Indian Muslims, CA
07-31-07
Courses in demand to cost more in American universities
India News
New York, July 31 (IANS) If you are planning to study in America, be prepared to
spend more for courses seen as better for your career.
Many of the country's state-run universities, facing rising costs and lacking
government support, have started charging a premium on undergraduate majors
such as business, engineering and journalism.
Starting this autumn, those pursuing an undergraduate major in business at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison, will have to pay $500 extra each semester
than their classmates, and those at Iowa State University $500 a year.
For journalism, Arizona State University's premium is $250 a semester above the
basic $2,400 tuition fees. University of Nebraska last year began charging
engineering students a $40 premium for each hour of class credit.
"It is something of a trend," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director
of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Among state universities that have bucked the trend so far are the State
University of New York and the Connecticut State University.
Some private universities, too, have been able to avoid the fee differentials,
holding on to the traditional idea that college students should be encouraged to
get a well-rounded education.
Factors contributing to universities' rising costs include high salaries commanded
by professors in certain fields and the expense of specialised equipment,
particularly for science and engineering studies.
Many university officials, however, feel queasy about a practice that clearly
values, for instance, journalism over literature, and which could result in
restricting lower-income students to fields of study such as history.
Indeed, at the University of Kansas, which started charging different prices in the
early 1990s, poorer students are foregoing majoring in engineering or business.
Another worry is that students who pay more for their major will stick to the
courses in their field to feel that they are getting their money's worth. This will not
pay in the long run because of the interconnectedness of things.
For example, to address a problem like climate change, graduates will need to
understand much more than technology, said Mark J. Kushner, the dean of the
engineering college at Iowa State. "That's sociology, that's economics, that's
politics, that's public policy," he specified.
Pointing out that his college may hike the fee by another $500 next year,
Kushner felt society was no longer looking at higher education as a common
good but rather as a way for individuals to increase their earning power.
Richard Lariviere, provost and executive vice chancellor of the University of
Kansas, questioned the very notion that certain courses could guarantee a
lucrative career. Many people change jobs several times over a career and a
major is a poor predictor of lifetime income, he said.