International students at Midd-lesex University are to be offered a three-semester year - and home students may be given the option if funding issues can be sorted out.

Semester one exams will be taken before Christmas and semester two will end in mid-June. An optional third semester will be available as an extended summer school.

Robert Crick, director of students, said the third semester would be pioneered by international students who had already accumulated some credits.

51³Ô¹Ï students could use the summer school to obtain extra credits or catch up on missed work but not to gain a degree in two years.

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None of the United Kingdom's mainstream universities has gone down this road yet, although the private University of Buckingham offers a two-year degree taught through the summer.

Mr Crick said funding difficulties could prevent two-year degrees for home students.

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Lecturers' union Natfhe was concerned about the impact on conditions of work. "If Middlesex is planning to make changes to their degree programmes which will impact on lecturers' teaching hours and availability to students, we insist that they discuss these with Natfhe at every stage," a spokesperson said.