Starting in the fall of 2021, Loyola will no longer offer incoming students the option of a studio arts degree. The program, which currently offers a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, is set to merge with the School of Communication and Design’s design degree starting next school year, in a move the university said will promote multidisciplinary work and allow for an “innovative” expansion of the design program at Loyola.

Students currently enrolled in the studio arts program will be allowed to remain in the major and receive their degrees as planned, but no students will be able to transfer into or enter the studio arts program. The university said the changes will not impact design students and all faculty currently employed within the studio arts and design majors will remain at the university. Studio art spaces will also remain open and available to students.

The change still has to be approved by the university’s accrediting agency which the university said could take up to six months to be approved.

Karoline Schleh, the current chair of the art department, Daniela Marx and Daniel Lievens, who co-chair the design department, will be in charge of the transition.

In an email to studio arts students, Dean of the College of Music and Media Kern Maass said the principles of studio art are also the basis for design and that the move will encourage collaboration between different mediums and departments within the college.

“Our recent reorganization of the College of Music and Media has shown us that a multidisciplinary environment is best for preparing you for a rapidly changing world. This joint approach gives you the vision and tools needed to excel in your fields,” Maass said in the email.

The university will be hosting two forums for student questions and concerns this week on Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Nunemaker Auditorium. The forums will also be streamed on YouTube.