Why aren't arts degrees "real degrees"?

Theophany said:
Please tell me that you made that up and it isn't actually a degree course. Please.
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I see it being true,

This was taken from an article online about university degree courses available in certain uni's

"Youngsters can also swot up on pop music performance at the University of East London, or hair dressing management at Derby University.

Contemporary circus and physical performance is on offer at Bath Spa University, while cruise management and surf science and technology are both available at Plymouth University.

The equestrian psychology degree, which looks at horses' relationships with riders, is at Glyndwr University".
 
I think Unis' taylor courses to appeal to students, they do not design a course to get you into a job / industry?

did the group that represent game designe companies recently say their members are starting to bin CV's of people with degrees in games design because they are not suited to the jobs and dont have the relivent skills...
 
edscdk said:
I think Unis' taylor courses to appeal to students, they do not design a course to get you into a job / industry?

did the group that represent game designe companies recently say their members are starting to bin CV's of people with degrees in games design because they are not suited to the jobs and dont have the relivent skills...
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Different uni's take different approaches, some are better at preparing people for industry than others, most companies will be aware of which those are.
There are some industries where specialist degrees will fall behind others which give a better skillset, forensic science being one.
 
Craig1981 said:
What do you do with a BA in English? What is my life going to be?
Four years of college and plenty of knowledge has earned me this useless degree! :D
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if you are smart and get a 1/1 a degree in english will help you get almost any job...

a 1/1 is proof you can study and learn and (probably) are fairly smart...

however anythign else (personally i feel) than a 1/1 jsut means the applicant is stupid or lazy... unless there are some redeeming factors i'd bin the cv...

when I worked for an IT training company the ONLY real requirement for a lecturer was a 1st/1st in something, if it was not a 1/1 they had to have to good industry experience...
 
edscdk said:
however anythign else (personally i feel) than a 1/1 jsut means the applicant is stupid or lazy...
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I feel sorry for anybody who graduates with a 1:1, frankly. There is so much to do and experience at university that getting a 1:1 would be a sign that you didn't have enough fun.

I've scored enough 80%+ papers to know that I'd die of boredom focusing all my energy on maintaining that for 3 years. Life's short, a degree is just a piece of paper, a 2:1 is easily enough for employment, the drinks are cheap and the women are easy.

Plus, it's not what you know, but who you know.
 
Look at it this way, with an arts degree you can probably paint a few pretty pictures and tell me some facts about post modernism or somthing similar.

However, with my mechanical engineering degree I can explain how pretty much anything mechanical works with regards to basic principals then go on to design new and pioneering technologies.
 
DJMK4 said:
I think this is a fine example of someone who has done something with his life RE: Art
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Not perhaps the best example to pick regarding university education and art though - " He enrolled at Liverpool Art College but was turned down.". :p

Although point noted that people can and do make careers from art in unexpected ways.

edscdk said:
I think Unis' taylor courses to appeal to students, they do not design a course to get you into a job / industry?

did the group that represent game designe companies recently say their members are starting to bin CV's of people with degrees in games design because they are not suited to the jobs and dont have the relivent skills...
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Depends entirely on the course, some have good links to university and as importantly a relevant and useful syllabus. Those courses will tend to have a high percentage of graduates employed in their field, others are pretty useless and then it will probably come down to what the graduate can demonstrate as their work outwith university.

Mr^B said:
What's a 1/1 ?
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I presume they mean a first. I thought it was just a first or nothing - you don't get a first: second class or at least you couldn't where I studied.
 
Alex*TLR said:
Look at it this way, with an arts degree you can probably paint a few pretty pictures and tell me some facts about post modernism or somthing similar.

However, with my mechanical engineering degree I can explain how pretty much anything mechanical works with regards to basic principals then go on to design new and pioneering technologies.
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True, but then somebody doing a degree in Art (and let's not confuse a Bachelor of the Arts with Art as a subject) probably isn't of a mechanical mind and they aren't looking to work in the same industry. Different horses for different courses.

It's certainly true that University courses are appealing to everyone with such a broad range these days. It's really down to whether you can use it though and I think that's the problem today is that so many people find a course they want to do, rather than thinking about the long term implication of their job prospects they want to do.

For example Media Studies, it's the one everybody likes to make fun of. There is nothing wrong with it, provided you want to use it afterwards. The trouble is, there are no graduate type schemes for Media Graduates, most require you start at the bottom as a Runner or do further training and certifications in certain software and skills after Uni. It's this reason why so many go on to do completely unrelated jobs and if you aren't using your degree then it can become limiting looking at other industries.
 
Because degrees in something like law or accounting require a certain amount of intellectualism, a degree in art just means you wanted to go to university but were too stupid to do an academic degree (either that or genuinely wanted to be an art teacher, the only job that degree will get you).

Its a feeling shared by the university's themselves, they make the "joke" degree people wear different coloured gowns and come out after the "real" degree people during graduation ceremony (or at least Bangor do)
 
Alex*TLR said:
Look at it this way, with an arts degree you can probably paint a few pretty pictures and tell me some facts about post modernism or somthing similar.

However, with my mechanical engineering degree I can explain how pretty much anything mechanical works with regards to basic principals then go on to design new and pioneering technologies.
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/edit : - Sorry the guy I was thinking of is James07

Are you the boy who's doing Mechanical Engineering at college and then tells everyone he's a mechanical engineer?

If not, never mind but all degrees are valid as getting a degree shouldn't be about "what it will be used for" after, its about further studying a subject you enjoy which will inturn give you the ability to do a job you would like.

KaHn
 
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Theophany said:
I feel sorry for anybody who graduates with a 1:1, frankly. There is so much to do and experience at university that getting a 1:1 would be a sign that you didn't have enough fun.
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You can have fun and get a first. It requires hard work but you can have fun as well. It's about having self-discipline.
 
edscdk said:
if you are smart and get a 1/1 a degree in english will help you get almost any job...

a 1/1 is proof you can study and learn and (probably) are fairly smart...

however anythign else (personally i feel) than a 1/1 jsut means the applicant is stupid or lazy... unless there are some redeeming factors i'd bin the cv...

when I worked for an IT training company the ONLY real requirement for a lecturer was a 1st/1st in something, if it was not a 1/1 they had to have to good industry experience...
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ehhhh.....WRONG!

The correct answer is go live on Avenue Q :p
 
I have a degree in photography, I work in a photography studio, and do my own freelance work. Its not massively well paying but I could make it so if I wanted to, I like to think I have a real degree.
Like relux said below me, Advertising is everywhere, every day you see millions of images, and its people with art and media degree that make that happen.
 
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I did a BA in Graphic Design and a Masters in Design and they were both hard as *%$£. Nearly failed the BA and only got a 2:2. But got a Merit in the Masters. Now working as a graphic and website designer.

TommyV said:
because art falls into the not heterosexual category
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The ratio of hot women (not just women) to actual blokes on my course was ridiculous. So the blokes were very happy.

Alex*TLR said:
Look at it this way, with an arts degree you can probably paint a few pretty pictures and tell me some facts about post modernism or somthing similar.

However, with my mechanical engineering degree I can explain how pretty much anything mechanical works with regards to basic principals then go on to design new and pioneering technologies.
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Yup, and I can for example also discuss advanced euclidean geometry, explain the significance of colour theory, talk about the importance of the golden ratio, and detail the development of movable type and the impact it had on european society and the rest of the world.

Don't be so patronising please - I can't stand people who are so ignorant and write off things they don't understand.
 
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