More universities charging more tuition for harder majors

[Javaman]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-04-24/differential-tuition-increase-major/54513940/1

A growing number of public universities are charging higher tuition for math, science and business programs, which they argue cost more to teach — and can earn grads higher-paying jobs.

More than 140 public universities now use "differential tuition" plans, up 19% since 2006, according to research from Cornell's Higher Education Research Institute. That number is increasing as states cut higher-education spending and schools try to pay for expensive technical programs.

"It's been a lifesaver," said Donde Plowman, College of Business Administration dean at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which charges business and engineering majors $50 more a credit. "We can be excited for the future."

The money at Nebraska paid to create a career center, renovate a student lounge and hire an additional academic adviser. The college is also hiring new faculty.

more at link...

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One would think they would be charging more for the "easier" majors. Thus attracting more students to the more "difficult" ones.

But charging more for the harder class is a classic case of a race to the bottom.

cheers to the U.S. University system for making sure our future population is more stupid than the last.

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. College is a business. Only. nt

[exboyfil]

2. $2,357 difference in senior year for engineering

majors versus liberal arts majors at the University of Iowa. That is 30% more than the liberal arts tuition.

I remember the original reasons given for the differential:

1. Cost of instruction is higher - True but if you look at the amount of dollars brought in by the engineering department it might not be that different (I really have not studied it).

2. Engineers have better opportunities for internships to pay for their college education.

3. Engineers have better employment prospects and will be better able to pay back loans after graduation.

From Iowa State website (could not find anything about Iowa):

Finally, there’s a clear economic incentive. Graduates of the engineering college earn substantially more than graduates of other academic programs at Iowa State. Starting salaries for Iowa State engineers average $56,321—$2,000 to $5,000 above the national average for all engineering graduates, and several thousand more than other Iowa State graduates. This represents a lifetime earning potential of almost $1.1 million more than non-engineers. The differences between engineers’ and other graduates’ starting salaries, projected lifetime earnings, and internship/co-op earnings far exceed any difference in additional cost due to the differential tuition.


Which begs the question of why these points are used for differential tuition? They could equally apply to several of the "hot" majors in the Liberal Arts college as well. Not to mention our state is pushing for more STEM students while putting out a disincentive such as diffferential tuition.