Murray’s Magic

August 13th, 2008 · 5 Comments · Education

Update 7:30 a.m. Thursday 08/21/08: An organization called OpenEducation.net has also tackled the Murray piece. It’s definitely worth a read if you’re interested in this topic.

* * * * * * *

I couldn’t help noticing another piece on education in the WSJ today by higher education skeptic Charles Murray. You may recall, I blogged about a year ago on a series of education pieces Murray wrote, also for the WSJ. Click here, here and here to read those thought-provoking columns. I think he’s brilliant.

Murray’s thesis, aptly encapsulated in his headline, is “College is a waste of time.” I’m not sure I would be so sweeping in my denunciation of college, but Murray’s core argument is sound. Why spend so much time, money and effort getting a B.A. that (in most cases) does little do prepare you for a job in whatever field you wind up in?

Instead, why not establish a sweeping series of national certifications that would take the place of B.A’s? It could be modeled after the CPA exam, which is nationally recognized and does not require a four-year degree. If you took and passed the exam after four years at Yale, then fine. If you passed with flying colors after studying in your local public library, that’s fine, too.

Whom could this possibly disadvantage? Students who don’t test well? College midterm and final exams that count for as much as 50% of the final grade would probably weed them out anyway. I think it’s an egalitarian approach that could save someone who does not need a B.A. $100,000 or more off the costs of tuition, room and board.

Shrieks of protest will no doubt emanate from the four-year academies, where the well-oiled money-making machines will recoil in horror at the possibility of greatly diminished revenues. It’s hard to feel sorry for the colleges, especially in light of the fact that for decades they consistently raised tuitions way beyond the rate of inflation — even in the 1990s, when their endowments were performing at phenomenal rates.

But unfortunately, that’s why Murphy’s idea will never see the light of day. No matter how much sense it makes, the powerful universities will exert the full might of their influence on a compliant Congress with an interest in the status quo. End of story. But thanks for making me think anyway, Chuck.

Tags:

5 responses so far ↓

1 Peter Halle // Aug 13, 2008 at 3:19 pm

Murray’s thesis makes sense if you consider college as merely a stepping stone to a career. For many, though, it is 4 years of life, full of exploration, socializing, and growth (yeah, I know what goes on — I was there; and I have 2 in college now). Overpriced, yes. Waste of time, no.
2 Geoff Brown // Aug 13, 2008 at 3:58 pm

Terry, the suggestion has merit. For way, way too many students, college is just a four year deferral of adulthood. Military service — or social service — would be an equally valid way to get the ostensible seasoning that college brings.

A bigger concern arises in terms of the content of the exams. One neglected aspect of higher education is supposed to be learning how to think critically — which is something notoriously difficult to measure with a standardized exam. A nation whose citizens cannot think critically is a sitting duck for demagogues — regardless of political persuasion.

The give and take in even a single college-level course in political science, history, sociology, or anthropology can open eyes that otherwise might remain tightly shut. That’s worth a lot!
3 Terry // Aug 13, 2008 at 5:00 pm

Peter and Geoff.

I agree with you both. I don’t think Murray is proposing to abolish undergraduate education. There would no doubt still be plenty of students for whom it would be a good fit.

But there are still plenty of others for whom it is a waste of time and merely, in Peter’s words, “a stepping stone to a career.” No need to burden them (or the system) with Plato’s Republic if they want to focus on marketing or running a department at Verizon.
4 Jennifer // Aug 14, 2008 at 8:51 pm

Terry: From my understanding, you do need a college degree to sit for the CPA exam in CT. Here are the requirements from the website http://www.cscpa.org/Content/Students/HighSchool/Requirements.aspx

“Education: Connecticut’s education requirement is composed of two parts: a general degree requirement of a bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited college or university and specific credit hours.

Applicants for a Connecticut CPA Certificate must have a minimum of 150 semester hours of college education (more information on the 150-hour requirement)…”

There are work requirements as well.
5 Terry // Aug 14, 2008 at 9:35 pm

Jennifer,

You are to be commended for pointing that out. As I review Murray’s piece, I see that he did not explicitly state that the CPA exam currently takes the place of a bachelor’s.

Rather, he used the CPA exam as a model for tests for other professions that could obviate the need for a four-year degree. It is a distinction worth noting, thanks.

Terry Cowgill

The View From Connecticut’s Northwest Corner

Murray’s Magic

August 13th, 2008 · 5 Comments · Education

5 responses so far ↓

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

Categories

Links