Colleges teach the most valuable career skills when they don't stick narrowly to preprofessional education

"The growing popularity of professional graduate degrees over the past several decades - including programs in business administration and engineering management - has reshaped the economics of higher education. Unlike traditional academic graduate programs, which are often centered on research and scholarship, these professionally oriented degrees are designed primarily for workforce advancement and typically charge much higher tuition. These programs are often expensive for students and are sometimes described as cash-cow degrees for colleges and universities, because the tuition revenue far exceeds the instructional costs."

"Some universities and colleges also leverage their brands to offer online, executive or certificate-based versions of these programs, attracting many students from the U.S. and abroad who pay the full tuition. This steady revenue helps universities subsidize tuition for other students who cannot pay the full rate, among other things. Yet a quiet tension underlies this evolution in higher education - the widening divide between practical, technical training and a comprehensive education."

"Some states, including Texas, track salary data for graduates of every program to measure worth through short-term earnings. This approach may strike many students and their families as useful, but I believe it overlooks a part of what makes higher education valuable. A healthy higher education system depends not only on producing employable graduates but also on cultivating citizens and leaders who can interpret uncertainty, question assumptions and connect ideas across disciplines."

Professional graduate programs such as MBA and engineering management have grown in popularity and reshaped higher education economics, emphasizing workforce advancement and charging higher tuition. These programs can be expensive for students and sometimes function as major revenue sources because tuition often exceeds instructional costs. Universities leverage brands to offer online, executive, and certificate versions, attracting domestic and international full-tuition students. That revenue can subsidize tuition for other students. A widening divide exists between practical technical training and comprehensive education that cultivates inquiry, reflection, and innovation. Short-term salary-focused assessments can overlook broader civic and intellectual benefits of certain disciplines.

Read at The Conversation