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The $35,000+ cafeterias
One of the most interesting findings in What Will They Learn?, our just-released report on general education requirements at 100 of the nation's leading colleges and universities, is the inverse correlation between costs and the rigor of the core curriculum. As a rule of thumb, the higher the tuition, the more likely it is that students are left free to devise their own general education.
The average tuition and fees at the 11 schools that require no subjects is $37,700; at the five that require six, it's $5,400. At the top U.S. News & World Report National Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges, tuition and fees average $35,200, while the average grade is "F". At the state flagships, where the average grade is a "C", in-state tuition and fees average $7,300.
In short, at many of our best-known universities, students are not getting what they pay for. An education, it is worth remembering, is not simply about those who know more teaching those who know less. Educators also have a responsibility to direct those under their tutelage to the most important areas of knowledge -- especially in the contemporary university, where the number of disciplines and courses is overwhelming. By declining to do so, our universities have abdicated one of their primary responsibilities.
The cafeteria-style approach to the curriculum may be fun and may give the illusion of choice, but in the end, it will cheat many students of a sound, well-rounded education.
Posted by David Azerrad on August 24, 2009 at August 24, 2009 12:06 PM
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