University of Sydney to cut 100 degrees and triple research investment (1 Viewer)

[J18134]

The University of Sydney will slash up to 100 degrees from its portfolio and triple its annual investment in research to $900 million over six years, the university's vice-chancellor Michael Spence has revealed.
On Thursday the university announced its 2016-2020 Strategic Plan to streamline degrees into three "tracks": professional development, research and a more open track for broader education.
Dr Spence said that the university will end up with about 20 degrees across streamlined arts and social sciences, business, engineering, science, health, and medicine faculties and the schools of law, architecture and the conservatorium of music.

It currently has more than 122 degrees across 16 faculties in its Camperdown, Lidcombe and Westmead campuses, the list of remaining degrees is still being negotiated between the faculties.
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"This is an unashamedly ambitious plan, outlining a clear vision that holds true to the university's essential character," Dr Spence said.
The plan is the culmination of a six-month overhaul to make Sydney more competitive with Melbourne University. The Victorian sandstone institution has consistently beaten its northern rival on academic league tables for the past decade.

At the same time, Sydney University has sought to tap into employer concerns over the quality of graduates, by offering skills-focused courses in digital literacy, cultural competence, ethics and the ability to understand and translate data, through a new four-year bachelor of advanced studies program. It will also encourage potential PhD students through masters of research over honours courses.
From next year, Dr Spence said the university would triple its research investment from $50 million to $150 million per year.
The research push is designed to improve the university's international ranking as it comes under threat from local competitors such as UNSW looking to get a bigger piece of the multibillion-dollar international student market.

Dr Spence said the 166-year-old university will increase the number of Sydney University students going on exchange overseas from 19 per cent to 50 per cent by 2020, while also targeting high achieving international PhD students students for the first time.

"We are very keen to invest more in bringing more brightest students through additional funding. Australia has a talent pool of 23 million people, we live in a big world, that is how America built its great university system," he told Fairfax Media. "It is good for everyone and good for innovation."

Dr Spence denied the investment would take money away from local research students. He added a key goal of the university was getting more east Asian students into prominent positions in Australian society.

"The next big area is in the empowerment of students and staff from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds," he said.

"For 30 years James Ruse High School has been pumping out very clever east Asians, where are they?" asked Dr Spence.

"The university has a particular responsibility in our own life and that is a big part of what we are doing," he said.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/educ...investment-20160331-gnv1fc.html#ixzz44XL8FwXo
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Thoughts????

 

[Librah]

Bachelor of advanced studies hahahahahahahaha.

 

[Amleops]

The degree cuts make sense. Many are too specific; I never got the point of doing a BIGS or a BPESS when you could do exactly the same things in an Arts degree.

It's much better to just offer generalist degrees like BSc, BA, BCom etc, and let people choose their majors/electives accordingly. Then they will (hopefully) get a more well-rounded education.

 

[J18134]

The degree cuts make sense. Many are too specific; I never got the point of doing a BIGS or a BPESS when you could do exactly the same things in an Arts degree.

It's much better to just offer generalist degrees like BSc, BA, BCom etc, and let people choose their majors/electives accordingly. Then they will (hopefully) get a more well-rounded education.

I think its a lot to do with playing with people who dont want to "do a Bachelor of Science (83 atar) because I dont want to waste my ATAR but Ill go to a Bachelor of Psychology (ATAR 96) and do the science stream." And also from a marketing perspective saying "look how specialised our degrees are." Im also very for more money into research (but depends where that money actually comes from and how that money is distributed)

The more concerning parts though are the things like encouraging masters over honours ($$$$), the four year degrees that also seems like a cash grab and some of the word choices are pretty 'interesting.'

 

[Amleops]

Yes, so the only differences are psychological really. Once the options disappear hopefully the unfounded perceptions go too.

I don't think there are too many places other than Australia and a few Commonwealth countries where Honours is used anymore; I think a Masters of Research may be a little bit more globally recognised. I would personally slightly preference the Masters because I think that two qualifications are better than one, but I'm not too fussed about it. If they can cover the Masters of Research under HECS, then I wouldn't have a problem if they decided to implement it. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind if Honours was kept either.

 

[porcupinetree]

Hmm, personally I like the idea of having a much smaller amount of degrees; especially given that so many degrees are similar and can essentially be the same (depending on what majors are taken). The degree cuts will simplify it the whole situation.

What is this 'advanced studies' though?? And, given that it's 4 years, I wonder if that implies that many of the other degrees are going to be 4 years as well? It wouldn't be surprising given that the uni is tripling its research investment. (I guess they've got to get their money from somewhere, but it seems a little bit too much like just a cash grab as J18134 said)

 

[egress]

Yes, so the only differences are psychological really. Once the options disappear hopefully the unfounded perceptions go too.

I don't think there are too many places other than Australia and a few Commonwealth countries where Honours is used anymore; I think a Masters of Research may be a little bit more globally recognised. I would personally slightly preference the Masters because I think that two qualifications are better than one, but I'm not too fussed about it. If they can cover the Masters of Research under HECS, then I wouldn't have a problem if they decided to implement it. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind if Honours was kept either.

I will preface this with the usual caveats about the general frivolity of university rankings, but if you take a look at QS's top fifty ranked universities in the world, 22 of them are in the Commonwealth/Hong Kong (almost half!), and then most of the rest are in the United States, where I believe it's also quite common to write an honors thesis for those who graduate with Latin honors.

I know that the university has conducted focus groups on these changes over the past couple of years, but I'd be quite surprised if there was broad support for these measures if I'm to be honest.

 

[Trebla]

It's nice to see USyd trying to be more industry/skills focused for its degrees rather than just academic focused.

 

[Blue Suede]

I know that the university has conducted focus groups on these changes over the past couple of years, but I'd be quite surprised if there was broad support for these measures if I'm to be honest.

The strategic plan is developed in consultation with students, academics, and professional staff. The focus groups are so they look as though they're doing the right things in terms of liaising etc, but I get the distinct impression a lot of the new strategic plan was going to go ahead regardless of what the focus groups said.

 

[Amleops]

I will preface this with the usual caveats about the general frivolity of university rankings, but if you take a look at QS's top fifty ranked universities in the world, 22 of them are in the Commonwealth/Hong Kong (almost half!), and then most of the rest are in the United States, where I believe it's also quite common to write an honors thesis for those who graduate with Latin honors.

Whether or not most of those universities offer an honours program similar to ours I don't know, but perhaps the differences in global reputation are inconsequential. I don't know enough about the issue.

I would still preference the MRes though. If it's going to be anything like Macquarie's MRes (which is 2 years long), I think that would provide a more comprehensive research training pathway than 1 year of honours.

 

[kuromusha]

don't care, as long as usyd improves it fucking rankings and reputation.

 

[someth1ng]

Yes, so the only differences are psychological really. Once the options disappear hopefully the unfounded perceptions go too.

I don't think there are too many places other than Australia and a few Commonwealth countries where Honours is used anymore; I think a Masters of Research may be a little bit more globally recognised. I would personally slightly preference the Masters because I think that two qualifications are better than one, but I'm not too fussed about it. If they can cover the Masters of Research under HECS, then I wouldn't have a problem if they decided to implement it. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind if Honours was kept either.

The system is completely different in other countries. For example, USA is a 4 year degree and if you want to get into research, you're expected to do research for credit during your degree or overload as a volunteer. The last year of research is actually quite common but it's called different things everywhere - such as senior thesis, final year project, honours etc.

Anyway, this is one of the American things I agree with. There should only be BA and BSc at undergraduate level - engineering should be under BSc. Everything should be a major so we don't get misconceptions that degrees in a B Economics are better than a major in it when they are not.