PHILOSOPHY students and tutors from Middlesex University are leading a sit-in protest against the closure of their programme.

Around 50 members of the philosophy school have refused to leave the corridor of Mansion House, where the Dean of Arts and Education's office is located, for the past 24 hours.

They began the protest at 10.30am yesterday after the dean cancelled a meeting to discuss the cuts, which were decided on Monday, April 26.

The Centre for Modern European Philosophy, based at the Trent Park campus in Bramley Road, will be phased out over the next two years.

Current research students will continue their studies, but there will be no recruitment of undergraduates or part-time masters students for next year, and no new research students will be accepted.

A Middlesex University spokesoman said the contribution and dedication of philosophy staff was "notable", and blamed the decision on insufficient demand for places.

The university has taken on 12 new BA students each year for the past three years. It has received six firm acceptances for next year's course.

However, students and lecturers argue that post-graduate applications remain strong and the centre has one of the best academic reputations in London.

Philosophy lecturer Christian Kerslake said: "We plan to stay here indefinitely until the dean agrees to see us.

"He was meant to hold a meeting yesterday, but when we all arrived we were blocked by security guards and told the meeting was cancelled.

"They say the reason is funding, but we believe they haven't made the case either economically or academically.

"The programme is extremely successful. There were 42 new students for the MA course last year, but they want to close everything just because of a slight shortfall in BA numbers."

Philosophy student Ali Alizadeh, 33, added: "This department is the biggest in the whole of Middlesex and famous across the country.

"We have many famous people supporting us, including Noam Chomsky.

"We don't understand their reasons for closing it down."

A university spokesman said: "Although the philosophy area has been recognised for its high quality research, the centre is not currently in receipt of any funding from external research bodies.

"Philosophy has a disproportionately high level of staffing compared to student numbers and the highest ratio of professors to other academic staff than any other subject.

"Philosophy is only able to operate with subsidies from other subject areas in the university.

"The university has no choice but to address this issue, particularly in the context of announced and further anticipated public funding cuts."

The spokesman claimed the dean had been in "lengthy and detailed" consultation with philosophy staff for six months to try to arrive at a positive outcome, but "no workable solution" had been proposed.

According to the university, all students were informed of the postponed meeting last Friday. A new meeting date has been arranged for May 14.