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Not so long ago, if you asked a student what subject he did, you could realistically assume that the answer would be English, Geograph, Physics, or another of the traditionally 'core' subjects of university learning. Now, don't be too sure - the answer could be anything from Surf Science and Technology to Baking Technology Management. A long way, one may feel, from those 'traditional subjects that used to form the staple diet of the university student. As far as popularity with prospective students go, these courses are highly sought after. In the media, they have not had an easy ride. Dubbed 'Mickey Mouse degrees', 'non-degrees' and a number of other disparaging nicknames, many have publicly discounted them simply as a way for students to have fun, while doing the least possible work.
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| Last year, the Taxpayer's Alliance released a report last year damning 401 of such courses, stating that it would be more profitable to simply get a job. |
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But the question that really matters is: will one of these degrees actually get you a job in your chosen career? Well, the answer to that question depends entirely on what it is that you are aiming to do. . |
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As would be expected, a degree in Equestrian Psychology may not be the best springboard if you are looking to become the managing director of a multi-national firm. |
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Andrew Moss, global HR director of engineering firm GKN said :”It's the reputation of the university that defines how we choose our graduates. Becuase we are a big employer it is easier to find the right graduates - we have the pulling power. That means we can choose graduates with the sort of degrees that we want." |
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Such a specialist degree may be unsuitable for the type of graduate scheme offered by big companies like GKN, Goldman Sachs, Proctor and Gamble etc – yet this does not necessarily mean they can be deemed to be useless. |
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Dr Paul Parry, professor of engineering at Sheffield Hallam University , said that while a number of degrees offered are on unexpected subjects, they often teach sound educational principles.
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These vocational degrees that have come under such flak are not a far cry from the new Diploma introduced by the government.
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| It is described on ‘The Diploma’ website as “a mix of classroom learning and hands-on experience”, and is hoped to allow young students (aged 14-19) to pursue a career path with better skills than can be offered in a purely academic environment. |  |
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So if it is good enough for a younger age group, surely encouraging a similar pattern of learning at degree level can only serve to further a students understanding and technical grasp of his or her chosen career?
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Director of HEPI Bahram Bekhradnia says that it is exactly the degrees that are tarred with the ‘Mickey Mouse’ brush that give students the sort of vocational knowledge that employers are looking for these days.
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The vocational degree is a contentious topic. It can be persuasively argued that they are useless, as a number of large graduate recruiters would tell you if a graduate of Surf Science applied to their business. On the other hand, the globalisation of the business world means that employers are constantly looking for people who can demonstrate specific skills in the workplace.
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