Update on programs
As Memorial evolves, there has been a lot of speculation on what it will mean for program offerings. But decisions around program mix and sustainability are not made exclusively with cost savings in mind.
These decisions are made to ensure that every academic program we offer responds to changing student interest, as measured by enrolment figures in a program. Memorial also strives to ensure its programs have good learning outcomes, evolve to equip students for work in our rapidly changing world, and can be completed in an appropriate amount of time with available faculty and course offerings.
Below is a list of all programs suspended or discontinued since Jan. 1, 2025, with the rationale. Note that none of these programs were closed because of budget cuts, nor are the program changes associated with recent cost-savings measures announced by the university.
| Program | Status |
|---|---|
| Faculty of Nursing Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Collaborative) Program (BScN): Accelerated Option (AO) | The AO option (formerly Fast-Track) was launched in 2019. It proved to be a resource-intensive program that, at times, did not reach full capacity. Students often decided to move to the 4-year option or leave the program altogether, further reducing classroom size and graduation rates. To improve the student experience, retain potential graduates and be fiscally responsible, the decision was made to pause the AO cohort and reallocate the seats to the 4-year option. As a result, 32 qualified potential students who are waitlisted for the 4-year option area are now admitted to the profession. This initiative ensures that all seats are filled to capacity, reduces the loss of tuition and fosters a more balanced student life experience. |
| Doctor of Pharmacy for Working Professionals Program (part-time program) | Several years ago, Canadian schools of pharmacy switched from a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) to a PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) degree. This reflects the expanding scope of pharmacy practice in Canada. The Doctor of Pharmacy for Working Professionals Program was created to offer working pharmacists with a Bachelor of Science degree to upgrade to a PharmD. Throughout North America, these programs have typically run for a limited time, as only so many practicing pharmacists wanted to upgrade. This was also the case in our province, and why this program is closing. Our goal was to ensure that pharmacists in the province who wished to complete a PharmD had a chance to do so. Once enrollment dipped below break even and the N.L. applicants slowed, the decision was made to suspend admissions to the program. |
| Bachelor of Special Education | The Bachelor of Special Education program was paused in fall 2025 to allow for redevelopment of the program into a graduate-level degree. This was done to better meet the evolving needs of educators and school systems in Newfoundland and Labrador. The new Master of Education (Inclusive and Special Education) program is anticipated to launch later this winter, with the first cohort expected to commence studies in fall 2026. The transition to a master’s level program aligns Memorial with other Canadian universities and addresses broader trends in teacher professional development and credentialing. |
|
-Ancient Languages Certificate |
These six diplomas and certificates were suspended because of historically low uptake with each having between 0 and 4 people graduate in the last 2 years. HSS continues to offer courses in these areas and faculty members actively do research in these fields. These areas of study remain available to students. While they are not specifically credentialed through certificates and diplomas, all of these fields are central to the work of HSS. This type of program review is part of ensuring that our programs are current, meaningful and relevant to students. |
| Master of Arts (Religion and Culture) |
Master of Arts (Religion and Culture: This MA was suspended in October 2022 for fall 2023 admissions and is now discontinued permanently. The reasons are related to diminished faculty resources to sustain the program and low student uptake. |
| MBA (Social Enterprise & Entrepreneurship) program | Since its launch in 2019, the MBA (Social Enterprise & Entrepreneurship) program struggled to attract and retain sufficient students, largely because of its highly structured, accelerated 12-month cohort model, lack of part time or flexible entry options. These issues were consistently raised by students and faculty and were exacerbated by growing barriers for international students, including study permit delays, financial constraints and the program’s limited suitability for immigration pathways, which typically favor longer programs. As viable cohort sizes could not be sustained in this resource intensive program, the Faculty of Business Administration made the difficult decision to pause the program in 2023 and discontinue it in 2024. Importantly, this decision does not reflect a withdrawal from social enterprise education. The faculty remains committed to this both through academic programing and the activities of the Centre for Social Enterprise. We now have social enterprise and sustainable entrepreneurship coursework that can be taken by all MBA students. This approach expands access to social enterprise education, improves flexibility and ensures a fiscally responsible and sustainable approach to graduate programming. |
| English major with a Theatre/Drama Specialization | The suspension of English major with a Theatre/Drama Specialization is due to faculty retirement in the area of specialization. This may be reopened at a later date. |
| Masters of Philosophy in Humanities | This program has had new enrolments suspended because of diminished faculty-wide capacity to support it. Application numbers had declined and the program had come to rely more on short-term teaching contracts than on tenure-stream appointments. Tenured faculty members have stepped up to support existing students to degree completion, but under current conditions the program is not viable in the long term. |
| Certificate in Public Policy | This was converted to a diploma program, which typically means there is an increase in the number of required courses to complete it. |
| Marine Institute – Post Graduate Certificate in Quality Management | Over the final five years it was active, enrolment consistently fell below the minimum levels required to offer the program, with participation trending downward year over year. As a result, the program was discontinued. |
| Master of Fine Arts (Grenfell) | This program suspended intake for spring 2025 only. There will be a spring 2026 intake. This was done to re-evaluate the program and make some minor adjustments. |
| Applied Literary Arts (Grenfell) | There will be no fall 2026 intake however, there’s a plan to accept students again in fall 2027. The program started in fall 2022 and paused enrolment for one year simply to make some adjustments to improve the program. |
| Multidisciplinary Humanities Major (Grenfell) | This program is paused because there are no students currently in this major. Students are still able to complete a minor in this area. |
In every instance of a program being suspended or discontinued, students who were enrolled in these programs were or will be supported and able to complete their program.
While the programs above were not cut as cost savings measures, as student enrolment dips at Memorial, it is reasonable to anticipate the number of course and program offerings may also dip in response. Our reality is that enrolment at Memorial has, and will continue to, decline through to 2030 because of:
- Changes to federal immigration policy around study permits that have had a devastating impact on international enrolment across the Atlantic Region.
- Newfoundland and Labrador continues to forecast a decline in the number of 18–24-year-olds for a period of years out to 2040.
- For these reasons and more, there is a heightened competition among Canadian universities to recruit students from our province and beyond