UK universities face crackdown on “Mickey Mouse” degrees

[Eldorado]

Universities are facing a crackdown on “Mickey Mouse” degrees as the watchdog threatens to withdraw student loan funding from low-quality courses.

Vice-chancellors will be warned by the Office for Students (OfS) that they risk being hit with sanctions - including financial penalties - if their degrees fail to deliver for students.

The higher education regulator had pledged to take a more “robust” approach to quality assurance, which will include launching investigations where bad practice is reported.

MSN

[ethereal_scout]

It was Thatcher that de-regulated everything, it wasn't within her vision of the free-market. I'm not convinced her vision was free-market rather "black"-market.

[Duke Wellington]

The problem is that the number of students on each degree course needs capping, based on the need for that degree in the economy.

What real use are physics and engineering degrees in the UK? Every year a college or university has several hundred students studying them, but most will never get to use their degree in the UK. Art, history, geography, basically useless for 99% of people getting degrees in them.

The education system needs aligning with and coordinating with the economy.

[Silver]

On 1/16/2022 at 1:49 PM, Cookie Monster said:

The problem is that the number of students on each degree course needs capping, based on the need for that degree in the economy.

What real use are physics and engineering degrees in the UK? Every year a college or university has several hundred students studying them, but most will never get to use their degree in the UK. Art, history, geography, basically useless for 99% of people getting degrees in them.

The education system needs aligning with and coordinating with the economy.

Haven't you told us you have two degrees in engineering? Have they not proved useful? And why do various countries concern themsleves with STEM?

[Duke Wellington]

22 minutes ago, The Silver Shroud said:

Haven't you told us you have two degrees in engineering? Have they not proved useful? And why do various countries concern themsleves with STEM?

No, one is but not both. The engineering one was useless in the end, except a little bit of CAD work. So I went back and got the other which has been far more rewarding career wise.

My parents and school encouraged kids to go on to study what they were interested in, but upon reflection I would have preferred to be given the facts on the likelihood of getting a job in it. Otherwise its just letters after my name and a certificate on the wall. If I had known then what I know now I would have just done the 2nd one, the other was a waste of money. Money mostly paid by the state.

If there are 1000 new jobs for engineers in the UK per year then whats the point of 50,000 new engineering grads in that year? I blame the past labour party for selling the dream of social mobility through excessive amounts of money being poured into education. Where are the jobs in sufficient number afterwards? The number of students needs capping on each subject based on likely economic need.