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University Bows to the Laws of Physics

Posted on: Wednesday, 29 June 2005, 06:00 CDT

Key science course back on prospectus

A university in the North has re-introduced a key science course after Ministers were given a blueprint to protect subjects of national importance.

Newcastle University was widely criticised last year when it cut its pure physics course because of reduced funding and a lack of interest from students.

But now it says that it will introduce a degree in natural sciences that will allow students to study courses including physics along with modules that are more relevant to a scientific career in industry or research.

The university believes that the new degree will be more attractive to students by giving them the chance to study physics alongside popular new scientific fields such as nanotechnology and molecular engineering. Newcastle's announcement coincided with the release of a report from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) yesterday on how to stop threatened university courses closing.

The report stopped short of saying the Government should order universities to keep important courses open, and has been criticised for not tackling the funding problems that have caused many departments to close.

The closure of the pure physics course at Newcastle ( which was criticised by MPs, the British Medical Association and the Institute of Physics ( was one of the decisions that inspired the Hefce review.

Professor Malcolm Young, head of the university's science faculty, warned the Government at the time that it needed to take action to solve a funding crisis in science.

Yesterday he said: "We are convinced that our new natural sciences degree will appeal to those talented students who would rather study a range of sciences than a single science at university.

"I am certain that employers will be very interested in natural science graduates, especially in new and emerging industries such as nanotechnology, materials sciences and molecular engineering."

Newcastle's last intake of students on to its physics degrees was in 2004.

But the decision to include it on the new degree will mean the tradition of teaching the subject at Newcastle since 1871 will not be broken.

Source: The Journal - Newcastle-upon-Tyne

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