{"id":67870,"date":"2023-04-17T02:00:33","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T06:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=67870"},"modified":"2023-04-17T02:00:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T06:00:33","slug":"why-arts-degrees-and-other-generalist-programs-are-the-future-of-australian-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-arts-degrees-and-other-generalist-programs-are-the-future-of-australian-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Why arts degrees and other generalist programs are the future of Australian higher education"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

There is a persistent idea that a generalist degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts,\u00a0is less likely to land you a job<\/a>\u00a0when compared to a specific qualification. This is personified by the stereotypical arts student as a directionless young person who has chosen to explore sprawling and eclectic subjects with no clear outcomes.<\/p>\n

This was reinforced by the introduction of the\u00a0Job-ready Graduates package<\/a>\u00a0in 2020, which made most arts and humanities subjects more expensive to study from 2021. The cost of a Bachelor of Arts degree rose by 113%. (Incidentally, Universities Australia called for Job-ready Graduates to be scrapped this week,\u00a0noting<\/a>, \u201cprice signals as a driver of student choice simply do not work\u201d.)<\/p>\n

Either way, the idea a generalist degree just leads to overqualified graduates serving coffee\u00a0Reality Bites-style<\/a>\u00a0is not only wrong, it is also a misguided understanding of what we need from graduates today and in the future.<\/p>\n

Arts degrees do lead to jobs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Research shows social science and humanities graduates are getting jobs after their studies.<\/p>\n

The 2022\u00a0Graduate Outcomes Survey<\/a>\u00a0found almost 73% of humanities, culture and social sciences graduates were working in a range of government, non-government and business roles within several months of graduating.<\/p>\n

This was an increase of 15% on the previous year, and was noticeably better than the overall average increase of just under 10%.<\/p>\n

Why are we so fixated on \u2018vocations\u2019?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Since the 19th century, \u201cwork\u201d has been understood through types of \u201coccupations\u201d that were undertaken for a significant period of a person\u2019s life, with opportunities for improvement and promotion, and potentially framed as \u201ccareers\u201d.<\/p>\n

But the idea individuals train to learn a set of skills or knowledge that prepares them for one stable career is outdated.<\/p>\n

What US professor Frank Parsons (considered the father of careers counselling) called \u201cchoosing a vocation\u201d in 1909 has been supplanted by\u00a0employers who want<\/a>\u00a0people who are good at problem-solving and analytical thinking, have\u00a0digital skills<\/a>, and can demonstrate leadership, initiative and resilience.<\/p>\n

A new definition of \u2018employability\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We also need to reposition our understanding of \u201cemployability\u201d by considering the uncertain future university graduates are heading into.<\/p>\n

Along with the pandemic and climate change, we face increased global conflict, and important questions about how to support displaced peoples around the world and in our own region. There is also growing anxiety about what artificial intelligence will mean for our lives and\u00a0workplaces<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Research\u00a0shows<\/a>\u00a0our society will need the skills, deep knowledge and understanding to reframe what it means to create cohesive multicultural and diverse communities. It will need to support all lives \u2013 including the very young and the aged \u2013 with meaning and purpose in order to forge humanity\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

To do this, we should reimagine the future workforce through values, competencies and skills, not \u201cprofessions\u201d.<\/p>\n

The rapid social change we are undergoing means future graduates will need to be highly flexible. Vocational degree training as we have understood it could leave students stranded and without the critical capability to understand how to adapt to new roles. For example, leaders in the profession of social work\u00a0have predicted<\/a>\u00a0the vocational degree may need to be replaced by agile skills.<\/p>\n

This is where the generalist degree comes in<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is why the generalist degree has a big part to play in the emerging higher education landscape for graduates. Humanities, social science, general science, technology and creative industries fields such as design can deliver adaptable, flexible mindsets.<\/p>\n

Generalist graduates learn to argue, debate, discuss, engage with ideas, write and present.<\/p>\n

These degrees also offer the so-called \u201csoft skills<\/a>\u201d such as emotional intelligence, communication and teamwork.<\/p>\n

A bold idea<\/strong><\/h4>\n

What if the upcoming\u00a0Universities Accord<\/a>\u00a0decided that generalist degrees, not vocational qualifications, were the future for university learning in Australia?<\/p>\n

This could see more public-private partnerships to increase work experience and practical opportunities during study. This could create experiences in the community, industry and government.<\/p>\n

In doing this, we should embrace the possibility of the broad curriculum that is offered by arts, humanities, social science and science degrees, but insist on elevating their transferable skills to set students up for a lifetime of work and learning.<\/p>\n

However, a shift towards revaluing \u2013 and even elevating \u2013 generalist degrees will require a radical unpacking of degree structures, ways of teaching and learning, fee structures and models.<\/p>\n

More students in Australia could be encouraged to expand their learning in a wide range of areas, but specialise and choose pathways by their second and third year of studies, with postgraduate credentials to follow.<\/p>\n

Valuing young peoples\u2019 choices<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Recent history\u00a0tells us<\/a>\u00a0human adaptability will help us face future threats.<\/p>\n

Young people want to engage in learning that will prepare them for futures we don\u2019t yet see. Valuing the generalist degree \u2013 with graduates able to enjoy learning, develop the courage to think, reflect, interpret, evaluate, humanise, respond and create \u2013 will give young people confidence and a sense of their own agency.<\/p>\n

Such a model could be world-leading.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Catharine Coleborne is Professor of History, School Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a persistent idea that a generalist degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts,\u00a0is less likely to land you a job\u00a0when compared to a specific qualification. This is personified by the stereotypical arts student as a directionless young person who has chosen to explore sprawling and eclectic subjects with no clear outcomes. This was […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[92188],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-67870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-employability"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy arts degrees and other generalist programs are the future of Australian higher education - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-arts-degrees-and-other-generalist-programs-are-the-future-of-australian-higher-education\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why arts degrees and other generalist programs are the future of Australian higher education - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is a persistent idea that a generalist degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts,\u00a0is less likely to land you a job\u00a0when compared to a specific qualification. 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