Kicking Unpopular College Majors to the Curb
In this era of crippling budget cutbacks, some university administrators are exploring whether their 
institutions could make due without some of their unpopular college majors.
We're talking about a heap of languages such as Italian, Portuguese, Latin, French, and college majors like the Classics and Philosophy.
I was reminded of this sad phenomenon this morning when I heard a National Public Radio segment on SUNY Albany, which has decided to axe some of its foreign language offerings. I was listening in my car as I headed to a meeting at the University of California, San Diego, which is a nationally acclaimed powerhouse of "useful" science and engineering majors.
SUNY Albany isn't the only school getting ready to kick some humanities majors to the curb. The governor of Missouri, where I grew up, has instructed the state universities there to recommend college majors to cut. Unpopular majors are also on the cutting block at Louisiana State and I'm sure at countless other schools.
I also am saddened by the growing belief that to succeed and make money in life (too many equate those two things) you have to have a college major in something practical. My own daughter serves as an example of this phenomenon. She is a Spanish major, but she minored in entrepreneurial studies just to play it safe.
If you're interested in this topic, I'd urge you to check out a recent blog discussion over at The New York Times that had eight academics weigh in on what we lose when humanities departments are axed. You can read the discussion here:
Ironically during my chat this morning with a UCSD administrator, he lamented that engineers -- could there be a more practical and lucrative major? - are so linear. What engineering majors need, he suggested, is a healthy exposure to the humanities. I couldn't agree more.
College majors image by Maistora. CC 2.0.
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institutions could make due without some of their unpopular college majors.We're talking about a heap of languages such as Italian, Portuguese, Latin, French, and college majors like the Classics and Philosophy.
I was reminded of this sad phenomenon this morning when I heard a National Public Radio segment on SUNY Albany, which has decided to axe some of its foreign language offerings. I was listening in my car as I headed to a meeting at the University of California, San Diego, which is a nationally acclaimed powerhouse of "useful" science and engineering majors.
SUNY Albany isn't the only school getting ready to kick some humanities majors to the curb. The governor of Missouri, where I grew up, has instructed the state universities there to recommend college majors to cut. Unpopular majors are also on the cutting block at Louisiana State and I'm sure at countless other schools.
What's Wrong With Ditching the Classics
The attack on the humanities is lamentable for many reasons. First, it's refreshing to see students who are excited about majoring in the humanities when so many colleges kids are flocking to business, which is the runaway No. 1 college major.I also am saddened by the growing belief that to succeed and make money in life (too many equate those two things) you have to have a college major in something practical. My own daughter serves as an example of this phenomenon. She is a Spanish major, but she minored in entrepreneurial studies just to play it safe.
If you're interested in this topic, I'd urge you to check out a recent blog discussion over at The New York Times that had eight academics weigh in on what we lose when humanities departments are axed. You can read the discussion here:
Do Colleges Need French Departments?
I also think that humanities might be a more popular destination if student realized that a business major is nowhere close to being the best paying college degree. On PayScale's latest list of college degrees by salary, a business degree is way down on the list. Business is the 56th best-paying degree. Ahead of business are such college majors as philosophy, history and American Studies!Ironically during my chat this morning with a UCSD administrator, he lamented that engineers -- could there be a more practical and lucrative major? - are so linear. What engineering majors need, he suggested, is a healthy exposure to the humanities. I couldn't agree more.
More on CBSMoneyWatch:
Top 20 Best-Paying College Degrees in 2010
20 Worst-Paying College Degrees in 2010
Lynn O'Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution and she also writes for TheCollegeSolutionBlog.College majors image by Maistora. CC 2.0.
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For starters - Engineers aren't linear. Linearity pertains to the y=mx+b function which is probably the only equation system liberal art and social science majors have the brain power to understand. I'm assuming said administrator has never taken calculus.
Engineers use calculus - calculus is very non-linear. Almost every real functional analysis requires calculus not linear functions. Yes, we are required to take linear equations but those have more of an application to computer systems and IT technology (I'm an ME/PETE major not a Computer/Software Engineer) than, I don't know, material analysis for nano carbon airfoil. You calling engineers 'linear' is not only a abuse of the term (and reveals you have no knowledge of what engineering is really about) but just makes me so damn irritated with people who don't know a damn thing about math, engineering and science that makes our civilization tick.
And about your comment on humanities? Okay, I had to take the usual round of torturous humanity courses to get my degree - biggest waste of my life imaginable. Sociology just about damn killed me - 'societal norms' and how 'society defines deviance'. In the name of all that is holy, why are people actually paid to teach that crap? 'Group Communication' was another fantastic waste of time. I can't tell you how much I despised those classes or what a huge waste of my time sitting in those lectures was when I could have been working on differential equations homework or dynamics. I guess we know that the American education system is officially screwed when damn administrators aren't satisfied until they can torture engineering majors (not like our lives our so easy - anyone who's gotten an engineering degree knows just what a huge ******* pile of work is) with wasting their time taking humanity courses.