Several current and recently graduated College of Arts and science students expressed concern yesterday that a recent restructure of the university had diminished choice and availability of courses and led to a reduction in the number of academic staff involved in teaching.

The college is the latest area of the university to be restructured as part of a long-term push by the ANU to bring its research and teaching functions closer together.

Graduate Genevieve Kenneally said there had been a noticeable drop in the number of courses within the humanities subjects and also a decline in the number of staff available to teach them.

''My experience over the past three years is that through no fault of their own the lecturers have become exhausted,'' Ms Kenneally said.

''A lot of lecturers have left the department and have not been replaced, meaning those who are left have had to take on more teaching work while still meeting the research output required of them.''

For more on this story, see today's Canberra Times.