Does a disestablishment of a university major affect that major’s alumni/graduates?

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My alma mater recently has begun the process to disestablish the major that I graduated in. If the major will be closed out in the near future, does that affect the status of any past graduates of that said major? It feels….weird that my major will be dissolved, but many thousands of fellow alumni have degrees in it.

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3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

No. Think about it. At the time you graduated as long as the school was accredited at that time you’re ok. So if the school no longer offers nuclear engineering as a major but used to nuclear engineers from that school aren’t suddenly “not qualified”.

Anonymous 0 Comments

I’ll let you on on a dirty little secret:

Beyond your first job out of school, nobody cares about your degree, where it came from, or whether it’s still offered. An employer might contact the school to verify your enrollment, but that’s it.

That your degree is no longer being offered has absolutely no impact on alumni, so long as the reason it’s no longer being offered isn’t due to some sort of malfeasance.

Anonymous 0 Comments

In terms of formal qualifications, no, it makes no difference. The degree awarded is valid as ever, because you completed the program under the standards the university had at the time.

In practical terms, it’s inconvenient because you lose some of the reputation and connections attached to that program. This happens in reverse too; people who attended obscure schools or in were middling programs benefit if the reputation improves. It’s not exactly fair but it’s a fact of life.

I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Your major is not your degree; for a long time universities didn’t even have majors, and in many fields it doesn’t strictly matter that much what your major is if you have the necessary skills. And your major is not your education, either–if you forgot a lot of what you learned, or you stopped learning after you graduated, it will show.