[ivanmcp]

Would you call 'Surfing Degree' a 'Mickey Mouse' degree?

This could be a hot one! Air your thoughts on this subject. Could there ever be a degree in surfing? How would it compare in academic terms against other degrees? Is it right for it to be called 'Mickey Mouse' degree?

Discuss...


Background reading:

Teachers attack 'hobby degrees'

College defends 'surf' degree

[ivanmcp]

Hmmmm, difficult one this... I voted 'Need more facts', as I don't know what is involved in studying for a degree in surfing. On the face of it it sounds a bit silly, but dig deeper, and it becomes less so. I'd like to know what others think.

[forestgump]

I found this through Google, and is an official course page from School of Leisure and Tourism at Swansea Institute of Higher Education.

url: http://www.sihe.ac.uk/slts/BASBM.htm

B.A. in Surf and Beach Management
**(Subject to validation 2003)

UCAS Course Code: tba Duration: 3 Years

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Course Overview

Globally, surfing is worth about £2.8 billion, which is equivalent to about 5% of the UK’s annual tourism income. It is estimated that the UK surf market has 600,000 surfers and this figure is growing annually. The economic benefits are implicit and the market currently holds great potential for expansion. This expansion will require graduates who are professional and focused, which this degree intends to deliver. The environment is the ‘life blood’ of surfing and the need to manage and protect it is as important as surfing. Hence managers not only need to be educated in market techniques, but also need to be able to control environmental issues to ensure both sustainable environmental and economic development.

This degree aims to capitalise upon these market needs and provide a challenging education, which will allow the graduate to secure employment within this expanding sector of the leisure industry.

Proposed Course content is likely to include:

National Governing Body Qualifications •
Web and E-commerce Management •
Sustainable development •
Surf Expertise •
Surf Coaching and Lifeguarding •
Risk and Safety Management •
Marketing, Media and Culture •
Human Resource Management •
Events and Festival Management •
Environmental Management •
Environmental Issues •
Business Acumen •

Looking at the proposed course content much of it is transferable to a number of different careers and covers some very involved an topical issues.

I think it looks very good and would help ensure the sustained development of the tourist industry in a responsible way around the coast line.

There are some quite deprived coastal areas with surf that could benefit from development in the surfing culture, although we would all clearly like a few of those secret spots left to enjoy uncrowded.

A surfing degree is probably no more Mickey mouse than a degree in business studies marketing or PR

A degree in surfing could be pretty though if it includes the right elements of say oceanography, environmental management.

In any case the government is screwed, it's totally pointless pushing more people into higher education. You might as well get a job straight from school you wont get in debt and if your good enough will be earning the same amount of money or more by the time you would have finished your degree. Unless of course you want to be an academic.

I did a degree in Physics, don't come much tougher than this, I now have a job which is pretty much unrelated. If I had a chance again I would go for an apprenticeship or on the job training instead of wasting 5 years of my life and getting huge debts, stressed out and worst of all landlocked.

Think about it; just don't expect the world to owe you a living when you have finished. If you really must go and do agree then might as well do something interesting like surfing.

[Sad?Old Hippie]

Thin its a kool idea meself...my chidluns skool runs a similar thing...am all 4 it

Agree very much wiv t last post...surfin's as gud a subject as any 2 get a degree in...lets face it, wud u rather deal wiv sum1 who kno's wot theyre talkin about or sum idiot thats got a job 4 t summer

Lookin at t poll so far seems 2 me theres 2 many peeps not thinkin it through properly n seein surfin as an unimportant leisure pursuit...biiiiiiiiiig bucks involved in surfin...sum kind of management criteria needed

Yeah...kool idea...wud go 4 it myself if younger n not studyin 2 b a teacher

[Stormrider]

I saw about it on Spotlight on BBC 1 South West,tonight.There is a lot more to the Degree than surfing.So i voted that it is not a mickey mouse degree.

[*SolSticE*]

aaaaah my favourite a good debate

in my opinion, and as always, im going to have one....no degree can be deemed "a mickey mouse degree". the content of this particular degree is:

• Web and E-commerce Management
• Marketing, Media and Culture
• Human Resource Management
• Environmental Management
• Environmental Issues
• Business Acumen

so basically, what the education department have done here is:

a) combined some very useful employment skills with a sport that is becoming more and more popular in the UK

b) targeted a laid back audience and set up a program in which they will both learn and be involved with what they love best

c) realised that the swansea/west wales area is an up and coming surf destination and chose to promote it.

works perfectly fine i would say, students can gain a qualification that will prove useful in their future job hunting and also have the added attraction of being involved with something that is a major part of their lives!

no different to a computing degree, or an english degree, or a teaching degree.

which brings me to my next point......"it's totally pointless pushing more people into higher education" ........most people choose to study, in order to better themselves and stand a better chance of getting a job that they both enjoy and want to do. of course there are others that take up a degree course in order to put off entering the real world at an early age, and then spend the rest of their lives moaning about the debt that they chose to take on.

I think, that its a lot more beneficial that people gain a qualification in something that they enjoy, than to use government funds taking up places at universities where they "rarely did any serious studying" and then left to take a job that "is pretty much unrelated"

[Sad?Old Hippie]

Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez...think red just about says it all there...got sum brains 4 a gurly methinx

(Wait 4 it!!!)

[*SolSticE*]

hips, keep it professional mate !!

[Sonny Crockett]

Yes,Solstice is one very brainy women.

[Stormrider]

Originally Posted by Sonny Crockett

Yes,Solstice is one very brainy women.

She sure is.

[*SolSticE*]

awwwwwwwwww shucks !!

[Stormrider]

Originally Posted by *SolSticE*

awwwwwwwwww shucks !!

Hey,i allways give credit where credit is due.

"Great idea"
Going to uni to get a surf degree would be great wish we could do it here in Aussie.
We will both be visiting march 2005 Newquay is on our list of spots to visit whats the surf like then