The University of Sydney will slash up to 100 degrees from its portfolio and triple its annual investment in research to $900 million over six years, the university's vice-chancellor Michael Spence has revealed.

On Thursday the university announced its 2016-2020 Strategic Plan to streamline degrees into three "tracks": professional development, research and a more open track for broader education.

Dr Spence said that the university will end up with about 20 degrees across streamlined arts and social sciences, business, engineering, science, health, and medicine faculties and the schools of law, architecture and the conservatorium of music.

It currently has more than 122 degrees across 16 faculties in its Camperdown, Lidcombe and Westmead campuses, the list of remaining degrees is still being negotiated between the faculties.