A maximum limit has been placed on the number of students being allowed onto City journalism courses. This follows record applications and admissions this year.
The department currently serves 635 students – including publishing and undergraduate journalism – which is up by about 35 on the previous year.
The new group of students set things off to a rocky start in October, when the programmes began, pushing the department to its limit.
The fire brigade were called out to a public administration lecture in the first term after complaints that the room was over-filled. Students without seats were forced to sit on the floor in the aisles causing a potential fire risk.
Head of journalism, Professor George Brock said: “We have discovered that this is the maximum number of students we can cope with. In fact, the ideal number is just a little bit below this.”
He added: “If a group no longer fits into a classroom, it’s a crisis”
Despite applications running higher than ever before at this point, Brock stated that there will not be room for any more students.
He said: “We are not in a position to open up more places. It certainly won’t be above 635 next year.”
The course hardest hit was the international MA, as the majority of the extra students were accepted into this programme.
Lorena Fernandez, International MA student representative, said: “Initially, it felt like they didn’t have the structure for the programme. We had several teachers for the same class, and some classes seemed way too general – like they were just trying to fill a space.”
She said that the programme had found its feet again but added: “If they took fewer people they might make a better course.”
The increased size of the international course resulted in the students being split into more groups than usual.
International MA course director, Heather Purdey said: “There are now students from 25 different countries on the course. I had to completely re-vamp the timetable at very short notice, find larger rooms, and hire more tutors. It took a lot of work, but it’s turned out well.”
by Jasmine Phillips
There are too many people here this year – we can’t always get computers. I agree that there should be a ceiling limit next year, although it does mean City are producing more and more great journalists!