Beware flaws in Melbourne model
Postgraduate students have an expectation that further study will give them an opportunity to test their skills, gain experience and begin building professional networks in their chosen field. Postgraduate courses are also an important means of developing a professional specialisation.
In addition, coursework postgraduate degrees are expected to play an important research training role, and be a mark of higher learning in their own right.
To date, however, the fitness of these degrees has only been measured using student satisfaction surveys that could be described as vague at best.
As tertiary education heads into an environment of new benchmarks and standards, serious questions now need to be asked as to what universities are offering in a coursework postgraduate degree.
The most recent developments to shape trends in domestic demand for coursework postgraduate education are those under the umbrella of the Melbourne Model and its equivalents.
Sound pedagogical arguments are offered as to why this model is a good idea but, regrettably, there are even sounder financial incentives for universities to go down this path.
Fees for coursework postgraduate degrees are deregulated, while those for undergraduate programs are not.
This creates strong financial incentives for providers to restructure their degree programs and channel inflexible fixed-fee enrolments into deregulated and discretionary fee revenue.
Program restructuring is normally accompanied by energetic efforts in institutional prestige building. The marketing paints an aspirational picture of a high quality learning environment, rich with professional development opportunities. That means learning – for grown-ups.
The reality in terms of the quality of degree programs and student experience, however, is yet to be borne out.
Despite recent controversy, international demand for coursework postgraduate education is expected to endure, though perhaps at a more sustainable pace.
While international enrolments account for 38 per cent of coursework postgraduates overall, they account for 50 per cent of all coursework master’s enrolments and international students make up more than 90 per cent of coursework master’s enrolments at Central Queensland University and The University of Ballarat.
Reliance on international tuition fees is as high as 44 per cent of revenues at some universities, so tailoring degree programs to international demand has become increasingly important.
Ensuring parity with international qualification standards is a significant factor, but it would be misleading to assume this automatically creates positive incentives for improvements in quality. There are already cases where the pursuit of international enrolments has combined with Melbourne Model style restructuring in the straightforward repackaging of undergraduate degrees as coursework master’s programs.
Professional qualifications are a key factor in both the international and domestic coursework postgraduate degree market.
Many organisations have continuing professional development (CPD) requirements for graduates who continue to work in their field.
Engineers Australia requires 150 hours of structured CPD over three years, The Architects Accreditation Council of Australia 20 hours a year, and state legal practice boards 10 hours.
Degree programs have evolved to meet the needs of professional organisations, and it is often assumed that recognition of a degree program by a professional body creates incentives for improvements in quality.
But many CPD hours are simply short seminars on a specific topic.
Tailoring courses to accreditation requirements can mean the academic integrity of the program and the broader academic interests of students, become a secondary consideration.
International demand, the market for professional accreditation courses and incentives around Melbourne Model style restructuring combine to make up the major drivers shaping the provision of coursework postgraduate education.
It is important to recognise that none of these are reliable contributors quality improvements.
The advent of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) heralds an era of talking about quality and standards, and renewed attention to benchmarking.
Before diving in and establishing a new raft of indicators, it makes sense to pause and reflect on what it is we are trying to achieve.
Conferral of a coursework postgraduate degree should be a mark of achievement. It should be challenging, rewarding, and valuable in its own right. It is more than just a professional qualification. It is in itself a qualification in higher learning.
In taking responsibility for the quality of the higher education system, the Rudd government must ensure a “floor” to the quality of coursework postgraduate education.
If postgraduates are to continue to face the huge fees of a deregulated market, they must at least be given some assurance that there is a demonstrable relationship between the fees they pay and what they actually see in return.
Bronwyn Crowe is the national secretary of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations. Nigel Palmer is CAPA president.