A popular meme that has recently appeared several times on my social media newsfeed outlines the qualifications needed to work in McDonald’s: a degree in geography, English, classics, history, or, practically, any other arts-related degree. This thorough piece of quantitative research highlights the demonisation of arts degrees. Arts degrees are often looked down upon when compared to other third-level courses. There is a certain perception that subjects like medicine, law, science, engineering and commerce are part of a hierarchy of courses that are above some arts degrees. Indeed, when asked what course a student is studying, a not-so-infrequent response for arts students is “just arts”, … Continue reading The Timely Reform of Irish Arts Degrees