A Catholic university in northern Virginia has announced plans to eliminate ten different liberal arts degrees, but says the disciplines will continue to be featured in the school's core curriculum.

Marymount University President Irma Becerra proposed the plan to the school's board of trustees on Feb. 15 that would see the elimination of a number of mainstay degrees such as history, art, math, English, economics, and sociology. Becerra also proposed eliminating the university's theology and religious studies degree.

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The board of trustees is set to meet to reject or approve the plan on Friday. In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Marymount University spokesman Nicholas Munson said that the "university's mission is unchanged" and it will continue to "prepare students for in-demand careers by offering them a robust education grounded in the liberal arts" and that the humanities department is a central part of the institution's Catholic identity.

"Supported by definitive research and a Faculty Advisory Committee, the Academic Policy, Budget and Planning (APBP) Committee recommended the elimination of nine majors and one graduate program which had consistently low enrollment and graduation rates," Munson said. "Marymount will reallocate resources from those programs to others that better serve our students and reflect their interests."

Munson continued: "It’s important to note that current Marymount students in those programs are not affected and their required coursework will be provided without disruption as they complete their degrees. Also, while these subjects will no longer be offered as majors, the coursework — particularly in the humanities — is central to our mission and identity as a Catholic university and will remain part of Marymount’s core curriculum."

But the plan has been criticized by numerous Marymount stakeholders, including faculty members and alumni.

The faculty council reportedly objected to the plan and proposed keeping seven majors while modifying six of them, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. But Becerra rejected their proposal and said the APBP committee's plan "more closely align[s] with the strategic goals of the institution."

In a letter to Becerra, the American Historical Association expressed alarm at the institution's plan, calling it a "short-sighted decision."

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"We urge Marymount University to reconsider this decision, which undermines the university’s commitment to 'intellectual curiosity, service to others, and a global perspective,'" the letter said. "While the university’s liberal arts core provides one way of addressing this mission, it is essential that students have the opportunity for the deeper study and mastery of a field that comes with majoring in history and an array of humanities programs."

A petition organized by Marymount alumni has garnered over 1,500 signatures. The school says it has a student body of 4,257 for the 2022-2023 school year, of which 2,606 are undergraduate students.