Professor Matthews, one of the ANU's most prominent gender and culture experts, has quit after months of arguing vehemently against the restructure.

Director of the research school of humanities and the arts professor Howard Morphy confirmed the merger was on the cards with a new management strategy being drafted and due for completion in about a month.

But he was adamant there would be no redundancies or staff losses.

''In fact, there's a possibility there might be a small increase.''

Professor Morphy last year oversaw the massive cost-cutting, job losses and course reforms at the school of music.

He said the merger of two schools into one was ''to create a larger unit that brings together languages and literature and that will create more research opportunities and give a higher profile to the schools concerned''.

''If it goes ahead, and we will have a period for discussion and we haven't developed the final change management proposal, then the result will be in much better outcomes,'' he said.

The federal government's higher education reforms have placed increasing pressure on all Australian universities to improve their research performance.

Professor Morphy said humanities at the ANU were already world leaders and all schools saw improved results in the last Excellence in Research Australia round.

''We already have great research strengths but want to ensure we carry on in that particular direction,'' he said.

He said no disciplines would be axed and that while administrative processes would be streamlined, no administrative positions would be lost.

''They might go to different roles but nobody will be demoted.''

Professor Matthews, who has spent 30 years at the ANU and was the inaugural director of the centre for women's studies, told colleagues earlier this week she had been asked to stand down from the post by the dean of the college of arts and social sciences, Toni Makkai, and that she had agreed.

Professor Matthews said, ''My conflicts with the director (Professor Morphy) over his proposed abolition of the school, my unwillingness to facilitate his restructure, and my poor health are the main factors involved.

''I believe that things are at such an impasse that my continued presence as head is only making things worse for the school.''

Professor Morphy denied that Professor Matthews had been asked to resign. ''As far as I know, she decided she would step aside from that position.''

Professor Matthews is overseas and could not be contacted by The Canberra Times but said in her email to colleagues: ''On my return in a fortnight I have agreed to stay on as lame duck head until appropriate transition arrangements are in place.''

The National Tertiary Education Union's ACT division secretary, Stephen Darwin, said the merger risked becoming ''the school of music all over again''.

Mr Darwin said the union had been concerned for some time about the continuing cuts to resources in both the school of cultural inquiry and the school of languages.