Canterbury university axes literature degrees

Freya Hodge has launched a petition calling on Canterbury Christ Church University to reverse its decision

More than 100 people have signed a petition calling on Canterbury Christ Church University to reverse its decision to stop offering English literature degrees from September 2025.

Freya Hodge - a second year student studying English literature and history - started the petition because she said the university's decision was a “betrayal to the city of Canterbury”.

She said Canterbury was "bursting with heritage", with writers such as Christopher Marlowe, Geoffrey Chaucer and Aphra Behn hailing from the city.

A university spokesperson said it had seen a significant decline in the number of students wanting to study the subject in recent years and the course was “no longer viable in the current climate”.

Ms Hodge said she was surprised the university was cutting the subject because it was so highly regarded at school.

She said it was “disgusting” that students would be denied the opportunity to study it.

Canterbury Christ Church University said it would continue to teach the course to students currently in their first or second year.

It said students studying English literature as part of their foundation year - an extra year of study at the start of an undergraduate course - would be offered the opportunity to continue onto alternative courses.

It said it constantly evaluated the subjects it offered to ensure it was able to meet the needs of future students and employers.

It said: “Colleagues will be supported throughout this transition in the coming months as they explore the impact with them.”

The BBC has approached the university for further information, including on the number of jobs that will be affected by its decision.