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The number of UK university courses in several core science subjects has fallen over the past five years, stoking fears that ministers’ efforts to use technology industries to boost economic growth are being undermined.
Undergraduate degrees offered in chemistry have fallen by more than a quarter and those in biosciences by almost 15% since the 2019-20 academic year, according to Financial Times analysis of Office for Students data , the sector regulator.
Although this decline partly reflects the consolidation and reclassification of subjects, it has fueled fears that the UK is short of researchers as new technologies such as artificial intelligence drive a revolution in scientific discovery.
“The reduction in chemistry and bioscience courses is a wake-up call,” said Steve Elliott, chief executive of the Chemical Industries Association, a trade body. “The chemical sector depends on a consistent pipeline of skilled graduates to fuel innovation, sustainability and global competitiveness. »
The number of undergraduate chemistry courses has fallen by 26% since 2020, according to well-known OfS figures. universities announced further reductions.
Aston has proposed ending its chemistry degree from 2025, while Hull plans to close its entire department because low student numbers mean it is no longer “financially or educationally viable”.
Over the same five-year period, the number of undergraduate courses in biosciences declined by 14 percent and those in physics and astronomy by 7 percent.
The analysis includes dual major courses spanning multiple disciplines, but the trends for pure science courses are similar.
The number of new undergraduate science students has also declined over the past five years, although to a lesser extent. Course registrations fell by 4 per cent for chemistry and 5 per cent for biosciences between 2019 and 2024, according to university admissions service Ucas.
The number of courses accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry has fallen 8 percent over the past five years, from 417 to 383. The number of courses fluctuates over time, the society said, with the number of last year still being higher than the 352 recorded in 2015.
Toby Underwood, head of professional standards, said the learned society knew that “chemistry departments are constantly evolving their courses to ensure they are relevant to the modern world”.
“The government faces many challenges in higher education, but in particular it must help universities avoid short-term thinking by closing courses that will pay dividends in growing the economy and retain vital capacity for the United Kingdom,” he added.
As part of an industrial strategy designed to drive growth, ministers are targeting eight sectors, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy and life sciences.
The CIA’s Elliott said the demand for scientists was “critical to our country’s growth, and I hope the industrial strategy will ensure that businesses can recruit from a pipeline of quality scientists.”
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank, said chemistry appeared to be particularly “reeling” from a wider funding squeeze hitting higher education.
Science degrees tend to be more expensive to fund than their humanities counterparts, due to needs such as laboratory equipment and supplies.
“Courses that are costly to deliver rely on tuition and direct funding from the Office of Students, but both of these revenue streams have been curbed while international student numbers are also declining,” Hillman said. “This makes life very difficult for university CFOs trying to reduce their deficits. »
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, the sector’s main lobby group, said the science course cuts reflected widespread consolidation in the higher education sector due to growing financial pressures.
Budget cuts in the humanities and foreign languages have led more than 50 universities to announce layoff programs and course closures in an effort to stabilize their finances.
“Institutions need to determine where their strengths lie,” Stern said. “Where they recruit low numbers of students or where they cannot compete, they need to trim their sails to ensure financial viability.”
Some course closures reflect the unwinding of unusual recruiting patterns triggered by teacher grades during the pandemic, Stern added. More students than usual achieved top grades during the most intense period of the health crisis, boosting demand for courses at higher-tier universities.