The University of Houston Board of Regents speaking during the seminar meeting on Thursday, March 12, 2026 in Houston, Texas. | Gillian Wisniewski/The Cougar
The UH System Board of Regents met on May 21 at the LeRoy and Lucile Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting. The board approved several new academic programs and degree consolidations across the UH system, with some changes set to start in fall 2026.
New programs
UH-Downtown will implement a Master of Science in biological science and instrumentation beginning fall 2026. This program is designed to focus on laboratory and application-based skills that meet growing national workforce demands, as cited by the board.
UH will establish a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, politics and economics beginning fall 2026. The degree will offer an interdisciplinary approach that allows students to approach issues from multiple academic perspectives rather than a single discipline.
UH will also implement a Master of Design Studies in fall 2026, replacing the current master of Arts in architectural studies degree. According to the board, the change is intended to make the degree more attractive to future students while also building on foundations in environmental design.
Additionally, UH will establish a Ph.D. in music education in fall 2026, replacing the current Doctor of Musical Arts degree. The board noted that the program will have a more comprehensive focus on music, research and pedagogy.
Program consolidations
Program consolidations were also approved within the College of Pharmacy.
The Master of Science in pharmaceutical health outcomes and policy and the Master of Science in pharmaceutics will be consolidated into a Master of Science in pharmaceutical sciences.
Similarly, the Ph.D. in pharmaceutical health outcomes and policy and the Ph.D. in pharmaceutics will be consolidated into a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences.
The Board also approved changes to the law program. The board members noted that while many students enrolled in specialized law courses, such as tax law, the separate degree programs themselves did not meet minimum enrollment requirements.
Under the new structure, students will pursue a Master of Laws degree with the option to specialize in intellectual property and information law, health law, tax law, international law or energy and environmental and natural resources law, rather than enrolling in standalone LLM degree programs.
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