The following appeared in a letter from a staff member in the office of admissions at Argent University:
“The most recent nationwide surveys show that undergraduates choose their major field primarily based on their perception of job prospects in that field. At our university, economics is now the most popular major, so students must perceive this field as having the best job prospects. Therefore, we can increase our enrollment if we focus our advertising and recruiting on publicizing the accomplishments of our best-known economics professors and the success of our economics graduates in finding employment.”
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
While I agree that a major’s job prospects do play a role in a student’s decision about what major to pursue, I believe that other factors, such as personal interest and academic ability, play an equally large role. While economics may be the most popular major at Argent University, students still must weigh the career prospects of the major against other factors such as personal interest and academic ability before making a final decision
The argument assumes that students primarily choose majors based upon their perceived job prospects, and that Argent University should focus its advertising and recruiting on publicizing the accomplishments of its economists. While I agree that a student’s perceived job prospects do play an important role in choosing a career, it does not follow that the findings are applicable to all colleges and universities. Students at Argent University, for example, may be especially interested in economics and particularly attracted to the possibility of making high salaries. Students who value a high salary above all other considerations may major in subjects that have a high earning potential, regardless of the job prospects for those subjects. This is not necessarily true of all students; many students pursue a major based on personal interest, rather than a desire to earn a high salary, so focusing university advertising on economics professors’ academic credentials and the success of economics graduates in finding employment could alienate students who are less interested in economics. Additionally, while it is true that Argent University should focus its advertising on the strength of its economics department, the university should also publicize the job placement statistics for other majors, so that students considering other majors can also make informed decisions
The argument also assumes that Argent University’s economics department is the strongest in the country. However, the university may have invested in its economics department, hiring prominent economists, or offering more substantial financial aid to economics majors. University websites often list the curricula for each department, as well as the academic credentials of department faculty. This information provides prospective students with a chance to compare the academic credentials of different departments, so they can make an informed choice
In conclusion, although it is true that students choose a field of study based upon their perceived job prospects, this is not always true of all colleges and universities. At Argent University, the university advertising strategy should highlight the strengths of the university as a whole, not just the strength of its economics department.