UNIVERSITY NEWS Board of Trustees approves two new master’s degree programs

[SpaceRaider]

MTSU Board of Trustees approves two new master’s degree programs

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Board of Trustees approved Tuesday, Dec. 13, the development of two new master’s degree programs in legal studies and occupational innovation and effectiveness. The legal studies degree would be designed for midlevel professionals...

www.wgnsradio.com

 

[RaiderDoug]

Occupational Innovation and Effectiveness? Someone just set themselves up on a pet project gravy train.

I need to convince some school to grant me a job as the head of a master's degree program called "watching sports and and using your pellet smoker".

 

[Noogaraider1]

Occupational Innovation and Effectiveness? Someone just set themselves up on a pet project gravy train.

I need to convince some school to grant me a job as the head of a master's degree program called "watching sports and and using your pellet smoker".

I think the degree is tailored towards a process analyst.

 

[MTLynn]

Occupational Innovation and Effectiveness? Someone just set themselves up on a pet project gravy train.

I need to convince some school to grant me a job as the head of a master's degree program called "watching sports and and using your pellet smoker".

Yeah, I was thinking about getting a master’s degree in beer.

The way academia is continually lowering the bar, you just might get approved…

 

[MTFAN61]

Yeah, I was thinking about getting a master’s degree in beer.

The way education is devolving, by continuously lowering the bar, you just might get approved…

Been waiting on the development of degrees in Lawn Care Management with minors in Fescue & Bermuda Maintenance

 

[MidTennMtneer]

The Occupational Innovation and Effectiveness Masters is honestly needed. Many schools have similar programs in Organization Leadership and Learning such as Louisville, Arizona, and Georgia. Looks to be a similar curriculum idea.

I've looked at leaning that way myself over a standard Masters in Accounting as it shows motivation to employers of your desire to move up in management. Much like a Strategic Leadership degree but allows for a concentration in education, analytics, accounting, etc. Some even allow for healthcare for hospital admins and the like.

 

[MTFAN61]

As a follow-up. Was only partially joking concerning Lawn Care degree. Growing up 40 miles south of the 'Boro is a community for the last century known as "The Nursery Capital of the World" in Warren County. For those with skill & knowledge in the field it's good money. My cousin services Williamson County residential neighborhoods specifically due to strict HOA policies. He's busy non stop growing & developing their specific requests. With the growth of Davidson County & the surrounding 9 Middle Tennessee counties I've been surprised the university never seized on developing the idea of a "Nursery" degree of some sort. If we're going to create a degree in concrete, why not go the opposite route creating a degree covering the grounds around those structures.

 

[ewglenn]

You guys will literally complain about anything

 

[blue rai]

as a side note, did you notice that they also approved building a hotel next to Murphy Center to train hospitality student majors? This will be done with private funds and sounds like a win/win for everybody involved,

 

[MTLynn]

You guys will literally complain about anything

College used to be a demanding experience. Now, it's similar to the rest of America in that it lags behind other countries in academics and practically every other category that matters.

When it comes to obesity, disease, and stupidity, however, Americans dominate the world.

 

[ewglenn]

College used to be a demanding experience. Now, it's similar to the rest of America in that it lags behind other countries in academics and practically every other category that matters.

When it comes to obesity, disease, and stupidity, however, Americans dominate the world.

You think older generations are superior, got it

 

[MTLynn]

You think older generations are superior, got it

I know that the EDUCATION I received was superior to that of my children.

 

[AustinLewis]

Been waiting on the development of degrees in Lawn Care Management with minors in Fescue & Bermuda Maintenance

I went to college with a friend who got a PhD in Turfgrass Mgmt. There's a reason those degrees are available. It's folks like that who help research & develop how we can have a green yard year round.

 

[AustinLewis]

I went to college with a friend who got a PhD in Turfgrass Mgmt. There's a reason those degrees are available. It's folks like that who help research & develop how we can have a green yard year round.

But I think I get the overall point : There are some pretty useless degrees. I know. I have 2 of them (Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Master of Sport Science).

 

[RaiderDoug]

Academia has become the bastion of the useless. Used to be the government. Your paper in occupational whatever-ness can be yours - just sign your name for these student loans......

The machine now feeds itself.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

Academia has become the bastion of the useless. Used to be the government. Your paper in occupational whatever-ness can be yours - just sign your name for these student loans......

The machine now feeds itself.

I had a friend, 42, and just paid off his student loans this year. Granted he went to med school but still. His payoff included $140k in interest over the life of his loans.

Good freaking grief.

 

[RaiderDoug]

I had a friend, 42, and just paid off his student loans this year. Granted he went to med school but still. His payoff included $140k in interest over the life of his loans.

Good freaking grief.

I just paid mine off about a month after my 44th b-day. The math is insane.

I borrowed about 20k to go to UTk as an out of state student - all of it incurred between 1997 and 2000. Now, I did some stupid stuff as I took more than I needed and blew some of it on a kegger and a car stereo and just did stupid things that happen when you hand 19/20 yr olds what seems like to them to be unlimited funds. I dropped from UTk in around 2001. So, I stopped borrowing at that point.

I transferred to MT in 2003, and graduated in 2005. I never had to take a loan to go to MT. I got a pell grant, and the MT 'ship office worked hard to find scholarship opportunities (some big, some even just a couple of hundred - all of which I am grateful for, service I never got at UTk), and I worked at the Roadway in Antioch and basically footed the bill myself.

But from 2000 to 2006, I couldn't make a payment on that 20k. And from about 2007 to about 2012, I couldn't make anything but the minimum. By the time I was about to really start paying them down, with compounded interest and deferments - the totals ballooned to around 38k. It almost doubled.

I get it - I signed my name, I took out the loan, no one put a gun to my head, so I paid it back.

But I can't help but feel this whole system is rigged by academia, corporate loan companies, and the government (guess who's here to solve the "student loan crises!" - just vote for X, it'll be "FREE"!) to just grind every last cent possible out of people who may not be in the position to be making the best long term decisions. I won't call it predatory, but it's darn close.

When I see some "new" academic program that is mostly just corporate gobbledygook, the cynic in me gets a little bit bigger.

 

[AustinLewis]

I just paid mine off about a month after my 44th b-day. The math is insane.

I borrowed about 20k to go to UTk as an out of state student - all of it incurred between 1997 and 2000. Now, I did some stupid stuff as I took more than I needed and blew some of it on a kegger and a car stereo and just did stupid things that happen when you hand 19/20 yr olds what seems like to them to be unlimited funds. I dropped from UTk in around 2001. So, I stopped borrowing at that point.

I transferred to MT in 2003, and graduated in 2005. I never had to take a loan to go to MT. I got a pell grant, and the MT 'ship office worked hard to find scholarship opportunities (some big, some even just a couple of hundred - all of which I am grateful for, service I never got at UTk), and I worked at the Roadway in Antioch and basically footed the bill myself.

But from 2000 to 2006, I couldn't make a payment on that 20k. And from about 2007 to about 2012, I couldn't make anything but the minimum. By the time I was about to really start paying them down, with compounded interest and deferments - the totals ballooned to around 38k. It almost doubled.

I get it - I signed my name, I took out the loan, no one put a gun to my head, so I paid it back.

But I can't help but feel this whole system is rigged by academia, corporate loan companies, and the government (guess who's here to solve the "student loan crises!" - just vote for X, it'll be "FREE"!) to just grind every last cent possible out of people who may not be in the position to be making the best long term decisions. I won't call it predatory, but it's darn close.

When I see some "new" academic program that is mostly just corporate gobbledygook, the cynic in me gets a little bit bigger.

I love higher ed, but the $$$ behind the whole higher ed system in our country is an absolute nightmare.

As I understand it, the states cut funding for higher ed so schools raised tuition / fees to pay the bills (and also the facilities they built to compete with one another). At the same time, the generation who paid for school with a summer job and part-time job during the year is telling the next generation (Millennials). Go to college. Get a degree (oh, btw, it doesn't matter what it is in). Millennials go to college. Rack up a ton of debt to pay for said college.

Millennials graduate (or start entering the work force) only to find the economy tank in 2008.

All the while, the gov't is passing out "free money" (via loan companies) to 18-22 year olds who will graduate with 40k+ in student loan debt at 8% interest.

It's madness.

Unlike secured loans (car / mortgage) that can be cleared in bankruptcy, student loans can't (as I understand it from my research into it). So, even though the loan companies theoretically going to get money back (it can be cleared in bankruptcy), they have super high interest rates regardless of credit score.

It's nuts.

Wife and I graduated college in 2010. She will (either by Biden's loan forgiveness or the PSLF program) probably have her loans done soon. I still have 45K to go. When we got married, we had a 2nd mortgage in student loan dept combined. Kinda hard to have a kid when half your combined salary is going to student loan & apartment rent.