The University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) will implement profound changes to its academic offerings in the coming years, at a time of expansion for private universities, in order to establish itself and grow in the Balearic Islands. Starting next academic year, students will be able to pursue a degree in Marine Sciences and a double degree in Mathematics and Physics. In subsequent years, a double degree in Catalan and English Philology will be added, as well as degrees in Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, and a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degree, which currently has a provisional name while its final profile and implementation model are being defined. During the presentation of these new programs, the Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, emphasized the Government's "firm" commitment "to the only public university in the Balearic Islands," as part of the effort to combat the fact that the Balearic Islands have the highest school dropout rate and the fewest university students of any autonomous community in Spain. For his part, the rector of the UIB, Jaume Carot, thanked the Balearic Government for its collaboration and celebrated the UIB's progress to the point of no longer being the institution with the fewest offerings among the G9, the group of public universities that are the only ones in their respective territories. Carot explained that the main obstacle to growth has not been a lack of will but rather a lack of space: "The Polytechnic School operates at full capacity morning and afternoon, with all classrooms occupied, and also uses other buildings."