Aberdeen University could cut less popular courses under savings plan
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The University of Aberdeen says it needs to save millions of pounds
The University of Aberdeen has announced plans to change the courses it offers, with less popular subjects facing possible cuts under a savings plan.
Last month, the university said the savings would include stopping almost all staff recruitment and revisiting voluntary redundancies.
The university has now said it expects to see a "small reduction" in the overall size of its workforce, and will look into changing its range of degrees.
It is aiming to address a £5.5m budget gap.
Aberdeen is one of a number of Scottish universities looking at ways of cutting back on spending in response to financial pressures.
In a statement it said: "It's a challenging time for the UK higher education sector and the university is addressing a £5.5m budget gap which equates to around 2% of our total revenue.
"We are considering ways to more effectively shape and enhance our educational portfolio to create a more student demand-led, academically sustainable portfolio of degree programmes."
The statement added: "As part of this a voluntary severance and enhanced retirement scheme will also be offered to academic staff in a sub-set of our disciplines.
"Depending on the take-up of the scheme we expect this would see a small reduction in the overall size of our total workforce."
An update to staff said many courses had five or fewer students.
University of Aberdeen
The university is trying to bring costs down
The University of Aberdeen's Students' Union (Ausa) expressed concern at the announcement.
Miles Rothoerl, Ausa vice president for education, said: "Students are already feeling the impact on their experience, and without urgent action things will continue to deteriorate.
"The university funding system is broken."
The University of Aberdeen's future was described as being in "significant doubt" in its annual report in May last year.
Uncertainties such as rising costs and falling numbers of international students were highlighted, and it warned a "material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt over the ability to continue as a going concern".
However, the university said the report was setting out the potential risk if action was not taken, and that it was now on a firm financial footing.
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