Degree courses to be cut to two years

Students will be fast-tracked through the contents of a three-year degree course in two years under a shake-up of the university timetable.

Students will be fast-tracked through the contents of a three-year degree course in two years under a shake-up of the university timetable.

The move will help students to avoid massive debts by cutting the cost of a university education by a third.

Universities in the UK are promising to co-operate with ministers and will consider setting up pilot two-year honours degree courses within the next few months.

Students would work round the calendar – thus facing only two years of tuition fees and university living costs.

The proposal is based on a model already used by the University of Buckingham, where all of its 720 students complete their honours degrees within two years. A university spokeswoman said: "The founding fathers wanted to offer the students the opportunity to get everything done in two years so they could go out and earn a living in the third. We are finding that a lot of universities have expressed an interest in what we are doing, although so far no one has copied us."

The Department for Education and Skills has told universities that two-year honours degree courses "may suit those who would have difficulty spending a full three years in full-time education but who have the enthusiasm and the drive to complete a higher education degree".

Officials argue it could be an attractive option for mature students seeking a career switch in mid-life. The summer break would be used as an additional semester. The scheme would bring down the average level of debt to its present level or lower, officials add. Charles Clarke, the Secretary of State for Education, has warned that debt could rise to as much as £21,000 under top-up fee proposals.

Both vice-chancellors and academics gave the scheme a lukewarm reception. Paul Cottrell, assistant general secretary of the Association of University Teachers, said: "We welcome the Government's enthusiasm for flexible learning. However, that enthusiasm needs to be channelled into workable schemes. Staff goodwill is already at breaking point – their workloads are saturated and they teach twice the number of students as 20 years ago. At this rate, three into two simply won't go."

A spokesman for the National Union of Students said: "It's not something that we'd oppose out of hand." But it "might just be seen it as a way of cutting costs".

"We'd be worried that – if that was the sole reason – students might be missing out on other aspects of university life such as student media and clubs," he added. "They're the things that could increase your earning potential and show you are a well-rounded person. Going to university just so you can earn more money is not really what university is all about."