Abertay University management were concerned about the academic performance of one of its schools, newly released documents have shown.
They also believed Secam (School of Engineering, Computing and Applied Mathematics) was too small to survive and decided it should be disbanded.
Its 25 staff and more than 400 students will be dispersed among three other schools next term.
Secam was best known as the home of the university’s pioneering course in ethical hacking.
An internal document stated it had “little chance of overcoming the obstacles preventing it from growing and expanding” and recommended an immediate restructuring.
An additional problem was that pass rates for students in the school were lower than those in the Institute of Arts, Media and Computer Games (IAMG).
It also scored lower in overall satisfaction in a student survey.
The document admitted disbandment risked Secam being seen as a failure and could also impact negatively on staff morale however, it would correct the imbalance between the size of the current schools.
The proposal was approved at a meeting of Abertay’s executive group on June 14.
Minutes of the meeting stated: “Members noted the potential benefits to the critical mass of the university through the release of small pockets on expertise into aligned academic areas.
“This would complement a concurrent structural reshape in the establishment of a graduate school and a subsequent comprehensive review of portfolio.”
The Abertay branch of academics’ union the University and College Union complained they had not been consulted before the announcement.
However, management rejected a claim it had breached Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service guidelines, saying the effect on staff would not be substantial as there were no changes planned in their terms and conditions.
The business school has welcomed its acquisition of staff and courses covering ethical hacking and internet security.
One of its senior staff said: “Business schools rarely have the opportunity to draw on colleagues with technology backgrounds. Technology informs all business and certainly internet security and ethical hacking are at the core of business and economic interest.”