Mickey Mouse degrees: what I think
Hey. I believe that Mickey Mouse degrees do exist but degrees that people believe are MM degrees I don’t agree with. Non Mickey Mouse degrees:
Bio
Chem
Physics
Maths
Geography
History
English literature
Mfl
Anything health related like nursing, optometry or medicine
Economics
Psychology
Sociology
Engineering courses
Architecture
Music
Arts (Although I think that any art student that wants to apply to uni are already very creative and bursting with ideas and I somewhat believe that they don’t require going to university, my aunt has said that uni drained her ideas and made art really boring and dreadful, but then again it’s the students choice)
Law
Philosophy
Social work
Computing
These are the degrees I can think of from the top of my head so if there’s more that aren’t MM degrees, sorry and I know that they aren’t I just can’t remember them.
What MM degrees are is what I think that you don’t get skills from and degrees that don’t increase salary and make you largely in debt and make you suffer. I do also think that universities shouldn’t accept students with lower than CCC although this is controversial (extenuating circumstances are another story). Things like music can be deeply complicated with the theory. I rather like to think that business and management degrees can be used as a masters rather than an undergraduate degree.
With degrees like English lit or geography, students can go into further research to get a phd OR they can enter jobs that require those skills such as politics, journalism, business and even teaching. So that’s why it’s a great degree. Languages help you with teaching and let’s you enter businesses although I also think that the language should be studied with something else for example economics although I do believe if someone wants to do an mfl, they can attend classes that don’t require £9000+ a year, but yet again, it’s the students choice.
Degrees like Egyptology shouldn’t exist, it’s just history that is specialised in the Egyptians and same again with American studies. It’s history and anthropology that’s specialised in America. There are a few more which I don’t see the point of either but again, it’s not the top of my head.
Also I think that if a student does a psychology degree and enters retail, then it can be called a MM degree as the student isn’t using the skills learnt, perhaps they don’t want to continue with their degree or because the job markets are too saturated (which then it isn’t their fault)
It might seem controversial but what do you think?
Ps- I think that polytechnics should be brought back
Bio
Chem
Physics
Maths
Geography
History
English literature
Mfl
Anything health related like nursing, optometry or medicine
Economics
Psychology
Sociology
Engineering courses
Architecture
Music
Arts (Although I think that any art student that wants to apply to uni are already very creative and bursting with ideas and I somewhat believe that they don’t require going to university, my aunt has said that uni drained her ideas and made art really boring and dreadful, but then again it’s the students choice)
Law
Philosophy
Social work
Computing
These are the degrees I can think of from the top of my head so if there’s more that aren’t MM degrees, sorry and I know that they aren’t I just can’t remember them.
What MM degrees are is what I think that you don’t get skills from and degrees that don’t increase salary and make you largely in debt and make you suffer. I do also think that universities shouldn’t accept students with lower than CCC although this is controversial (extenuating circumstances are another story). Things like music can be deeply complicated with the theory. I rather like to think that business and management degrees can be used as a masters rather than an undergraduate degree.
With degrees like English lit or geography, students can go into further research to get a phd OR they can enter jobs that require those skills such as politics, journalism, business and even teaching. So that’s why it’s a great degree. Languages help you with teaching and let’s you enter businesses although I also think that the language should be studied with something else for example economics although I do believe if someone wants to do an mfl, they can attend classes that don’t require £9000+ a year, but yet again, it’s the students choice.
Degrees like Egyptology shouldn’t exist, it’s just history that is specialised in the Egyptians and same again with American studies. It’s history and anthropology that’s specialised in America. There are a few more which I don’t see the point of either but again, it’s not the top of my head.
Also I think that if a student does a psychology degree and enters retail, then it can be called a MM degree as the student isn’t using the skills learnt, perhaps they don’t want to continue with their degree or because the job markets are too saturated (which then it isn’t their fault)
It might seem controversial but what do you think?
Ps- I think that polytechnics should be brought back
(edited 3 years ago)
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Original post by 999tigger
Very thoughtful. I am thanful there are people like you around who spend so much time thinking about these things and informing us all. Micky would be proud of you.
I just wanted to make it clear for new future TSR users
I’m sure that tigger would be jumping for joy
Especially when other threads label history Mickey Mouse
You missed out law, philosophy and social work undergrad degrees.
Original post by londonmyst
You missed out law, philosophy and social work undergrad degrees.
I’ll edit them inOriginal post by londonmyst
You missed out law, philosophy and social work undergrad degrees.
Yes but then look at the trouble and grief these things create
And the cost!
Original post by Grizwuld
Yes but then look at the trouble and grief these things create
And the cost!
And the cost!
May I ask what you mean?
Original post by Grizwuld
Yes but then look at the trouble and grief these things create
And the cost!
And the cost!
They also create opportunities to assist in resolving negative situations, learn useful practical skills & information and careers with the potential to earn a good living.
My undergrad was theology, two of my jobs are in law and publishing.
is not a Mickey Mouse degree based on how hard the content is and how high the standards are as set by the university and not the subject itself? i would argue that there are like 130 universities in the UK. a law degree at Oxford surely isn’t the same level of difficulty as one at the University of Winchester.
my point being this can’t be generalised by subject area. why do some unis require AAA at A level and an LNAT while others accept CCC?
why don’t you see the point in studying Egyptology or American studies especially if you plan to specialise in this area in academia or elsewhere in your career?
yes of course if you don’t use your degree after graduation has nothing to do with whether the degree was difficult. in some cases it might be because the degree was too difficult.
my point being this can’t be generalised by subject area. why do some unis require AAA at A level and an LNAT while others accept CCC?
why don’t you see the point in studying Egyptology or American studies especially if you plan to specialise in this area in academia or elsewhere in your career?
yes of course if you don’t use your degree after graduation has nothing to do with whether the degree was difficult. in some cases it might be because the degree was too difficult.
What about the radical idea that there may not be such a thing as "Mickey mouse degrees", but "Mickey mouse undergraduates"?
An Egyptologist who genuinely pushes their field in research and understanding, an American studies student who writes a masterpiece about the cultural psyche, or a fashion student who uses their experience, contacts and learning to be the next Giorgio Armani can't really be considered doing anything unworthy.
What would a MM undergraduate look like then?
It could be defined as the type of undergraduate who isn't really attending university to study and focus on leveraging their experience into something meaningful in the future? The type that simply followed the conveyer belt from GCSE to A-level to the next logical step, without examining who they are, what really drives them and what are they likely to benefit from and be able to make their unique contribution? Or are just doing a course society thinks it's impressive, despite having no inclination or aptitude in that subject? The type that would rather spend their time in the student union bar or missing lectures, or be more interested in the 'uni experience' than using their 3 years of protected time as a means to develop their mind and start a trajectory for the rest of their life.
The taxonomy of Mickey Mouse undergraduates could include:
"I just followed my mates to this university."
"I am just here to get laid."
"I am doing psychology because I want to be Cracker."
"I am doing law to be like Y from Suits."
"I am doing medicine because my parents want me to."
"I am doing X because I did well at A-level"
"I have no real interest in studying or learning so what is the minimum I need to get through this exam?"
"I am doing this degree without really understanding that it is a field that is heavily oversubcribed and will need to do a lot more to stand out than just a 2:1"
.... amongst others.
How does that sound?
An Egyptologist who genuinely pushes their field in research and understanding, an American studies student who writes a masterpiece about the cultural psyche, or a fashion student who uses their experience, contacts and learning to be the next Giorgio Armani can't really be considered doing anything unworthy.
What would a MM undergraduate look like then?
It could be defined as the type of undergraduate who isn't really attending university to study and focus on leveraging their experience into something meaningful in the future? The type that simply followed the conveyer belt from GCSE to A-level to the next logical step, without examining who they are, what really drives them and what are they likely to benefit from and be able to make their unique contribution? Or are just doing a course society thinks it's impressive, despite having no inclination or aptitude in that subject? The type that would rather spend their time in the student union bar or missing lectures, or be more interested in the 'uni experience' than using their 3 years of protected time as a means to develop their mind and start a trajectory for the rest of their life.
The taxonomy of Mickey Mouse undergraduates could include:
"I just followed my mates to this university."
"I am just here to get laid."
"I am doing psychology because I want to be Cracker."
"I am doing law to be like Y from Suits."
"I am doing medicine because my parents want me to."
"I am doing X because I did well at A-level"
"I have no real interest in studying or learning so what is the minimum I need to get through this exam?"
"I am doing this degree without really understanding that it is a field that is heavily oversubcribed and will need to do a lot more to stand out than just a 2:1"
.... amongst others.
How does that sound?
Original post by Lord Asriel
What about the radical idea that there may not be such a thing as "Mickey mouse degrees", but "Mickey mouse undergraduates"?
An Egyptologist who genuinely pushes their field in research and understanding, an American studies student who writes a masterpiece about the cultural psyche, or a fashion student who uses their experience, contacts and learning to be the next Giorgio Armani can't really be considered doing anything unworthy.
What would a MM undergraduate look like then?
It could be defined as the type of undergraduate who isn't really attending university to study and focus on leveraging their experience into something meaningful in the future? The type that simply followed the conveyer belt from GCSE to A-level to the next logical step, without examining who they are, what really drives them and what are they likely to benefit from and be able to make their unique contribution? Or are just doing a course society thinks it's impressive, despite having no inclination or aptitude in that subject? The type that would rather spend their time in the student union bar or missing lectures, or be more interested in the 'uni experience' than using their 3 years of protected time as a means to develop their mind and start a trajectory for the rest of their life.
The taxonomy of Mickey Mouse undergraduates could include:
"I just followed my mates to this university."
"I am just here to get laid."
"I am doing psychology because I want to be Cracker."
"I am doing law to be like Y from Suits."
"I am doing medicine because my parents want me to."
"I am doing X because I did well at A-level"
"I have no real interest in studying or learning so what is the minimum I need to get through this exam?"
"I am doing this degree without really understanding that it is a field that is heavily oversubcribed and will need to do a lot more to stand out than just a 2:1"
.... amongst others.
How does that sound?
An Egyptologist who genuinely pushes their field in research and understanding, an American studies student who writes a masterpiece about the cultural psyche, or a fashion student who uses their experience, contacts and learning to be the next Giorgio Armani can't really be considered doing anything unworthy.
What would a MM undergraduate look like then?
It could be defined as the type of undergraduate who isn't really attending university to study and focus on leveraging their experience into something meaningful in the future? The type that simply followed the conveyer belt from GCSE to A-level to the next logical step, without examining who they are, what really drives them and what are they likely to benefit from and be able to make their unique contribution? Or are just doing a course society thinks it's impressive, despite having no inclination or aptitude in that subject? The type that would rather spend their time in the student union bar or missing lectures, or be more interested in the 'uni experience' than using their 3 years of protected time as a means to develop their mind and start a trajectory for the rest of their life.
The taxonomy of Mickey Mouse undergraduates could include:
"I just followed my mates to this university."
"I am just here to get laid."
"I am doing psychology because I want to be Cracker."
"I am doing law to be like Y from Suits."
"I am doing medicine because my parents want me to."
"I am doing X because I did well at A-level"
"I have no real interest in studying or learning so what is the minimum I need to get through this exam?"
"I am doing this degree without really understanding that it is a field that is heavily oversubcribed and will need to do a lot more to stand out than just a 2:1"
.... amongst others.
How does that sound?
I think this is one of the best arguments I’ve read on TSR regarding MM degrees. I believe that it is what you make out of the degree that gets you places. People who waste their time just partying or just doing the assignments are missing the most useful aspect of university- using the literal universality of the establishment to make contacts, do internships, take on leadership roles, etc to build up some kind of CV, especially for non-vocational degrees (not Medicine and Law).
Though I also agree that those doing Medicine or Law just for the money or because their parents wanted them to do it are also wasting their time and money. It especially bothers me when those same students look down upon those loving their humanities degrees and making the most of them to get places. I’m pretty sure that even some STEM students, for example, Biology students or Physics students, need to do a similar thing as humanities students to get places because they don’t fall into jobs like Medicine graduates do just for being STEM (but don’t take my word for that because I’m just a sixth former, haha).
(And I like the username reference to ‘His Dark Materials’).
(edited 3 years ago)
Nobody asked.
Original post by YaliaV123
Nobody asked.
Ouch. At least people here are having a healthier discussion about these types of degrees unlike most other threads I see. It’s almost characteristic of TSR at this point to blindly bash anything non-STEM and to hold Medicine and Law on a pedestal. Then again, most of us are just students who know little about how the outside world works.
Spoiler
Your username is fitting.
Original post by Joleee
is not a Mickey Mouse degree based on how hard the content is and how high the standards are as set by the university and not the subject itself? i would argue that there are like 130 universities in the UK. a law degree at Oxford surely isn’t the same level of difficulty as one at the University of Winchester.
my point being this can’t be generalised by subject area. why do some unis require AAA at A level and an LNAT while others accept CCC?
why don’t you see the point in studying Egyptology or American studies especially if you plan to specialise in this area in academia or elsewhere in your career?
yes of course if you don’t use your degree after graduation has nothing to do with whether the degree was difficult. in some cases it might be because the degree was too difficult.
my point being this can’t be generalised by subject area. why do some unis require AAA at A level and an LNAT while others accept CCC?
why don’t you see the point in studying Egyptology or American studies especially if you plan to specialise in this area in academia or elsewhere in your career?
yes of course if you don’t use your degree after graduation has nothing to do with whether the degree was difficult. in some cases it might be because the degree was too difficult.
Because I don’t think subjects should be too niche, For example if a student wants to do Egyptology then I think they should do history then specialise in Egyptology because the student gets more knowledge and they are certain that they want to do Egyptology as they can change their mind. But yet again this is what I think, a student makes their own choice. I don’t think Egyptology is a MM degree as it is still history but I do think it’s a bit too niche. This was supported by my high school history teacher, she did Egyptology but wishes that she did a general history degree because she would have learnt about more areas and because she later found out she mostly enjoys the Roman Empire and European history. This is only my idea though.
Original post by Sinnoh
Most people don't even bother defining what a "mickey mouse degree" is when talking about them on TSR so well done at least for offering a definition
Exactly. I think it’s more of a grey area as to what constitutes a MM degree. That’s why I agree with Lord Asriel’s post- it’s only not worth it if you can’t use the skills you got from your degree or use your degree as some kind of starting point (e.g. some graduate jobs require you just having a 2:1 in any degree).
Also, maybe the reason why some people think niche degrees aren’t great is because they don’t offer a wider range of experience? I’m not sure though.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Lord Asriel
What about the radical idea that there may not be such a thing as "Mickey mouse degrees", but "Mickey mouse undergraduates"?
An Egyptologist who genuinely pushes their field in research and understanding, an American studies student who writes a masterpiece about the cultural psyche, or a fashion student who uses their experience, contacts and learning to be the next Giorgio Armani can't really be considered doing anything unworthy.
What would a MM undergraduate look like then?
It could be defined as the type of undergraduate who isn't really attending university to study and focus on leveraging their experience into something meaningful in the future? The type that simply followed the conveyer belt from GCSE to A-level to the next logical step, without examining who they are, what really drives them and what are they likely to benefit from and be able to make their unique contribution? Or are just doing a course society thinks it's impressive, despite having no inclination or aptitude in that subject? The type that would rather spend their time in the student union bar or missing lectures, or be more interested in the 'uni experience' than using their 3 years of protected time as a means to develop their mind and start a trajectory for the rest of their life.
The taxonomy of Mickey Mouse undergraduates could include:
"I just followed my mates to this university."
"I am just here to get laid."
"I am doing psychology because I want to be Cracker."
"I am doing law to be like Y from Suits."
"I am doing medicine because my parents want me to."
"I am doing X because I did well at A-level"
"I have no real interest in studying or learning so what is the minimum I need to get through this exam?"
"I am doing this degree without really understanding that it is a field that is heavily oversubcribed and will need to do a lot more to stand out than just a 2:1"
.... amongst others.
How does that sound?
An Egyptologist who genuinely pushes their field in research and understanding, an American studies student who writes a masterpiece about the cultural psyche, or a fashion student who uses their experience, contacts and learning to be the next Giorgio Armani can't really be considered doing anything unworthy.
What would a MM undergraduate look like then?
It could be defined as the type of undergraduate who isn't really attending university to study and focus on leveraging their experience into something meaningful in the future? The type that simply followed the conveyer belt from GCSE to A-level to the next logical step, without examining who they are, what really drives them and what are they likely to benefit from and be able to make their unique contribution? Or are just doing a course society thinks it's impressive, despite having no inclination or aptitude in that subject? The type that would rather spend their time in the student union bar or missing lectures, or be more interested in the 'uni experience' than using their 3 years of protected time as a means to develop their mind and start a trajectory for the rest of their life.
The taxonomy of Mickey Mouse undergraduates could include:
"I just followed my mates to this university."
"I am just here to get laid."
"I am doing psychology because I want to be Cracker."
"I am doing law to be like Y from Suits."
"I am doing medicine because my parents want me to."
"I am doing X because I did well at A-level"
"I have no real interest in studying or learning so what is the minimum I need to get through this exam?"
"I am doing this degree without really understanding that it is a field that is heavily oversubcribed and will need to do a lot more to stand out than just a 2:1"
.... amongst others.
How does that sound?
Ah that’s such a good way in thinking about it! I do agree with this, I think this is better then the way I phrased it, how would you suggest to filter out those who are Mickey Mouse undergrads?
Original post by SparkleFace
Because I don’t think subjects should be too niche, For example if a student wants to do Egyptology then I think they should do history then specialise in Egyptology because the student gets more knowledge and they are certain that they want to do Egyptology as they can change their mind. But yet again this is what I think, a student makes their own choice. I don’t think Egyptology is a MM degree as it is still history but I do think it’s a bit too niche. This was supported by my high school history teacher, she did Egyptology but wishes that she did a general history degree because she would have learnt about more areas and because she later found out she mostly enjoys the Roman Empire and European history. This is only my idea though.
your high school history teacher obviously isn’t specialising in Egyptology or American studies so of course they wish they had done a more generalised course. that’s not the same as someone who is specialising in it in academia or their career, which was my question. it’s possible that it applies to wanting to teach it or write about. at least we can agree not a Mickey Mouse degree in itself.
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