BSc class set to sue Leicester after cuts

Students are threatening to sue Leicester University for breach of contract after their mass communications department was restructured, writes Tony Tysome.

About 30 second and third-year students studying for a BSc in mass communications said they were planning to take legal action after being left without dedicated buildings, facilities and lecturers.

Matthew Capon, a communications and society student, said: "We were told we would have our own department with dedicated lecturers and facilities. That was not the case, even though the university continued to advertise it as such."

Mr Capon said a letter from the university had warned that legal action by students could result in the closure of media and communications courses.

It said students should "see what happens" and "stop reflecting on the past".

The university announced earlier this year that staff at its Centre for Mass Communication Research would move to other departments.

A spokesman said that the university had "made clear" in 2002 that the restructuring would take place in light of the centre's performance in the 2001 research assessment exercise.

"The university intends all its research activities to be of international standard and is therefore facilitating this process through a review of every academic department and centre," he said.