Texas Tech regents cut some classes on race, gender as options for graduation requirements

Texas Tech University students will have fewer classes on social justice, race and culture to choose from to fulfill graduation requirements after regents approved changes Wednesday.

Regents removed 21 classes from the list of approved core courses, leaving 151, according to regent Shelley Sweatt. A comparison by The Texas Tribune with the university’s 2025-26 list found that the removals included a literature class focused on social justice and the environment, a women’s and gender studies course exploring race, class and gender, and a class on the Holocaust in literature and film.

Faculty committees and leaders at the system’s three general academic universities began reviewing core courses in May to comply with a 2025 state law requiring regents to examine the classes students must take to graduate, Sweatt said during the board meeting. 

They evaluated whether the courses met standards for a broad education and preparation for work and civic life, or were no longer regularly taught, she said. The chancellor’s office then reviewed each university’s proposed list course by course before regents approved changes.

“Removing a course from the core is not the same as removing it from the catalog. Many of these courses will still be offered as electives or part of a major or minor,” she said.

Texas Tech’s approved list includes a class titled “Introduction to Women’s Studies.” This school year’s offering included “Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies.” It is unclear whether the university renamed the class, changed its content or replaced it with a different course.

Regents also approved changes at Angelo State, where 15 courses were removed from the core curriculum, and Midwestern State, where 13 courses were removed. These two schools will have 102 and 94 approved core courses, respectively.

The changes take effect for courses beginning in fall 2027. The university’s 42-credit-hour core requirement remains unchanged, Sweatt said.

The law authored by Chancellor Brandon Creighton when he was a Republican state senator requires regents to review the classes students must take to graduate at least once every five years and certify their compliance by Jan. 1. 

Supporters argued the additional oversight ensures universities offer classes that benefit students without promoting particular political viewpoints, while critics warned it could allow political interference in academic decisions.

The law does not require universities to remove classes on particular subjects.

Since taking over as Texas Tech’s chancellor in November 2025, however, Creighton has imposed restrictions on what professors can teach about race, sexual orientation and gender identity. 

In April, he and regents directed university leaders to phase out degree programs centered on sexual orientation and gender identity and barred instruction on those topics in general education and introductory undergraduate classes, with limited exceptions.

The Texas chapter and the national organization of the American Association of University Professors are suing Creighton and the regents, arguing the restrictions violate professors’ constitutional rights

Now Democrats’ sweeping victories in last week’s elections for governor, lieutenant governor and the Texas House have opened the door to revisiting the law and other Republican-backed higher education policies, such as a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion offices and programs on college campuses.

At Texas Tech, the terms of regent Chair Cody Campbell and Regent Arcilia Acosta expire Jan. 31 while a third seat is vacant. That gives Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa an opportunity to appoint three members to the nine-member board early in her term, subject to confirmation by the Texas Senate.

Other universities have already removed dozens of classes from their lists of approved core courses.

Texas A&M University System regents removed 78 classes at the College Station flagship, while University of Houston regents cut 97 classes at their flagship campus. Both removed classes on LGBTQ-related subjects.

The law created a statewide advisory committee to recommend changes to the general education classes students at Texas public colleges and universities must take, including whether to reduce the number of required classes. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is scheduled to review those recommendations Monday and consider endorsing them for state lawmakers, who begin their next legislative session in January.

Texas Tech’s Student Senate voted Nov. 5 to survey students about Creighton’s restrictions after an hours-long debate over whether they should get involved and if the survey would be politically biased, according to The Daily Toreador, Texas Tech’s student newspaper.

Senators must approve the questions before distributing the survey to the university’s roughly 45,000 students and must receive at least 6,000 responses before the results can be used to inform future Senate decisions about the restrictions.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: Texas Tech University and The Texas A&M University System have been major financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. Cody and Tara Campbell, Open Campus, Texas Tech University System and University of Houston have been financial supporters within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.