Richard Shaw: Value of arts degrees on the rise

Richard Shaw

Medicine? Media Studies? Medieval Literature? Myths and misconceptions die hard in the university degree comparison stakes. Such choices can lead to feisty debates between parents and their offspring who are considering tertiary education about purpose, value and ultimately, jobs.

The risk of myths is that their perpetuation - such as in the tired old case against studying Humanities and Social Sciences - can mislead students into making choices that don't fit with their talents, interests and life goals, and that are out of touch with the reality of today's labour market.

But the truth about the real value of studying for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) is at last beginning to be heard and understood. The Rate My Qualification (RMQ) initiative announced in this year's Budget, which will allow employers and graduates to express their views on the relative merits of qualifications, will help in this myth busting. True, to reduce the debate about the merits of a tertiary degree to employment considerations is to miss a large part of the point of studying at a university. On the other hand, the RMQ initiative will likely confirm the views of those who believe that a BA is perfectly tailored to the needs of current and future employers and employees.

This is not some fantasy dreamed up by academics. It is what job-brokers and graduates in the "real world" - both at home and abroad - are saying. A mere 9 per cent of employers in the lower North Island surveyed by Massey University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences said a BA was not directly relevant to their needs. Instead, most employers valued the critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills that BA graduates possess.

Our own BA graduates tell us that the most valuable things they learn in their BA are the capacities to read closely, think critically, communicate clearly and construct a logical argument.

Our findings are consistent with research by the University of Phoenix's Institute for the Future, which has nominated the following abilities - to adapt to new ways of thinking, make sense of complex situations, think "around" an issue from different points of view, and to be at ease in cross-cultural contexts - as critical attributes for the employees and leaders.

It is little surprise, then, that a British Council survey recently revealed that over 50 per cent of 1700 leaders in private and public organisations in 30 countries have degrees in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Comparable New Zealand data is not yet available, but the evidence is that the pathway to leadership often includes a Bachelor of Arts or a Master of Arts.

In short, the facts now support what Humanities and Social Sciences educators and graduates have long known: that across the spectrum - from community organisations, corporates and classrooms; governments and councils; health providers and services agencies to media, creative industries, and business - we need people who can think critically, creatively and flexibly. We need people who can analyse issues astutely; who are technologically savvy; who can design ethical, sustainable solutions to challenging local or global problems; and who display empathy and leadership in their working relationships.

In the context of a rapidly changing and increasingly diverse world - super diverse if you live in Auckland - think of the BA as the intellectual infrastructure that complements the physical infrastructure we need to move ahead confidently as individuals and as a nation. Just as we need ultra-fast broadband and efficient transport networks, so too we need people who can cope with uncertainty, diversity, unpredictability and complexity.

So the next time someone tells you a BA won't get you far, invite them to take a look at the RMQ project. It's probably time their views were gently ushered into the 21st century.

-Associate Professor Richard Shaw is Massey University's Director BA (External Connections) in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

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