The following appeared in a letter to prospective students from the admissions office at Plateau College:
“Every person who earned an advanced degree in science or engineering from Olympus University last year received numerous offers of excellent jobs. Typically, many graduates of Plateau College have gone on to pursue advanced degrees at Olympus. Therefore, enrolling as an undergraduate at Plateau College is a wise choice for students who wish to ensure success in their careers.”
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.
This argument states that students enrolled in the engineering department at Plateau College are far more likely to find work in their field after graduation due to the large number of positions offered to graduating students. However, the statistics about the number of jobs offered to students are not given. A rigorous analysis of job offers could reveal whether this statement is factual or hyperbolic. At a glance, the argument appears to contain several fallacious logical premises, and a careful examination of the argument in its entirety reveals other flaws. For example, it assumes that every graduate of the engineering department is employed, which may not be the case. In addition, if the number of jobs offered to graduates is skewed, it could affect the accuracy of the overall statistics. Therefore, the statistics in this admission letter are insufficient to assess the validity of the claim
The argument concludes that enrolling at Plateau College is a smart choice for students because they are likely to find a job after graduation. The admission letter cites three successful graduates as proof. While this statement may be true, it does not provide any evidence to support it. For example, could the letter provide the number of job offers that each graduate received? Without this information, the reader has no way to assess whether the graduates were equally successful in their careers. Additionally, the admission letter does not explain why the graduates chose to pursue advanced degrees. Was one student merely seeking additional education, or were these graduates seeking more lucrative careers? Without this information, the reader cannot determine if the graduates were successful in reaching their goals
The argument assumes that the number of jobs offered to engineering graduates is representative of the overall number of jobs available. This assumption is illogical because students do not have equal access to the various job offers. For example, one student might obtain several job offers while one student might receive only a few. If Plateau College offers career services to its students, then the letter could have provided information about the job placement rates for each graduate. Another assumption made in the argument is that the number of jobs offered to engineering students is an indicator of the prestige of the degree. While it is true that some fields have greater prestige than others, the number of graduates from any given college does not indicate the prestige of the degree. For example, a high percentage of graduates from a university in New York may have prestigious jobs. However, if this school is located in a small, rural town with a small population, the careers that the students find after graduation may not be as prestigious. The letter is not specific enough to provide the reader with enough information to confirm the assumption
The argument assumes that engineering graduates generally receive more job offers than other graduates. This assumption is questionable. If an engineer obtains a job after graduation, it is not automatically assumed that he or she pursued that degree for career purposes. The engineer might have obtained an engineering degree because the degree was required for a specialized position. While it is possible to pursue higher degrees in engineering, it may not be feasible for some individuals. For example, an engineer may have received an undergraduate degree in engineering technology, then worked in the field for several years. At that point, he or she may choose to pursue a higher degree because he or she wants to become a mechanical engineer. A careful examination of the graduates listed in the letter would reveal whether their degrees were directly related to their careers
The argument does not disclose the methods used to determine the number of job offers. If the letters were addressed to prospective students, then this information could be obtained from the admissions office. However, these letters are generally sent to potential employees. Therefore, the letter writer may not have included this information because it was not relevant to the letter’s purpose. Unless the letter writer reveals what methods were used to collect information about the job offers, the reader has no way to determine whether the statistics are valid.