A series of government reports have called for an overhaul of university degrees in order to make them more flexible for the current crop of students.

John Denham, the skills secretary, commissioned the nine reports carried out by academic authorities into the university system as part of a buildup to a review of university top-up fees in 2009.

One of the reports, carried out by vice-chancellor of Staffordshire University, Christine King, found that the current university calender was not tailored for the increasing number of part-time students. Part-time students make up around 42 per cent of students in the UK, many have full or part-time jobs.

“Certainly traditional university systems, timetables and calendars are constructed with little reference to the world of employment,” Ms King said.

Another report has called for a shake-up of courses with a more market-friendly academic agenda in mind. It recommends broader degrees which teach a wide range of topics, as opposed to the current system where young students pick specialities.

Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, demanded more student input into degree research: “While vice chancellors and business leaders will have their own perspectives, the views of those who use and pay for higher education, students and their families, must be central in determining its future shape, structure and funding.”

The University and College Union (UCU) questioned the credibility of the reports and accused them of being out of touch with the people on the "front line" of higher education.

It said that the findings of the reports were to be expected from a government that is happy to "cherry pick information, rather than invite a genuine critique of policy."

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the UCU said: “We find it astonishing that the secretary of state failed to ensure that those genuinely representing the people tasked with delivering government policy on the ground—the staff—were afforded the opportunity to contribute to, or review, the submissions.”

Chief executive of Universities UK, Diana Warwick, submitted the findings of the organisation and hailed the research.

“There is a wealth of valuable work in the submissions published today," she said.

"They demonstrate the wide range of ways in which universities contribute to the economy and national life, and identify some important issues which we will need to consider together if we are to ensure universities are well-placed to succeed in the future.”

Perhaps the most radical of the findings urged the government to break up degrees and make the system more suitable for people who wish to drop in and out of higher education throughout their lives.

Students could pay for individual modules and take them where and when they wish, depending on their career choice.

Eventually, they would earn enough modules for a complete degree.

As a result, the government has laid out plans for more flexible learning at colleges. Further education minister Sion Simon said: "The Qualifications and Credit Framework means that, for the first time, all learning counts.

"The new system will ensure that no learning is ever lost, as qualifications will be flexible enough to incorporate relevant modules of training gained at a pace that suits the learner.”