The College Fix

The Board of Governors of Florida’s university system has commissioned a review of five academic programs, seeking to determine their return on investment. One of the five programs under scrutiny is women’s and gender studies, prompting critics to contend the review is simply a ploy to ultimately cut women’s and gender studies altogether.

The board in September agreed to review the departments of finance, nursing, civil engineering, computer science, and women’s and gender studies in universities with those programs statewide to investigate the return on investment, according to the Independent Florida Alligator, the University of Florida’s student newspaper.

Cassandra Edwards, spokesperson for the Board of Governors, told The College Fix the board is conducting the review as part of the 2025-26 Legislative Budget Request.

“Instead of completing an ROI study on all programs, the Board decided to conduct a pilot study on a few programs as a proof of concept,” Edwards said. “This RFP [request for proposal] is the action item for the Board’s decision. If the Board finds the results of the pilot ROI study worthwhile, then a study evaluating the ROI on all programs would be the next step.”

Edwards did not respond to a question regarding the status of the review. It is unclear whether a group has been formed or designated to investigate the programs.

According to the Alligator, however, the board had hoped to hire a contractor for the study by the end of January, with the goal of concluding the review by the end of this month.

Professors from each of the departments under review at UF, including three from the women’s and gender studies department, did not respond to multiple requests for further comment from The Fix.

Some Democratic politicians and women’s and gender studies professors at other universities are concerned about the review, as it could lead to comparison with other programs that are seen as more “politically palatable” or “high value,” the Alligator reported.

Amy Reid, who was the director of New College of Florida’s gender studies program before it was dissolved in 2023, said it’s like comparing pistachios to pineapples, while state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, said the review is a roundabout way to get rid of the women’s and gender studies, the student newspaper reported.

The review will likely find a stark difference between women’s and gender studies and the four other programs under investigation, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Alligator reported that UF 2019 or 2020 graduates who majored in gender studies earned an average salary of $26,000 during their first year in the workforce, and spent roughly 11 percent of their salary per month on student debt payments. The data also show that five years after graduating, gender studies majors earned an average salary of at least $52,000.

However, engineering, finance, nursing, and computer science majors — all studies that generally lead to higher-paying careers — spent only about 3 percent of their salary per month on student debt.

Michael Itzkowitz, who studied sociology at UF and formerly worked in the Department of Education, told the Alligator it appears to him that the review is politically motivated based on the disparity between the programs under review. He added that the review is essentially useless, as it’s already known that different majors yield different careers and salaries.

“Look, if you’re a sociology major like I am, you are not going to earn as much as a computer scientist,” Itzkowitz reportedly said. “Those are just the facts. Any findings in this study will not illuminate anything more than we already know.”

Women’s studies Professor Jillian Hernandez told the Alligator that graduates of the program generally do well after graduation, often getting jobs in health or education.

“I am confident that the state will find that university faculty and administrators have been good stewards of the state’s resources via Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies education,” Hernandez said.

Several of Florida’s politicians reportedly attempted to cut critical race theory, gender studies, or intersectionality programs from state schools in 2023, but their efforts failed on the basis of potential First Amendment violations.

MORE: Florida State U. to remove general education designation from hundreds of CRT-infused courses

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