diff --git a/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js b/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
index fa0ae527..8503208b 100644
--- a/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
+++ b/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
@@ -2099,11 +2099,7 @@ getJasmineRequireObj().Env = function(j$) {
       }
       addSpecsToSuite(suite, specDefinitions);
       if (suite.parentSuite && !suite.children.length) {
-        this.deprecated(
-          'describe with no children (describe() or it()) is ' +
-            'deprecated and will be removed in a future version of Jasmine. ' +
-            'Please either remove the describe or add children to it.'
-        );
+        throw new Error('describe with no children (describe() or it())');
       }
       return suite;
     };
diff --git a/spec/core/EnvSpec.js b/spec/core/EnvSpec.js
index 53b7dc05..75979537 100644
--- a/spec/core/EnvSpec.js
+++ b/spec/core/EnvSpec.js
@@ -149,15 +149,10 @@ describe('Env', function() {
       );
     });
 
-    it('logs a deprecation when it has no children', function() {
-      spyOn(env, 'deprecated');
-      env.describe('no children', function() {});
-      expect(env.deprecated).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-        'describe with no children' +
-          ' (describe() or it()) is deprecated and will be removed in a future ' +
-          'version of Jasmine. Please either remove the describe or add ' +
-          'children to it.'
-      );
+    it('throws an error when it has no children', function() {
+      expect(function() {
+        env.describe('done method', function() {});
+      }).toThrowError('describe with no children (describe() or it())');
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/spec/core/integration/EnvSpec.js b/spec/core/integration/EnvSpec.js
index facbb62c..2e2656f0 100644
--- a/spec/core/integration/EnvSpec.js
+++ b/spec/core/integration/EnvSpec.js
@@ -2036,6 +2036,7 @@ describe('Env integration', function() {
       } catch (e) {
         exception = e;
       }
+      env.it('has a test', function() {});
     });
 
     env.execute(null, function() {
diff --git a/src/core/Env.js b/src/core/Env.js
index 1d950402..fed16dfc 100644
--- a/src/core/Env.js
+++ b/src/core/Env.js
@@ -1097,11 +1097,7 @@ getJasmineRequireObj().Env = function(j$) {
       }
       addSpecsToSuite(suite, specDefinitions);
       if (suite.parentSuite && !suite.children.length) {
-        this.deprecated(
-          'describe with no children (describe() or it()) is ' +
-            'deprecated and will be removed in a future version of Jasmine. ' +
-            'Please either remove the describe or add children to it.'
-        );
+        throw new Error('describe with no children (describe() or it())');
       }
       return suite;
     };