What Are "Rip-Off Degrees"?

[sandyRoe]

I would have thought any degree would show the students' ability to work for three years towards their target.

[barry1010]

The government describes them as degrees that have 'high drop-out rates and "poor" job prospects.

I agree that completing a degree shows commitment.

[Cloverjo]

No, sorry. Universities now are money-making institutions, not seats of learning and research.

Most of the students shouldn't be there. But, who will stop it? I blaim Tony Blair, and I'm a lefty.

 

[rowanwitch]

Maybe the time has come to rethink what is offered.  Perhaps with an independent panel setting out what the country will need On a five or ten year programme and universities bidding for their share of that allocation.  It might weed out the little minority offers  and the courses that only prepare the student to teach the subject to other students.  Thinking of the obscure reaches within literature, maybe even history.  My cousin has a PHD in some obscure religious tracts from the early days of printing.  She has been all over the world giving lectures .... Can't see how this knowledge has any value outside a tiny circle of academics.  She ended up as a librarian in the HOC... Go figure.

[newmodarmy]

Is this an example?

Velcro University.

https://www.velcro.com/news-and-blog/2018/10/velcro-university/ ;

[douglas9401]

Oh, not a tribute band then.

[Cloverjo]

Is that a joke? The Velcro institution. Sometimes I just don't get parody. To the amusement of everyone around me. 
We need more electricians, builders and plumbers and carers. Not some potential workers going off to get in debt and come out with a not very useful degree. 

[sandyRoe]

Isn't there a Ronald McDonald Uni somewhere in the USA?

I guess it would be on a par with the velcro place.

[Untitled]

universities were foolishly expanded in size by new labour because the boomers who voted for them wanted their children to have degrees. the result has been a huge over-production of degrees and universities that have far too many students in them. most degrees carry very little value on the job market not because they are actually valueless but because everybody has one. students in these institutions are treated as cash cows and offered very little indeed in the way of education. it is unsurprising indeed that class attendance at uk universities has dropped so massively in the last year or two... many students have to work part time in order to fund these incredibly expensive qualifications and others quite reasonably do not see the point in turning up. governments of both colours have done an absolute number on our higher education system which is now in in absolute state. it is very sad and the students are not to blame.

[Old_Geezer]

A student's ability to learn a trade is just as good for showing commitment.

 

Government ought not be slinging public money financing loans for courses which won't likely get repaid. Such university courses are "rip-off" as they are considered not worth the cost.

 

Government should returned to giving grants only to those gifted enough to benefit themselves and the nation from higher academic study.

 

Other interest courses folk can fund themselves. It should clarify how many are actually "required" under normal conditions.

[Old_Geezer]

No member of the general public voted for the change to loans and having to fund loads of useless university places. The government of the day did that, against the wishes of many. Taking the opportunity to insult a generation of the population by claiming that they wanted it, doesn't clarify anything.

[Untitled]

they obviously did want it lol because they didn't oppose it and kept voting for it. like it or not the country we live in now was shaped by and for the boomers--and it is a complete and total mess.

[davebro3]

untitled - I don't know what you mean by "boomers" & I don't think you understand how the term is generally used.

[Old_Geezer]

One choses MPs from the dross offered. No single issue would have swayed things at the time. You are twisting the situation merely to insult, for whatever reason you choose to do so.

[schoolster]

Has anyone identified what these degrees are? The one's that have high drop out and no job prospects.

I send UCAS applications every year with Year 13 students.  It is clear that they are cash cows as a small minority of them are not very academic - 4 GCSEs at grade 4, then 2 A Levels with predicted grades of Ds. They get offers. Not from Russell Group, granted, but offers nonetheless. Should they be stopped from going to uni? Spending upwards of £30000. I don't know. Is it our business? Not sure what there job prospects are, but the degree is usually some kind of Media based one.

[schoolster]

Wasn't it Tony Blair that said everyone had the right to do a degree?  Can't remember.

[davebro3]

On topic - I have a nephew who did a degree in Media Studies. It doesn't seem to have been of great value career-wise.

A friend's 2 children did Psychology degrees. One is now a solicitor's receptionist/paralegal the other helped set up & works for an animal charity. 

[pastafreak]

Going by what I've seen on an American site, boomers refers to 'baby boomers'...those born between 1946 and 1960-something. Its often used in a pejorative way. 

[Old_Geezer]

They can go to university if they fund themselves. It's enabling their choice with public money that's the crux of the discontent. Blair provided evidence of his lack of forethought on this one.

[davebro3]

^^^^ exactly - those people will now be grandparents or great grandparents which doesn't seem to tally with untitled's understanding of the term.

[Untitled]

well you have cleverly ignored my use of the past tense there dave because the changes to higher education i was talking about were introduced more than 25 years ago, so the cohort I'm talking about were about 25 years younger when they voted these changes into existence and cheered them on.