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University of Plymouth rationalises politics provision
22 April 2005
As part of its ongoing internal review of course provision, the University of Plymouth has announced that it will no longer offer an undergraduate single honours degree or major pathway in politics.
Senior managers made the announcement to staff and students this week, stressing that politics would continue to be offered as a minor pathway in combination with other subjects such as history.
The University of Plymouth has one of the largest portfolios of undergraduate degrees in the UK and is conscious of the shifting patterns in popularity and changing market for these courses. While there has been a steep rise in the recruitment of students to the university’s degree in international relations and combinations such as history with politics, the single honours and major pathways in politics have not proved such a popular choice.
The decision to rationalise the politics courses will have no implications for current students, and the small number of students who have applied to study single honours or major pathways from September 2005 have been offered suitable alternative courses. Senior managers are in talks with the University’s personnel department and the unions about implications for staff, who will be redeployed wherever possible.
The University is home to the highly successful Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre (LGCEC), which was flagged as ‘excellent’ in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The work of the LGCEC will not be affected by the decision.
Speaking about the rationalisation of politics provision at the University, Professor Mark Cleary, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), said: “We have a responsibility to adapt to the changing market in higher education and to ensure that we build on our strengths. Undergraduate study of politics will continue at Plymouth – the minor pathway complements subjects such as criminal justice studies, law, history and international relations and continues to be popular.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Office on 01752 588002.
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