It's not as if students have a cosy enough time as it is with all that drinking, drugs, sex and not having to get up before midday before strolling into college for a half hour lecture (if my memory serves me right). Three years of that and achieving £10,000 in debt and a degree that can only get them a job in tele-sales.

Anyway, if students weren't having an easy enough time of it then Southampton's Solent University has decided to make it a little bit easier by, at least, having a fun course to study; the country's first ever degree in comedy. No, really, it's a proper degree and everything.

The 'full time' course starts in September and will, 'examine comedy through both production and performance. Exploring comedy as a media industry in its own right.' Work will be assessed on an approximate ratio of 40% theory and 60% practice with some of the modules including, 'Stand-Up' and 'The Sit-Com' to the contentious issue of, 'What is Comedy?'

Running the course is former stand-up, Chris Ritchie, who said to BBC Hampshire, "It is not just teaching people to do stand-up but teaches all aspects of comedy history, theory and production. There is a huge history of comedy practice and theory worth studying. It involves psychology, anthropology and social and political attitudes and concepts of gender. We will be looking at Shakespeare as much as Max Miller."

The possible career opportunities from the course are all things comedy related (directing, writing, performing, producing, administrating) and tele-sales.