Geography courses at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall campus have been shuttered, with staff and students only learning of the decision on A-level results day.
Staff at the Russell Group institution’s Penryn campus were emailed at 8am – the same time that clearing opened – to be told geography courses are being withdrawn, despite students having been able to apply to these during the admissions window.
The cuts come as part of a widespread restructuring programme at Exeter, which has disproportionately affected the humanities and social sciences, with about one-third of Penryn’s geography department at risk of redundancy.
The announcement has raised concerns over job cuts, with fears that it makes compulsory redundancies in the department more likely.
It also means that an academic “cold spot” will emerge in Cornwall, with Exeter being the only institution to provide geography courses in the county.
