Maths course closure at Dundee a ‘national tragedy’

The University of Dundee’s plan to stop offering mathematics degrees has been described as an “act of academic vandalism” that will “damage Scotland’s economic success”.

Dundee announced last week that it is suspending recruitment for its undergraduate maths course as part of its plan to cut 190 jobs, on top of 675 roles that have been lost since August 2024.

The university has stressed that it will continue to offer the subject via other means but the Campaign for Mathematical Sciences urged the institution to think again.

“That is a radical step to take and a deeply misguided one in my opinion. It amounts to little more than academic vandalism,” said the campaign group’s chair, Mark Chaplain, who is the Gregory chair of applied mathematics at the University of St Andrews.

“At a time when the government and the nation need the mathematical sciences to support national security and the development of AI, and underpin vital sectors like healthcare and the gaming industry that have such strong ties to the city of Dundee, it is deeply saddening to see maths provision under such an existential threat.”

He said the decision “must be reversed”, adding: “If the university goes ahead with these ill-thought-through plans and leaves Dundee with no dedicated university undergraduate maths provision after over 140 years of excellence, that would be an embarrassment to the city and a tragedy for the country.”

But Dundee insisted that the decision to close the programme was necessary to “ensure a sustainable future” for the university. 

A spokesperson added that demand for the course had fallen by more than 50 per cent in the last five years, and said the proposals are subject to consultation.

“This does not represent a closure of the mathematics discipline. Recruitment to our new MSc in Applied Data Science and AI for September appears positive, and mathematics will continue to play an essential underpinning role across the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Business,” the spokesperson said.

“The direction is therefore a pivot in how mathematics operates, with a stronger emphasis on its role as an enabling discipline supporting other subject areas.”

Chaplain, along with Beatrice Pelloni, president of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society, and Heather Tewkesbury, president of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, has signed a letter to the university’s interim principal, Nigel Seaton, raising concerns about the proposed cuts.

The academics write that Dundee has a “strong research profile”, and sustaining this “depends on a vibrant academic environment”. 

“The removal of undergraduate provision, alongside potential staff losses, risks accelerating the attrition of expertise and reducing critical capacity within the discipline, with longer-term consequences for the strength and sustainability of mathematical research at the University,” they write.

They have also written to the Scottish first minister and the cabinet secretary for education over concerns that the cuts will undermine Scotland’s economic success, noting that recent analysis found that mathematical sciences contribute roughly £36 billion to the country’s economy.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com