The University of Edinburgh offers nearly 400 undergraduate degrees from a variety of fields, but it is not a new concept that some degrees are held to a higher prestige than others. Many humanities and arts students feel their degree programmes and preferences are being pushed to the side. These feelings are not unjustified; the university has just cut the course of “Queer Geographies: Spatialising Sexuality and Gender” after teaching it for one week in order to save costs, leaving students scrambling for an alternative. Following the strikes during fresher’s week by the UCU and the redundancies made last semester, this seems to be just another step in the process of cuts made by the university to save up to £140 million. These cuts seem to be affecting almost exclusively arts and humanities programmes, whilst STEM subjects continue to flourish, with two new buildings under construction on King’s Campus valued at around £200 million. So, is there a bias towards certain degrees, and how does this affect students?
It’s not just felt in Edinburgh; up and down the country, STEM subjects are often prioritised over humanities throughout school and into higher education. STEM subjects are often seen as more economically valuable, especially in an age of rapidly developing science and technology. There seems to be a growing consensus that the humanities and the arts are not as valuable anymore. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of A Level students taking French has dropped by 9.7 per cent, and German by 19.8 per cent, whilst the numbers for STEM subjects like Economics and Psychology have drastically increased by 31 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. The perceived value in different fields is shifting at a rapid rate.
As part of my degree is German, I had multiple of my professors made redundant at the end of last semester due to the budget cuts made by the University that staff were informed of by email. Now, members of other departments, such as Scandinavian Studies, are having to teach some of my German classes. These cuts have been labelled as “out of proportion” when compared to other universities, and have been met with fierce backlash from both staff and students. The LLC department, as well as other arts departments, have felt these cuts strongly, but it seems the STEM community is thriving, with physics students receiving iPads for their degrees. Hearing this as a humanities student, couldn’t help but feel that I was at a disadvantage to STEM students, and that my degree experience is not prioritised the same way.
This was a general consensus felt by other non-STEM students I spoke to. One student said she had always felt like her love for the humanities and arts was not as supported as her more science-focused peers.
“I think especially as a girl too, it was considered a stereotype that I wasn’t that interested in physics or maths at school,” she told The Student. “It became difficult for me to embrace my passions, and then, coming to University, these attitudes are still prevalent.”
Another student also voiced similar views, saying: “The arts are not viewed as valuable anymore, but they give you so many skills that are still essential in the functioning of society. Not everyone can be a scientist.”
It is clear that there is dissatisfaction among how students feel toward degree bias and cuts. With redundancies being made and resources being stretched thin, it will certainly be interesting to see how the university shapes its financial plan for the years to come.
Photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande on Unsplash