SUNRAYSIA will soon be without a tertiary fine arts course after La Trobe University cut its creative arts offering at the Mildura campus.

Head of campus Dr Deb Neal said the decision to axe the course came after several years of persistently poor student uptake.

"We've been continuously working with low numbers and low enrolments," Dr Neal said.

"Four or five years ago we revamped it, because we weren't getting students into it.

"We did a lot of publicity around it, but the numbers just never grew."

Six students are enrolled in creative arts degrees at La Trobe's Mildura campus.

All current students will be able to complete their studies, but the course will no longer take new enrolments.

Dr Neal said the decision drop the creative arts course was also due in part to the university's financial position as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and plummeting numbers of international students.

"Combined with the financial impact of COVID-19 on the university, it was deemed by the university that the course was not sustainable," she said.

As a result of the course cut, one full-time staff member will lose their job at the end of the academic year, along with several sessional educators, some of whom will continue in a reduced capacity until the remaining students complete their studie...