Here we go, seven UK universities are axing the same healthcare course

Erm, at least seven UK universities are cutting back the same healthcare course, following concerns there aren’t enough “employment opportunities” for grads.

Pulse found at least seven UK universities have either stopped accepting new students for, or completely scrapped, their MSc courses in Physician Associate Studies. The University of East Anglia (UEA) has already closed down their course, because of “a significant decline in student applications and employment opportunities”. The University of Aberdeen explained they won’t be recruiting freshers for 2026, due to “a decline in student applications and lack of subsequent employment opportunities for graduates”. Canterbury Christ Church University said they were “teaching out” the current students, and had “no plans for further recruitment”.

The University of Chester and Sheffield Hallam University‘s courses aren’t being advertised at all anymore. The Brighton and Sussex Medical School (which is part of both the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex) and the University of the West of England Bristol have stopped accepting new students. Their websites don’t confirm what will happen to their course in the future.

Healthcare courses are taught at UWE Bristol’s Glenside Campus
(Credit: Rwendland)

Concerns have been raised about Physician Associate courses at unis recently. In December 2024, the General Medical Council (GMC) took over the regulation of these uni courses. Out of the 34 unis that offered these courses, the GMC approved 29, and decided four could continue subject to conditions. A review published in July 2025 concluded NHS England needed to make changes to physician associate jobs, such as renaming them “physician assistants”.

Most Read

The deeper meaning of why Ed Gein saw everything green in The Ed Gein Story’s episode four

Bonnie Blue offends 800k people as she names and shames two ‘sh*thole’ UK cities

Ian Watkins’ Lostprophets bandmate responds after the paedophile singer was killed in prison

Far more students sign up to Physician Associate Studies courses than there are actually jobs available in this area.

Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data shows that in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, 1,805 postgrad students started Physician Associate Studies. However, according to Pulse Primary Care, a grand total of 1,064 full-time equivalent physician associates worked in primary care in England. The odds of nabbing a grad job can’t be good.

Plenty of other universities across the UK have already announced plans in 2025 to scale back the range of healthcare and other science courses they offer.

Featured image of the University of Aberdeen by AlasdairW.