BU suspends dozen PhD programs after historic 7-month strike

Local news

PhD candidates in fields such as English and history will have to wait a year or more to apply to Boston University.

Following a seven-month graduate worker strike, Boston University has suspended applications to a dozen doctoral programs for the upcoming academic year.

The university’s American and New England studies, anthropology, classical studies, English, history, history of art and architecture, linguistics, philosophy, political science, religion, love studies and sociology programs will not accept new doctoral students next year. in question. All programs are located within the Institute of Arts and Sciences.

An average of nine students enroll in a group entering the programs, according to data From autumn 2022.

The application website said the decision to suspend came after “careful consideration” and that BU plans to reopen admissions for future years. Other programs that are still open to new applicants, such as chemistry and creative writing, have application deadlines in mid-December or early January.

Stopping programs, first reported This statement, produced by the online publication Inside Higher Ed, comes after a 206-day strike by the Boston University Graduate Labor Union. ended in October. BUGWU is represented by SEIU Local 509.

At the time of the strike, the union was struggling to secure annual salaries of more than $62,000 for salaried doctoral employees earning salaries between $27,000 and $40,000. The final contract included a salary of $45,000 with a 3 percent increase over the three years of the contract.

Deans of the College of Arts and Sciences, where the affected programs are located, said in an email to professors that the new contract has “budgetary implications”: Boston Globe reported. BU must balance its “existing commitments to doctoral students currently enrolled in our programs and admissions for next year,” the email said.

Professors were told in September that their programs would be rolled back, in part because of the “significant additional cost of increased salary and benefits support needed per PhD.” Sphere reported.

BU did not return a request for comment, but spokesman Colin Riley pointed WBUR to a university working group investigating the future of doctoral education at BU that concluded its findings last year. The report found that fewer graduates are securing tenure-track faculty positions. WBUR also found that increasing graduate student unionization efforts across the country are taking a financial toll. reported.

job market is getting smaller generally for doctoral program graduates Sphere found before. BU’s graduate students number more than 18,000, which is more than its undergraduate population.

SEIU Local 509 said BU did not explain the “drastic decision” and that the new contract, which increased labor costs, did not contribute to the decision.

“The suspension of admissions to programs such as Philosophy, History and English, areas where graduate professionals play a significant role in teaching and research at the university, raises serious questions about BU’s long-term commitment to these academic disciplines,” the statement said. . “It is concerning that the university appears keen to reduce opportunities for students in these fields, with suggestions that this decision is based on the contractual benefits of graduate employees.”

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Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime and more.

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