Should business classes be moved out of universities and into vocational schools?

3 Responses to Should business classes be moved out of universities and into vocational schools?

1. ccrider77

   May 6, 2010 at 12:08 am

   I’d say yes. In recent years, business schools, such as the University of Phoenix have done an excellent job in specializing in business education while mainstream universities have over-diversified and have a harder time emphasizing some of the liberal-arts basics which were a staple of our educational system for hundreds of years.

   In an ideal world, I would tell a new student to get a good LA degree first, then spend a year or two in business school finishing up their MBA.

   The whole MBA thing is a misnomer today anyway as it’s not a true Master’s degree (6-years) and can be obtained relatively quickly and easily.
2. crabby_blindguy

   May 6, 2010 at 12:46 am

   I’ll agree that MBA’s are lacking in a broad-based education–unless they got it by majoring in something else as undergraduates. But downgrading education in business to the vocational level isn’t the answer. Currently the typical holder of a bachelors or masters in business LACKS an understanding of important areas–history and social cience in particular–that badly needs to be addressed in the curriculum.

   I would suggest that a far better course of reform would be to deemphasize the excess level of “practical” coursework and include a broader-based approach–both at the undergraduate and th egraduate level. Here’s one suggestion (not as a total solution, justan example of the kind of change that’s needed). At the MBA level, most schools require only that a student take a dozen or so courses and do a “project” that is little more tha competancy exercise. Instead, why not require that MBA’s meet the same standards of other disciplines? Require a full-scale thesis–original research and so on–and passing a foreign-language exam–as well as a grounding in theory (graduatel level basic economics, which isn’t required for most MBAs). That’s not unreasonable–this simply would bring the level of work required up to the level routinely required of most other disciplines–and would go a long way toward remedying the problems you pointed out.
3. cwoodsp

   May 6, 2010 at 1:30 am

   Oh dear.
   We come to the idea of ‘productive’ degrees as opposed to ‘wank’ degrees.
   As a Social Anthropologist and English Lit tutor, I refute the notion that there is a separation between ‘business studies’ i. e. MBAs and ‘English’ studies per se.
   Writing on a toilet wall that: “God is dead, but it’s OK, Mary’s pregnant again”, is far superior to: “Asian poofters go home”. Or is it?
   Most Australian universities get both types of graffito. I have no intention of indicating just how BAD it gets. What I would suggest is that there is no difference, between Oz and the USA, except perhaps regional differences.
   There is an indication, in Oz, that disgruntled persons will offer individual graffito, and then ‘fade into the sunset’ – disappear, if you will, leaving behind a legacy which has roots in the very foundation of our nation.
   Yes, we are larrakins. Yes, there is an underlying element of Irishness. And yes, we were convicts.
   Still, we’re very fucking proud of it.