many institutions are facing increasing market and financial pressures. DU is choosing to meet the moment strategically, using it as an opportunity to strengthen our model and better position our students and our university for the future.
For many months, this work has been thoughtful, intensive, and at times quite difficult. We know that conversations and decisions about academic structure, program alignment, right-sizing units, and the future of our university can be deeply personal. We are grateful to the faculty, staff, and leaders across the university who engaged in these discussions, shared their perspectives, and helped shape our University’s path forward. Your time, expertise, and care for our students have a direct and meaningful impact.
What is Changing
We are implementing new academic structures in ways that better reflect our strengths, meet the needs of today’s students, and support more interdisciplinary work for our faculty and students.
Specifically:
- The Graduate School of Social Work, the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, and the Morgridge College of Education will come together to form a new, integrated college focused on education, behavioral, and clinical sciences. Through this administrative restructuring, DU brings together its talents on human development, potential, and flourishing.
- The Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science will be brought together with the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, along with the Kinesiology and Sport Studies program, to create a more connected approach to science, engineering, and health innovation.
These changes are designed to reduce barriers between disciplines, making it easier for faculty to collaborate and for students to move across areas of study. They also allow DU to more clearly organize around areas of excellence where we are strongest and can differentiate as an education leader. Ultimately, these changes will empower DU and its students, faculty, and staff to thrive.
The Student Experience: Our North Star
At the core of this transformation is the student experience, inside and outside the classroom, and preparing students for successful careers and meaningful lives of purpose.
What this means
- There is no disruption to current students’ degree progress or program completion. Students currently at DU, and students joining us in the fall of 2026, will be able to complete their degree as planned.
- This change is designed to create a more connected, flexible academic experience for students. Ultimately, it will make it easier for students to connect their passions and their studies to internships, careers, and long-term goals.
- Academic disciplines and rigor are not changing. We are building on the strengths and excellence already in place across our colleges and schools and reducing administrative barriers to interdisciplinary curricular and research innovation.
- Faculty research and scholarship remain central to how programs are delivered, with increased opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.
What Will Improve from These Changes?
These strategic changes are intended to address significant market shifts, strengthening demand in a competitive market. At the same time, they are also very much about making it easier for faculty and students to work across disciplines and take advantage of the full breadth of what DU offers.
Today, our siloed structure can make collaboration difficult and limit how easily students and faculty move across programs. This new alignment is designed to remove barriers, making interdisciplinary teaching, research, and learning more seamless, and opening new opportunities at the intersections of fields.
What Guided the Decision-Making?
These changes are the result of extensive analysis, conversation, and input from across the DU community.
This work builds on:
- Months of faculty, staff, and administrator engagement through committees and listening sessions.
- Analysis of student demand, program strength, and career outcomes.
- A focus on where DU can differentiate and lead.
Together, this process helped identify where we should invest in our strongest areas and where bringing units together would create greater opportunity and impact.
What Happens Next
Implementation will unfold over the next academic year, including naming and structure. This fall, we will begin internal searches for the inaugural deans of the two new colleges, while continuing to engage faculty, staff, and students throughout the process of change.
This work reflects both the priorities outlined in DU Forward and the realities of the current financial environment. At the center of every decision is a commitment to delivering a high-quality student experience while positioning DU for long-term strength, sustainability, and success.
We know changes like this raise important questions about identity, structure, and what comes next. In the months ahead, we will share more information, including college-specific details, and continue providing updates as implementation moves forward throughout FY27.
Moving Forward
As we move into the next academic year, our focus is on fortifying a strong foundation for DU’s future: one that puts a greater emphasis on the student experience, better supports our faculty and staff, and creates unsurpassed opportunities for innovation and collaboration.
We are excited about what this will make possible: a university that builds on its excellence, creates new pathways for students, and more clearly defines what makes DU distinctive and a better choice for students who want to make an impact in this world.
Thank you for everything you do to support our students and each other.
Jeremy Haefner
Chancellor
Elizabeth G. Loboa
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor