Fears are growing of a \”gentrification\” of arts and humanities degrees as new figures reveal that the courses have become the preserve of wealthy students.
Statistics released to the Observer by the Sutton Trust, an influential education charity, show that 31% of those who graduated in 2008 with degrees in history or philosophy were the children of senior managers – the socio-economic group with the highest income. Across all English university courses, an average of 27% of graduates were from this group.
Language graduates were also disproportionately from the wealthiest homes, with 30% from the highest income group. In comparison, non-arts and humanities courses – with the exception of medicine and dentistry – had far fewer students from the highest-income group. Just 17% for education, 22% for computer sciences and 23% for business studies were from the wealthiest homes. For medicine and dentistry, the proportion was 47%.
So the plebs are doing the business stidies courses so that they can be senior managers and gain the highest incomes?
Isn\’t this the social mobility we\’re all told we should have?
So expensive courses which are of fuck all use are generally taken by wealthier people? Now there’s a shock!
I think the assumption that completing a business studies course equips one or makes one a senior manager is perhaps optimistic.
Language degrees are often highly marketable. History and philosophy graduates are often recruited into corporate management and financial services; or they go on to take a vocational/professional qualification – in law, accountancy etc. Business studies degrees remind me of the famous student graffito above the loo paper dispenser: “Sociology degrees: please take one.”
My overriding ambition is to be wealthy enough, that my children could choose to study Archeaology / Classics / Anglo Saxon poetry, should they so wish.