Dodgy degrees

O in these quadrangles where Wisdom honours herself
Does the original stone merely echo that praise
Shallowly, or utter a bland hymn of comfort,
The founder's equivocal blessing
On all who worship Success?

Oxford - W.H. Auden

Universities are not what they used to be. Once they were noble institutions of learning, filled with scholarly students drinking from the cup of Wisdom. Well, maybe a few other cups here and there as well but you get the picture. But then universities had to become market focussed, profit oriented, competitive. Students these days are selected more for their financial than their intellectual capacity. It is hidden behind phrases like "investing in your own future" but basically you need deep pockets to do advanced degrees unless you are one of the lucky few eligible for sponsorship. My own university celebrated its centenary by upping the tuition fees even further. Especially business degrees have become the cash cow of the academic system. At least at this university, however, you get value for your money. The degree is an expensive key unlocking many doors. Enter the world of dodgy degrees...

Anybody with a Gmail account out there may know what I am talking about. After the first email you send talking about your thesis, the ads on the site of your screen flash out at you 'Buy Your Degree Online'. I cannot say I have been tempted to take this shortcut but it makes you wonder how many people have. It's a scam but the scam is being played only on employers silly enough not to check the credentials of their applicants. The students are wholly complicit in this deceit.

Far worse is the story shown on the BBC today. It shows bogus universities preying on unsuspecting overseas students. Students get lured in with a flashy website, imaginary accreditation and even a graduation ceremony in Oxford or Cambridge. The Irish International University was exposed as an organisation accredited only by the Quality Assurance Commission UK, a body set up by... the director of the IIU himself! The honorary chancellor is a man who bought himself a baron title and who readily admits "the whole thing is dodgy" when caught on hidden camera. It is disgusting to see how poor students are taken advantage of. Their degrees will be next to worthless when applying for a job at any serious company. Unless maybe they try applying at a dummy corporation?