Florida removes sociology as a core subject in public universities as part of a push against DEI in education

The State University System Board of Governors on Thursday removed sociology from the public university general education catalog.

At a meeting in Pensacola, the board nixed "Introduction to Sociology" from general education offerings and made the class an elective for the 2026-2027 year.

The move, which wasn't on the public agenda, was brought up by Chancellor Ray Rodrigues about 40 minutes into the meeting.

"The path to preserve academic freedom and preserve compliance with Florida statutes is clear: remove Sociology 1000 and 2000 courses from all general education classifications. Leave these courses as electives, free to compete in the marketplace of ideas, and leave them as the majors and the minors for the students who choose to study them," Rodrigues said. 

It's part of the state's push against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Florida's public university system.

In 2024, the sociology course was removed from core courses after board members argued it didn't meet the state's civics requirements.

"When you look at the concepts that are discussed in sociology, they're very theoretical," said board member and then-state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz at the time. "While that field was very scientific, at one point, it has moved away from that."