Securing job is key to course choice

Students are choosing to take degrees in subjects that are more likely to secure them good jobs after graduation, the Ucas data suggests. There have been increases in students taking maths (up 2.7 per cent), chemistry (up 3.7 per cent), languages (up 2 per cent) and chemical engineering (up 8.8 per cent).

Libby Steele, of the Royal Society of Chemistry, welcomed the findings. "The message has reached students and parents that a degree in chemistry is not only a route through to a rewarding career in the chemical sciences, but also a gateway to a whole range of other careers," she said.

"The skills gained through chemistry degrees are regarded as extremely valuable by employers in many different fields."

Media studies numbers dropped by 8.1 per cent, history by 6 per cent and sociology by 12.6 per cent.

Bill Rammell, the Higher Education minister, said it was "no bad thing" if students were "thinking long and hard" about their degree subject and choosing something that would improve their job prospects.