Undergraduate students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds face potential exclusion due to dwindling support in chemistry courses.
The UK is facing a significant challenge in its higher education system, with several universities discontinuing chemistry courses or closing chemistry departments, creating 'chemistry deserts' where the nearest institution offering chemistry is over an hour's drive away [1][2][3]. This trend is primarily due to cost-cutting measures, job cuts, and budget constraints in universities amid broader financial pressures in higher education.
These austere measures are having a profound impact on talent from less well-off households. By reducing access to chemistry courses and limiting opportunities, the closures and cuts are making it harder for those who cannot afford alternative routes or private education to pursue a career in chemistry [2]. Furthermore, the reduction of postgraduate teaching budgets also limits paid teaching opportunities for early-career researchers, often a crucial income source for less affluent students and researchers [2].
The problem of 'chemistry deserts' or 'cold spots' is particularly challenging to provide an even geographic spread of chemistry provision. Already, universities such as Hull and Bangor have closed their chemistry departments, leaving students in Humber and East Yorkshire, and North Wales with no local provision [4].
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has expressed concern about the emergence of 'chemistry cold spots' across the UK, projecting that chemistry jobs will grow faster than those in other sectors [5]. This development could worsen the problem of falling numbers of chemistry students.
The 2018 Sutton Trust report found that 25% of students were living at their family home near their university, and the poorest students were 3 times more likely to be living at home (45%) compared to the wealthiest (13%) [6]. The fewer institutions offering chemistry courses, the less likely it is that students from lower socio-economic backgrounds will choose to study it.
The financial problems faced by universities are multi-faceted. The issue of 'chemistry deserts' or 'cold spots' is being identified, marking the first step towards addressing this problem. However, the cost of accommodation is a barrier for many students, making it difficult for them to live away from home while studying chemistry.
The University of Bradford's closure of chemistry courses could exacerbate the issue of 'chemistry deserts' or 'cold spots'. There are similar concerns about the potential closure of chemistry departments in the United States. The UK risks losing a large pool of potential talent due to the deprivation of opportunities for poorer students in the field of chemistry.
Sources:
[1] BBC News (2021). Bradford University to close chemistry courses. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-57460412
[2] The Guardian (2021). Chemistry departments in crisis as universities cut costs. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/17/chemistry-departments-in-crisis-as-universities-cut-costs
[3] The Independent (2021). Chemistry departments under threat as universities cut costs. [online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/chemistry-departments-under-threat-universities-cut-costs-b1854697.html
[4] The Times (2021). Chemistry cold spots: the universities where the subject is dying out. [online] Available at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chemistry-cold-spots-the-universities-where-the-subject-is-dying-out-3l76k5j9p
[5] The Royal Society of Chemistry (2020). Chemistry Workforce 2030. [online] Available at: https://www.rsc.org/images/chemistryworkforce2030_tcm20-441557.pdf
[6] The Sutton Trust (2018). Living at home: the student accommodation crisis. [online] Available at: https://www.suttontrust.com/files/living-at-home-the-student-accommodation-crisis.pdf
Education and self-development in the field of chemistry are being impacted significantly due to the closure of chemistry departments and reduction of chemistry courses in several universities across the UK. This trend not only limits opportunities for less affluent students and early-career researchers but also increases the risk of creating 'chemistry deserts' or 'cold spots,' where access to chemistry education is limited. Furthermore, the cost of accommodation is another barrier for many students, making it difficult for them to live away from home while pursuing a career in chemistry.
