Doug Specht quoted in Times Higher Education on course cancellations and funding cuts

The UK government has unexpectedly cut more than £100 million in higher education funding intended for specialist and strategic courses, redirecting support toward programs aligned with high-growth sectors. This decision, made just months before the academic year, has provoked widespread concern among education providers, who say it will lead to course cancellations, financial instability, and reduced student opportunities.

Accelerated degree programmes are among those losing funding. Cuts also affect media, journalism, and creative industry courses, raising concerns about stifling academic freedom and damaging sectors vital to the UK’s prosperity.

Speaking to the Times Higher Education, Doug Specht, head of the School of Media and Communication, shared his concerns for the future of this discipline:

“The persistent ‘Mickey Mouse’ myth attached to media and journalism degrees detracts from the fact that these programmes are not only academically rigorous but also central to the UK’s creative and economic future. They are vital engines of economic growth, regional development and democratic health.”

Additional education leaders describe the cuts as abrupt, poorly timed, and politically driven, with some warning of long-term harm to both institutions and the workforce. The move has been criticised as a “sledgehammer policy” that prioritizes short-term fiscal goals over long-term educational and societal benefits.

Read the full article here.

Photo by Oskar Młodziński.