Degree courses have been cut by 27% in the UK over the past six years, with science degrees being hit hardest, new research has confirmed.
The overall number of courses has dropped from 70,052 in 2006 to 51,116 this year, giving students much fewer choices.
In England, where fees are due to rise to £9000 per year, the course reduction was worst at 31%, almost a third of all courses.
The research by the University and Colleges Union found that single degrees in ‘stem’ subjects (those likely to be essential to the future economy) like science, technology, engineering and maths were the worst affected at 14.6%. Arts and humanities were also cut by 12.8%.
Other courses with a significant drop are French and German, which have been less popular in recent years. Many universities across England have become ‘language-free’ zones. In the future, students will only be able to study languages along with other subjects.
The reduction in courses has happened gradually as there has been a decrease in demand for single courses and also less funding provided to the universities to keep running them.
Research in recent years has shown that employers are looking for a range of skills and therefore students are more likely to opt for multi-strand courses.
The planned rise in fees has resulted in an emphasis on employability for students and an emphasis on revenue for the institutions. In January, UCAS reported a drop in university applicants of 8.7% for 2012.
Sally Hunt, general secretary for the University and Colleges Union, said: “We fear that shifting the burden of funding from the state to the student means nervous universities will look to axe even more courses that they worry won’t make a profit.
“While successive governments have been dreaming up new ways to increase the cost of going to university, the range of subjects available to students has fallen massively.”
The report suggested that this reduction in course choices and simultaneous rise in fees will discourage international students from applying to UK universities. This could considerably damage the UK economy in years to come as England falls behind in the international education market.
By Flossie Topping
Photo- graduates from Kingston upon Hull, photo labelled for reuse by Geograph.co.uk