What makes a degree 'prestigious'?

For me
- Its influence on society based on what it teaches and who it produces
- Its academic rigour
- Competitiveness of its admission
- Its history and the perception that average people have on its graduates
- Average salary, employment rate and flexibility of career choices

According to this I think the most prestigious degrees are
- Engineering (including Computer Science)
- Economics
- Law
These graduates control the society economically, industrially and politically.

Other degrees worth mentioning are Mathematics, Physics, Medicine, Political Science (PPE in particular) and Business and Finance but in my opinion they don't quite tick all my criteria.

What do you think? (Prestige is based solely on personal opinion, so it is logical not to take one's seriously of course)

Reply 1

Maker

20

It hasn't got "studies" in its title.

Reply 2

username1862217

15

I like how you included comp sci in engineering but not physics.

Reply 3

Rek'Sa

OP

9

Original post by Keyhofi

I like how you included comp sci in engineering but not physics.

Engineering is the application of mathematics, empirical evidence and scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials, and processes.
from Wikipedia
Physics is a natural science and pure Physics doesn't involve using practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, research and improve some kind of structures, machines, tools , systems, components ,materials and processes, does it? Whereas many subfields of Computer Science such as Software Engineering or Programming do.

Reply 4

Gr8Apes

For me personally, not my company, it would be how hard somebody has worked that decides whether their accomplishments are prestigious or not. I feel that too often to we award naturally high-acheivers and fail to compliment and promote those whom succeed when they were expected to fail. To me it's those people, the underdogs, the ones that break the normal societal conventions by working hard and acheiving higher than what they expected that are those worth celebrating.

This isn't meant to take away from those who are naturally gifted, but instead to help inspire those that might feel getting a BCC at A-level is a failure when in fact they were never predicted to pass their GCSE exams.

That's just my five cents though.
Best regards and best of luck to you no matter ability/gender/race!
Fraser H.

Reply 5

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by Maker

It hasn't got "studies" in its title.

A lot of language degrees have 'studies' in the degree title, are languages not respectable?

Reply 6

returnmigrant

21

The whole concept of 'prestige' in terms of a degree is a nonsense.

Its something some immature 18 year olds get fixated with. The rest of the world has a more more adult understanding of what a degree is, and understand that it is about your personal and intellectual development not the silly 'my piece of paper is best' childishness of school-leavers.

Reply 7

parahmore

3

still don't get how medicine is pregistious enough for you lol

Reply 8

username1863805

12

Original post by returnmigrant

The whole concept of 'prestige' in terms of a degree is a nonsense.

Its something some immature 18 year olds get fixated with. The rest of the world has a more more adult understanding of what a degree is, and understand that it is about your personal and intellectual development not the silly 'my piece of paper is best' childishness of school-leavers.

This.

Reply 9

Maker

20

Original post by Snufkin

A lot of language degrees have 'studies' in the degree title, are languages not respectable?

Languages can be learnt without doing a degree in it, I speak English and I don't have an English degree, likewise lots of French people speak French without a degree in French.

Reply 10

Plagioclase

21

Original post by Rek'Sa

Engineering is the application of mathematics, empirical evidence and scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials, and processes.
from Wikipedia
Physics is a natural science and pure Physics doesn't involve using practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, research and improve some kind of structures, machines, tools , systems, components ,materials and processes, does it? Whereas many subfields of Computer Science such as Software Engineering or Programming do.

You do realise that the entire field of modern Engineering would basically be defunct without Physics? The natural sciences underpin practically everything.

Reply 11

El Salvador

21

- high entry tariffs
- high graduate salaries
- high employment rates
- cultural relevance in day-to-day life
- name recognition
- skills normal people don't have

Reply 12

A5ko

3

Don't get too caught up in the prestige, otherwise you'll end up bitter when you start at the bottom underneath the guy who never got a degree, but is now your boss.

Also, a degree is not a guarantee of skill or efficiency. Merely, validation of being able to pass the requisite tests.

Reply 13

Okorange

17

Original post by Rek'Sa

For me
- Its influence on society based on what it teaches and who it produces
- Its academic rigour
- Competitiveness of its admission
- Its history and the perception that average people have on its graduates
- Average salary, employment rate and flexibility of career choices

According to this I think the most prestigious degrees are
- Engineering (including Computer Science)
- Economics
- Law
These graduates control the society economically, industrially and politically.

Other degrees worth mentioning are Mathematics, Physics, Medicine, Political Science (PPE in particular) and Business and Finance but in my opinion they don't quite tick all my criteria.

What do you think? (Prestige is based solely on personal opinion, so it is logical not to take one's seriously of course)

You are high if you didn't include Medicine in that list.

Reply 14

Juichiro

18

Original post by Rek'Sa

For me
- Its influence on society based on what it teaches and who it produces
- Its academic rigour
- Competitiveness of its admission
- Its history and the perception that average people have on its graduates
- Average salary, employment rate and flexibility of career choices

According to this I think the most prestigious degrees are
- Engineering (including Computer Science)
- Economics
- Law
These graduates control the society economically, industrially and politically.

Other degrees worth mentioning are Mathematics, Physics, Medicine, Political Science (PPE in particular) and Business and Finance but in my opinion they don't quite tick all my criteria.

What do you think? (Prestige is based solely on personal opinion, so it is logical not to take one's seriously of course)

CompSci is not engineering.

Reply 15

username2228735

15

I am personally most impressed by students who have read STEM subjects or Medicine at top institutions, therefore making it a combination of the institution's brand and the subject.

Reply 16

whorace

2

competition
time
application

Reply 17

Mathematicus65

9

Original post by returnmigrant

The whole concept of 'prestige' in terms of a degree is a nonsense.

Its something some immature 18 year olds get fixated with. The rest of the world has a more more adult understanding of what a degree is, and understand that it is about your personal and intellectual development not the silly 'my piece of paper is best' childishness of school-leavers.

That is totally false. That is how you hope the system would work but it doesn't in any shape or form. In reality all major corporations, employ people based on 1) the prestige of the university they have attended 2) the classification of their degree ie 1st, 2:1, 2:2 etc 3) performance at interview. If what is written on "the silly piece of paper" didn't matter then there would be no purpose of differentiating people by grade at GCSE, a-level and degree level. Basic common sense tells us the higher qualified one is, and the better institution they attended, the greater probability they have of accessing higher paid jobs.

Reply 18

PrinceNuada

5

Original post by Mathematicus65

That is totally false. That is how you hope the system would work but it doesn't in any shape or form. In reality all major corporations, employ people based on 1) the prestige of the university they have attended 2) the classification of their degree ie 1st, 2:1, 2:2 etc 3) performance at interview. If what is written on "the silly piece of paper" didn't matter then there would be no purpose of differentiating people by grade at GCSE, a-level and degree level. Basic common sense tells us the higher qualified one is, and the better institution they attended, the greater probability they have of accessing higher paid jobs.