The Graduate School Council and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee have approved the phasing out of the four-year departmental combined bachelor's and master's degree programs in Anthropology, History, Physics and Politics for students who matriculate in Fall 2011, Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. Jaffe also wrote that programs in the life sciences will not be affected. The combined bachelor's and master's degree programs, which currently exist in the Anthropology, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, History, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics and Politics departments provide students with an opportunity to pursue an academic path that is more rigorous than pursuing an honors thesis.

The proposal to review the programs was submitted by Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Prof. Gregory Freeze (HIST), who could not be reached for an interview by press time.

Most professors from affected departments seem to be understanding of the decision made by the Graduate School Council and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.

Prof. Elizabeth Ferry (ANTH) wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that "[the combined bachelor's and master's degree program is] a program we have hardly used at all in recent years; it really only makes sense for a very few students, and there is the concern that it detracts from a liberal arts education, by having people concentrate so completely on one subject."

Additionally, Ferry wrote that the decision affects a small number of students as "[programs like the Anthropology department] don't get many applicants and accept even fewer."

Prof. Bernard Yack (POL) wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that "[the combined bachelor's and master's degree program] was always quite small, rarely more than one or two a year, so it's not a big change for [the Politics department]."

History department Chair Prof. Jane Kamensky (HIST) wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that "long experience with the four-year programs led us to seek alternatives that would foster deeper, more meaningful engagement with our disciplines at the undergraduate and MA levels."

For current History majors, Kamensky wrote, "I hope that exceptional undergraduate History majors will investigate our new MA program." The departmental Web site includes a description of a one-year master's program "designed to meet the varied academic and professional needs of graduate students."

When the phase-out plan was first introduced by the Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering committee, a fear in the proposal was that "The existence of these options [four-year bachelor's and master's degree programs] precludes the development of five-year combined bachelor's and master's programs, which might offer students an attractive and strong option for achieving the MA degree, while also providing revenue possibilities for [the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences].