THE STRAITS TIMES

JUNE 20, 2003

McDegrees dished out at some varsities

by Alfred Lee

LONDON - The 'dumbing down' of degree standards at many universities and wrong choices by students are being blamed for the record numbers of unemployed graduates.

Higher-education assessors said there was cause for concern in at least 15 British universities, which have not been publicly named, where obtaining a degree appeared too easy.

Some institutions are said to be awarding McDegrees - quickly and uniformly prepared and dished out, one after the other, to all entrants. Other leading academics said there was degree inflation, with too many students being awarded unwarranted first or second upper degrees.

The Careers Research and Advisory Centre said in a report this month that an 'astonishing' 86 per cent of undergraduates expected to leave university with a first class or upper second class degree.

Last year, 60 per cent of people graduating did so with either a first or a second upper.

The powerful Institute of Directors said Britain had far too many university graduates and not enough young people trained for much-needed intermediate skills and crafts.

'We have a flood of media studies graduates and not enough plumbers and motor mechanics,' a spokesman said.