THE future of Scotland's four-year degree is under threat after a university said it would offer shorter courses to cut down on costs for students.

Dundee University has become the first to develop a three-year honours degree, which will be available to both Scottish students and those from the rest of the UK.

Although some students already enter the second year of a four-year degree course if they study Advanced Highers, Dundee is the first to design a dedicated three-year course.

The first tranche of three-year honours programmes will be launched next September, including courses in art and design and life sciences.

Dundee said it intended to expand its range of three-year honours degrees to include programmes in humanities and law -- as well as other areas -- in future years.

Professor Pete Downes, the university principal, said: “We fully appreciate the views of students and their families looking at the costs of attending university.

“By offering competitively priced three-year pro-grammes, which of course mean a year’s less extra costs in living expenses such as accommodation, and combining this with very high academic standards, we think we have a very attractive offer for students.”

The university stressed many courses would continue to be offered on a four-year basis, but added: “We are actively working on developing a three-year option for many of them.”

The development provoked a mixed reaction from higher education organisations, with some issuing a warning over the threat to the four-year degree.

UCU Scotland, which represents lecturers, said they were “alarmed” at the development. “This will undermine the Scottish four-year honours degree and inevitably dilute the quality of honours degrees,” said a spokesman.

“Other universities have offered entry with advanced standing into the second year of the degree, but only Dundee is developing new three-year degrees for all students which is a threat to the Scottish honours degree.

“Further, a general move to a three-year degree would not be cost-effective as all schools would then be required to undertake Advanced Highers for every subject.”

However, others welcomed the greater flexibility on offer and said the stipulation Scottish pupils sit Advanced Highers would maintain quality.

Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: “We are going to see more of this rather than less.

“There is going to be a need for much more flexibility in future and the shape of qualifications will be quite different to the traditional Scottish offerings.

“For many young people and their families there is bound to be an attraction in the three-year degree on financial grounds.”

Robin Parker, president of NUS Scotland, also welcomed the development. “Shortening the time it takes to get a degree for some students could be a useful way to not only reduce student debt and save the Government money, but also, in some circumstances, to help students from non-traditional backgrounds to get to university,” he said.

The development came as two more

Scottish universities set fees of £9000 a year for students from outside Scotland.

Strathclyde University’s governing body has approved fees of £9000 per year for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, capped at £27,000 for four-year courses. Similarly, students from the rest of the UK (RUK) will also pay £9000 a year at Dundee University, capped at £27,000, from 2012/13 onwards.

Meanwhile, Abertay University announced it will charge RUK students an annual tuition fee of £7000, with fees capped at £21,000.