A lecturer who claimed he suffered age discrimination when his department made it mandatory for all new staff to have a PhD has agreed an out-of-court settlement with his former employer.

Stephen Games, 63, an hourly paid lecturer at the University of Kent¡¯s School of Architecture, began legal action after he failed to make the shortlist for one of several full-time posts advertised by the school because he had no doctorate.

Having an absolute requirement of a PhD for selection amounted to indirect ageism because very few older graduates in his field had doctorates, which placed him at a disadvantage to younger applicants, he argued.

His case was initially rejected by an employment tribunal in July 2013, which accepted the university¡¯s argument that Mr Games had had ample opportunity to gain a PhD by use of previous publications.

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But an?appeal court later ruled in November 2014 that the original judgment ¡°erred in law¡±, provided ¡°no reasoning¡± for its decision, and a new hearing on the alleged age discrimination should be heard.

Mr Games and Kent have now agreed a settlement out of court, which is to remain confidential.

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However, Mr Games told Times Higher Education that he felt ¡°vindicated¡± in pursuing the case over several years by the settlement.

He said his case highlighted the rigidity of certain parts of academia that appeared to value formal qualifications, such as a PhD, above experience, talent and other capabilities held by staff.

¡°Architecture is a practical subject where the educational criteria are laid down by the Architects Registration Board, which prizes diversity and experience, so, according to the profession, I was well qualified to teach,¡± said Mr Games.

¡°But when architecture is placed in an academic milieu, people like me cannot score as highly as less experienced staff who have academic training,¡± he added.

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The implications of his case are ¡°very worrying¡±, he continued.

¡°There must be occasions where the educational system can be broad enough to have staff with formal qualifications, but also those with a breadth of experience,¡± he said.

¡°But when it was put to the test, there is no method for valuing these things ¨C it was only able to validate something that came from its own system.¡±

The University of Kent declined to comment on the matter.

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jack.grove@tesglobal.com