Langara journalism diploma may close after scaled intake and enrollment drop

A journalism program at Vancouver's Langara College, known for its hands-on training and six-decade history of producing award-winning graduates, is preparing to shut down. The two-year diploma program is scaling back classes, has stopped accepting new students, and is planning to graduate its final cohort in spring 2027.

While the college says a final decision has not been made, program chair Barry Link said he has been told to plan for the program's closure. A college statement indicated it is reviewing the program and may recommend pausing intake for the fall 2026 semester due to low student demand. Link said enrollment has fallen to about half of its former levels.

The potential closure follows the end of Langara's one-year journalism certificate program last year. Link described the loss as awful, noting that staff had recently updated the curriculum to include communications training and worked to adapt the program before its termination. "What comes after this? Where will the new trained journalists or communications professionals come from?" Link said. He connected the closure to broader industry challenges, stating there is a conversation about how journalism reinvents...