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Degrees pass the $200,000 mark (1 Viewer)

KennyGAB

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Hi all - its official according to the latest Good Universities guide! Macquarie Uni has the highest student-staff ration of any university in the country! which confirms our suspicisions all along that club mac is nothing more than a degree factory churining out squillions of overpriced degrees to north shore yuppies and overseas students who didnt have the marks to make it to UNSW, Sydney or UTS!!!!

Read here:

Degrees pass the $200,000 mark

Harriet Alexander Higher Education Reporter

August 16, 2006

UNIVERSITY students are paying more than $200,000 for university degrees, seven years after the Prime Minister told Parliament there would be no $100,000 university degrees under his government.


Five degrees cost more than $200,000 and 96 degrees cost more than $100,000 for full-fee paying students, according to the Good Universities Guide 2007, released today.

Last year 60 courses cost more than $100,000. Nearly half the courses costing over $100,000 were offered by NSW universities and more than a quarter were at the University of NSW. The University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney each had seven.

Most were combined degrees in medicine, engineering, science and law, but among the high-priced courses were a combined bachelor of music and law degree at the University of Melbourne for $119,000, a bachelor of dentistry at Sydney University for $113,472 and a bachelor of industrial design/bachelor of arts (international studies) at UTS for $107,640.

A spokesman for John Howard said the Prime Minister's promise in 1999 that the Government would not introduce $100,000 degrees, common in the US, referred only to Commonwealth-funded places. "The US [universities] are all funded by students with very small government subsidies. Australia is the reverse," the spokesman said.

A higher education academic, Professor Bruce Chapman, who designed the HECS system, said universities charging full fees would be making "considerable sums of money" from students. "Some institutions will be much better off because they will be charging full fees to students … some are not and those are the ones that will be in particular trouble. "The cost of a full-fee law degree is probably higher than the cost of teaching it," he said. "Why is this? It's because people are prepared to pay for it."

The limit to what universities were able to charge depended on the amount students were able to borrow, with the loan limit now $80,000, he said.
Labor's education spokeswoman, Jenny Macklin, said the cost of degrees were now equivalent to the average mortgage in NSW. But Judy Brookman, a spokeswoman for UNSW, said it was difficult to compare universities because they did not offer the same degrees.

Sydney University, for example, did not offer an undergraduate degree in medicine, which cost students $237,000 at UNSW, making a bachelor of medicine/bachelor of arts the most expensive university course in the country.
"Of course there are very, very small numbers doing full-fee paying [courses]," Ms Brookman said. "The average Australian student doesn't have to pay anything like this."

Only nine of the 1331 students studying undergraduate medicine at UNSW were full-fee paying, she said.

The guide reveals that graduates of Macquarie University, UTS, UNSW and Wollongong will have the highest starting salaries while Southern Cross graduates are likely to have the lowest.

Wollongong graduates were also the most likely to find employment, while Newcastle, the University of New England and the University of Western Sydney had the lowest job prospects.

And while Sydney University and UNSW had the lowest student-staff ratios, Macquarie University had the highest.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...407810477.html

degree factory alert!
 

Nebuchanezzar

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

Strangely enough, mX reported the exact opposite in terms of lecturer to student ratios. Any idea which is true?
 

iambored

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

ok, can you please explain?
if you have a high student to staff ratio, doesn't that mean it's closer to 1:1, so there are more staff? i don't see what this has to do with anything. so please explain more.
 

KennyGAB

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

iambored said:
ok, can you please explain?
if you have a high student to staff ratio, doesn't that mean it's closer to 1:1, so there are more staff? i don't see what this has to do with anything. so please explain more.
A high student to staff ratio means that there is a high number of students per staff employed meaning each staff member will have less time to spend on each student; A low student to staff ratio means that there are a smaller number of students per staff member employed and hence will have more time to spend with each student.

A high student to staff ratio means students sitting on the isles, no seats, means that lectures cant give a toss about each student cos they are responsible for so many - a high student to staff ratio means that students are nothing more than a NUMBER!!!! (and you are just $$$$ signs to the uni) This is particularly true with Commerce students!! Uni's (and in particular Macquarie Uni) loves Commerce students cos they are cheap and they can ramp up their student to staff ratios so they can make more money!!! awesome!! so thats what they teach you at the MGSM!!
 

KennyGAB

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

Nebuchanezzar said:
Strangely enough, mX reported the exact opposite in terms of lecturer to student ratios. Any idea which is true?
OK put it simply

MX = tabloid = trash
Good Universities Guide = may not be perfect but measurements will be infinitely more precise compared to MX rubbish
 

iambored

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

Ok thanks for the explanation.

But as a club mac student I can say that I have not had even one lecturer yet who 'doesn't give a toss about their students.' They are always contactable, reply to all emails, are helpful, available for consultation. Tutors are similarly just as available and helpful. Coming from highschool I expected students at uni to be very alone in their work and have to do a lot themselves. I really have been very impressed by the amount of staff-student contact.

I disagree that we are nothing more than a number. From first year I have had lecturers learning student's names. I currently have one lecturer who seems to know the name of everyone in our (relatively small) lecture.

And there is no one sitting in the aisles. It's not allowed.

Please experience the uni before taking one small line from the good guides to mean something bigger, when it doesn't.
 
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MaryJane

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

Alternatively, you can think of the situation like this: Macquarie Uni (in the psych dept at least) has 'stolen' USYD lecturers as USYD is viewed by the psych world as static and old-fashioned (read: stuck in the Freudian era).

Regardless of whether you think its a 'degree factory', a similar report on the Good Uni Guide states: "Of the institutions, Macquarie University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Technology and Wollongong provide the best starting salaries for students" (quote from Richard Evered, spokesman for the Good Uni Guide). Also stated in your article: "The guide reveals that graduates of Macquarie University, UTS, UNSW and Wollongong will have the highest starting salaries while Southern Cross graduates are likely to have the lowest".

So, it seems that while Mac may have, on average across Australian unis, (read: unrepresentative sample) a high student-lecturer ratio, they are up there with UNSW (who, let me remind you, have, on average across Australian unis, one of the best) with regards to starting salaries. So, one would presume that the students at Mac are being taught the same material, in the same period of time, by similarly qualified and competent lecturers, hence the similar salary outcomes.

Regardless, this is just a thread designed to get peoples hackles up. Great reporting KennyGAB. Clap clap.

Finally, the MX did report a similar article, and quoted information - the exact same information (give or take) as SMH - and quoted Mr Evered too... And I believe that MX is owned by Fairfax.

And Kenny, as if any student at any university is more than a number. Tell me, did you (or do you) receive extra special treatment from your lecturers? Do they know your name, do they offer you personal tutoring outside their consultation hours? In the end, all that matters to me is that the lecturer actually knows what they are talking about... Given USYD's track record re: psych (as noted at the beginning of my post), I would prefer a higher student-lecturer ratio with a competent lecturer.

...Alternatively, you could also take the view that perhaps the higher student-lecturer ratio is due to popularity of the uni? As Mr Evered said (again), younger universities are taking over from the older, traditional uni's such as USYD. So maybe there are less students at USYD etc because people realise that there is no disadvantage graduating from other uni's, and that other uni's offer better facilities than the 'prestigious' ones.
 

stalon001

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

dude do u hate Macquarie Uni? me too :) i jus love it, get a real peace writing shit abt Mq uni.
 

redruM

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

Does this means that they'll be getting rid of the asians in Commerce at Macq?
 

KennyGAB

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

here we go here comes all the mac uni defenders out of the woodworks.

High student staff ratios means that when it comes to marking assignments and exams intuitively means that a marker will not spend as much time reading and marking each paper properly and to as much detail as a lecturer who has a few students to look after. Means short cuts, sloppy marking, poorer standards. This is the end result of having a high student to staff ratio.

I am just pointing this out to prospective students out there who are selecting unis to go to bear this in mind.

(not to mention the fact that you will be sitting in the isle - particularly in first year)
 

redruM

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

KennyGAB said:
here we go here comes all the mac uni defenders out of the woodworks.

High student staff ratios means that when it comes to marking assignments and exams intuitively means that a marker will not spend as much time reading and marking each paper properly and to as much detail as a lecturer who has a few students to look after. Means short cuts, sloppy marking, poorer standards. This is the end result of having a high student to staff ratio.

I am just pointing this out to prospective students out there who are selecting unis to go to bear this in mind.

(not to mention the fact that you will be sitting in the isle - particularly in first year)
I don't really care. I don't think there would be too much differences in culture of staff/administration, on a general scale, across the majority of universities.
 

iambored

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

haha i found it funny, attack of the mq subforum regulars :p

sometimes, especially in bigger courses, tutors / markers mark the assignments (before meeting to standardise their marking - much like the hsc), meaning we get papers back filled with comments. therefore often the marking isn't a rushed job as you seem to think.
 

KennyGAB

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

redruM said:
I don't really care. I don't think there would be too much differences in culture of staff/administration, on a general scale, across the majority of universities.
You might not care (and it really doesnt matter if you care or not because thats not the point) but i am sure the commerce sitting on the isles paying an arm and a leg for their degree will care.

I cant believe people are trying to argue that having a high student to staff ratio is a good thing??!?!??!?
 

redruM

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

KennyGAB said:
You might not care (and it really doesnt matter if you care or not because thats not the point) but i am sure the commerce sitting on the isles paying an arm and a leg for their degree will care.

I cant believe people are trying to argue that having a high student to staff ratio is a good thing??!?!??!?
Dude, did you read the entire post? It shows why (in my opinion) such figures and facts are only "interesting" and not valuable in any sort of decision making.
 

iambored

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

I'm not arguing it's a good thing (and I don't see who is)

I am arguing that
1. people don't sit in the aisles

2. lecturers care. i can't imagine them being more contactable than they already are. they don't skimp around with us. they take us seriously.

therefore, it isn't as bad as you make it out to be. i wouldn't be at a uni where i was sitting in the aisle, not getting any attention from my lecturer and getting papers back which had been marked less than fairly with no feedback.

NB i am not speaking on behalf of commerce, however, you have put a blanket statement across the whole uni, therefore, my comments are still valid.
 
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KennyGAB

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

iambored said:
I'm not arguing it's a good thing (and I don't see who is)

I am arguing that
1. people don't sit in the aisles

2. lecturers care. i can't imagine them being more contactable than they already are. they don't skimp around with us. they take us seriously.

therefore, it isn't as bad as you make it out to be. i wouldn't be at a uni where i was sitting in the aisle, not getting any attention from my lecturer and getting papers back which had been marked less than fairly with no feedback.

NB i am not speaking on behalf of commerce, however, you have put a blanket statement across the whole uni, therefore, my comments are still valid.
Talk about blanket statements

1. People dont sit on the aisles = blanket statement

2. lecturers care = blanket statement

*rolls eyes*
 

AsyLum

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

It'd be credible, if Kenny wasn't such a troll :)

The fact that there are more students per staff means jack all dipshit :)

The guide reveals that graduates of Macquarie University, UTS, UNSW and Wollongong will have the highest starting salaries while Southern Cross graduates are likely to have the lowest.
Last year 60 courses cost more than $100,000. Nearly half the courses costing over $100,000 were offered by NSW universities and more than a quarter were at the University of NSW. The University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney each had seven.
Sydney University, for example, did not offer an undergraduate degree in medicine, which cost students $237,000 at UNSW, making a bachelor of medicine/bachelor of arts the most expensive university course in the country.
Etc. You isolated one line, which states that there is a higher number of students than staff. The problem with this, is that most macquarie university students know, that they are not being disadvantaged, rather the staff are doing more work than other unis. Tutorial classes may be marginally 'bigger' although in my experience 15-20 is a fair number for a tutorial and even then the atmosphere has been conducive, and that despite all these 'disadvantages' we are still ranked higher than 'prestige' unis in terms of graduate salaries.

So all in all, Kenny is just shit stirring, has no foundation for such a claim and is just a troll who has registered more than 5-6 accounts under varying names.
 

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

KennyGAB said:
Talk about blanket statements

1. People dont sit on the aisles = blanket statement

2. lecturers care = blanket statement

*rolls eyes*
No never. You mean those are blanket statements? Then what of this claim that Macquarie is a degree factory taken from a singular line in an article whilst ignoring the rest?
 

blackfriday

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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

thats not fair to single out club mac as a factory. nearly all the unis are factories now (usyd could probably be an exception - but not for long) because no could give a shit about ideals and making a difference.
 
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Re: Warning!!! Its official Macquarie Uni is a degree factory!!!

AsyLum said:
It'd be credible, if Kenny wasn't such a troll :)

The fact that there are more students per staff means jack all dipshit :)







Etc. You isolated one line, which states that there is a higher number of students than staff. The problem with this, is that most macquarie university students know, that they are not being disadvantaged, rather the staff are doing more work than other unis. Tutorial classes may be marginally 'bigger' although in my experience 15-20 is a fair number for a tutorial and even then the atmosphere has been conducive, and that despite all these 'disadvantages' we are still ranked higher than 'prestige' unis in terms of graduate salaries.

So all in all, Kenny is just shit stirring, has no foundation for such a claim and is just a troll who has registered more than 5-6 accounts under varying names.
I also wonder if it takes into account that Macquarie has more external undergrads than any of the other unis. I honestly don't mind downloading the same lecture as 500 other people, considering that if I want to talk to the lecturer or tutor, they've always got time. What about the online forums and use of ereserve? I also wonder how the editor deals with Macquarie's strange (and good, imo) use of tutors? *shrugs*

But yeah, he's clearly shit stirring. Look at the logic:

- Mathematically, one uni has to have the highest student:staff ratio.
- Macquarie is this uni (although I'd like to see proof...).
-- Therefore,
--- Macquarie is 'nothing more than a degree factory churining out squillions of overpriced degrees to north shore yuppies and overseas students who didnt have the marks to make it to UNSW, Sydney or UTS!!!!'

--- a Warning!!! needs to be issued. Then again, at least it wasn't a WARNING!!!! - that would have been bad!
 

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