Two years? Yes we can

In the article “In UK, two-year courses still too short a season” (News, 12 September), you mention a report by Ella Ritchie, former pro vice-chancellor for teaching and learning at Newcastle University, saying that two-year degrees could make students “less employable”.

Our experience at the University of Buckingham proves the opposite. Employers welcome students who have enjoyed two years of concentrated study and have sacrificed the long summer vacations to get ahead. This is evidenced by the latest Higher Education Statistics Agency figures, which put Buckingham top among non-specialist institutions in the UK for graduate prospects.

Barack Obama seems to have got the message. Speaking at Binghamton University in New York last month, the president said: “I believe that law schools would probably be wise to think about being two years instead of three years. In the first two years, young people are learning in the classroom. The third year, they’d be better off clerking or practising in a firm even if they weren’t getting paid that much. But that step alone would reduce the costs for the student.”

Julian Lovelock
Pro vice-chancellor
University of Buckingham