One of the UK’s top journalism colleges is facing the prospect of job cuts as its parent university battles a £50m shortfall.

The journalism department at Sheffield University is among those being targeted as a part of a programme of cutbacks, with its academic and admin staff being invited to apply for voluntary redundancy.

Staff in the department have been told that if there are not enough volunteers, compulsory job cuts will have to follow.

The department, based at The Wave, pictured below, employs 26 teaching staff, a mixture of ex-journalists and pure academics.

HTFP understands the move is partly due to a fall in the department’s postgraduate recruitment, even though its undergraduate recruitment remains one of the biggest in the country.

According to a report in Sheffield daily The Star, the university attracted up to 2,200 fewer international students this year, a drop of around 7pc on the previous year.

A member of staff told The Star that a major factor behind the shortfall in international students was because the University of Sheffield had fallen out of the world’s top 100 ranking, the QS100, in June this year and is now ranked 105th.

“The difference in attending a ‘world’s top 100’ university or not is enormously important to some international communities,” they said.

A spokesperson for the university said: “As part of a range of measures to address a financial shortfall, we have introduced a voluntary severance scheme in selected areas of the University.

“The sector-wide challenges mean we must remain flexible and agile to protect our excellent research and teaching, and we will be taking considered decisions to ensure the institution’s long-term sustainability and success.

“We recognise this is a difficult time for colleagues and are firmly committed to supporting our staff and working constructively with our trade unions throughout this period, whilst maintaining the high standards of academic excellence for which Sheffield is renowned.”

The closure of some buildings has not been ruled out, with the university saying it is “reviewing” the size of its estate.