To think there should not be degrees in Jewellery and Silversmithing

[Brollyflower]

It's a very valid skill. It has business potential and there are some very skilled and talented jewellery-makers and silversmiths out there. But... a degree in the subject? Seriously, a degree? WHY?

Go on, AIBU?

Do Birmingham Uni still do a degree in golf course management? (I'm serious)

I went to Goldsmiths College so it must have been around for a while!

No different from Art and Design as far as I can see - just a bit more specialised. A friend of mine got a Fine Art Degree in the 70s/80s specialising in silver/goldsmithing.

I know what you mean about non-degrees though, so I suppose I think YABabitU about the jewellery but YANBU to think some degrees are pointless!

I don;t mean it's a non-subject. I can see it's a really valid subject leading to interesting work. I'm just puzzled about why it is a degree course. It is really challenging my understanding of the word "degree". How can something with such a practical focus be a degree? Oh, I guess I'm just out of date, as a bit of googling has revealed degrees in far odder subjects .

Why not? There is a rich history, cultural implications, making of ,appraisal of, marketing of, design of, etc etc. Whats wrong with having degrees in things that are actually useful to society? Better than yet another fecking degree in media studies.

YABVU.

There's also a degree in shoe making (at Cordwainers I believe).
I suppose it's a vocational degree like Fine Art, only arguably more focused - but as Cardibach says, there's probably a lot more
pointless degrees around before starting on that one (Communications, anyone?)

Maybe it's the context in which I saw it, i.e. someone who makes beautiful jewellery. Clearly she's very talented. She was advertising her shop with her qualification. I just wondered why one needs to understand all the sorts of different facets Headless lists in order to make and sell beautiful objects.

I don't know about B'ham but you can do a 2-year FdSc ('foundation degree') Sportsturf and Golf at Myerscough college.

Some of the 'degrees' offered now are perfectly sensible vocational courses but I have no idea why they need or want to be called degrees.

Yes, that's my point Grimma I think. No argument agains the subject/vocation. I just don't get why it's a degree. Perhaps it's because the subjects that I and everyone else I know studied were more

You don't need to, but then many people don't actually need the degrees they have. Nobody has to do it, but I think studying is always a good thing and a jeweller with a degree may have many benefits over one without.

OK, I'm genuinely interested . Why would I be better shopping from a jeweller with a degree than one without? Why a degree rather than some other vocational qualification that teaches them the skills needed to make beautiful objects?

My main criteria when buying jewellery are aesthetic.

That it be well made and durable and of a high quality so you can wear it for years then pass it on to your children :) You need to know about metallurgy, the right temps, settings, alloys, all sorts of stuff.

I don't understand this fetishisation of academia, as though something is only valid if you have a degree in it, with an academic component. Somethings - like silversmithing etc. - are primarily practical. Apprenticeships seem more meaningful, and less expensive for the student!

If you do handle your own metal that is. Our town silversmith does.

Because its not all about making beautiful things is it? Its also about marketing your business, and all the theory behind the design, spotting trends in the field, new techniques and so on.
I just don't see the issue here, is it some kind of intellectual snobbery that wants to relegate practical things to lower vocational courses (not trying to be rude, can't think if a better way to put that)?

Being a jeweller is not just about putting rings on display in the shop window or fixing broken gold chains. It is a part of science - it is the study of rocks after all (very sparkly rocks though).

My friend has many qualifications in Gemmology. It's not just 'ooh pretty diamond' (that's me). There is all the mineralogical studies/gem cutting/chemical structure of the gems/aesthetics/repairing/etc/etc. It's actually a very in depth subject as this [[http://www.gem-a.com/education/gemmology-courses/diploma-in-gemmology.aspx shows].

So YABU

But Headless, why is a degree the best qualification? It's just one type of qualification

Yes, there are other options, this is just a NEW option that the OP is objecting to. Its not replacing apprenticeships or practical training, its just another option. What is wrong with having both?

Nothing, except it just seems like a massive con to get people to pay tuition fees when they could be getting paid to do it... For it to be a degree, it has to be accredited by a university, and that means £3k+ a year...

I don't understand the problem? Surely a degree is a qualification awarded after completing a period of study. Weren't they first introduced in the Middle Ages and many were awarded by guilds - they were really apprenticeships. So what is the problem with a degree in silversmithing? It is a subject that can be taught - and learned.

Also, golf course management is very architectural - certainly landscape architecture is involved. I think there should be more practical degrees, tbh.

how is that a con? If I'm interested in doing this, I'm sure its quite easy to see what you pay for, what you get paid for, etc. Some people want the degree, some not. Isn't that up to them?

ARt Colleges give out degrees. This is nothing new. What do you want them to give out after three or four years of full time study? Do you just think the arts are not worthy of degree status? Do you know the different sort of degrees that art colleges give out?

I don't know why you are picking on Jewellery/SIlversmithing

Because of this 'degrees are better' culture, some people might think they are getting a higher value of training, and be happy to pay.

I don't understand, quizling. Are you saying people should just get on and silversmith if they want to, without any training or studying?

Thanks . So do you get a good return on investment for the cost of doing a degree versus another qualification? Do jewellers with degrees earn more than jewellers who train via other routes?