Another Physics Department bites the Dust

[a_cubed]

The University of Reading announced to staff this week that it will no longer accept new students onto Physics single subject or joint degrees from 2007. This is the latest in a long chain of departmental closures at Reading, as well as the latest in a a long chain of closures of University Physics departments.

At Reading, they've closed, amongst others:

Postgraduate Research Institute in Sedimentology.
This department ran one of only two hydro-geology MScs in the UK. At a time of climate change, when flooding is one of the biggest challenges facing the UK environment, we closed down one of the principle sources of qualified scientists. The relevant government department has since directly funded the creation of a similar course elsewhere.

Music

Food and Microbial Sciences Unit
This unit brought in approx 5% of the University's research income and included one of the most highly cited researchers in the world.

Linguistics and Applied Language Studies

Various Modern Languages, reducing our degree-level language studies to German, French and Italian. We dropped such unimportant languages as Japanese.

Now Physics.

Comments

[sharikkamur.livejournal.com]

Another university losing physics? That is disgusting. I imagine that there are no problems with whatever are Reading's equivalents of Media Studies or Tourism. :(

As an engineer/scientist... hell, as someone with a physics degree (in a specialised field I admit, but still a physics degree) I'm angry that there is no support for such a fundamental subject.

As an academic who's almost had her own department closed underneath her before now, I'm angry that society places so little importance on science and that few students can be bothered to study something 'hard'.

All of the departments you've mentioned teach 'hard' subjects. Subjects that require a lot of effort to master the technical knowledge and practical aspects of the field (and that includes music). Tony's magical 50% figure for university attendance seems certain to ensure that only the less-demanding subjects will survive. After all, you can't keep people off the dole by demanding that they actually work, can you?

Sadly, unless there is a change in the current 'instant gratification' culture I fear that Reading will not be the last university to lose its more demanding degree subjects.

[stuartc.livejournal.com]

I saw this reported on the BBC news site yesterday, and immediately thought the same thing:

I'm angry that society places so little importance on science and that few students can be bothered to study something 'hard'.

I too am both disgusted and saddened. Sadly, I think it was destined to happen. Ever since they got rid of the hard O levels and replaced them with GCSEs, then mounted a campaign of simplification for A levels to the point where it seems the goal is to achieve a 100% pass rate.

Because it is unfair to punish anyone by labelling them a failure, so now anyone can get A level passes, then they go off to university to study something soft.

And all of our high tech jobs go to India, not because Indian labour is cheaper, but because they are better educated. Let's just hope they are smart enough to not make he same mistake.

[sharikkamur.livejournal.com]

And all of our high tech jobs go to India, not because Indian labour is cheaper, but because they are better educated.

The difference between UK students and Indian students is astonishing. At RGU I taught both, particularly at MSc conversion course level. Many of the UK students just saw it as a way of not having to get a job. The Indian students, however, were enthusiastic, hard-working and *shock, horror* respect their tutors.

Because it is unfair to punish anyone by labelling them a failure

Of course. They haven't failed, they've simply deferred their success. Telling them that they've failed would no doubt be an infringement of their human rights.