Combined Courses of Study

Equity group access and participation at the bachelor (honours/pass) level

1 Introduction and study aims

1.1 The changing face of undergraduate education

Amongst other things, the move from elite to mass higher education in Australia in the late 1980s required universities to review their missions and, as part of this process, their functional relationship to the labour market. The federal government’s policy thrust required, in particular, that universities accept a more direct role in building a diverse, highly skilled and flexible workforce to drive Australia’s growth and strengthen its competitiveness in the global economy. A central theme in the new policy, formally outlined in the government’s ‘white paper’ (Dawkins, 1988, p. 2), was the need to reform course structures and curricula to facilitate students’ acquisition of broad and transferable skills and thereby equip them to deal effectively with a rapidly changing, uncertain world.

By the mid 1990s, initial misgivings about the policy’s potential to overly narrow the focus of undergraduate education appeared to be justified. Candy, Crebert and O’Leary’s investigation of lifelong learning and its relationship to undergraduate education, for example, led the authors to conclude:

In the past few years, there has been a lamentable but seemingly inexorable tendency for universities to invert the priorities between what might loosely be called their ‘technical’ aims and their ‘general’ aims. Particularly, but not exclusively, in areas such as science, technology and engineering there has been a tendency for the ‘technical’ content of the degree structure to occupy more of the core of the curriculum and for other outcomes … to be relegated to the periphery …(1994, p.65)

As well, Candy, Crebert and O’Leary pointed to curriculum overload as a key issue in undergraduate education and criticised the manner in which existing course structures and regulations prevented many students from both exploring and appreciating the content of other disciplines.

Given the focus of the present study, Rosenman’s (1996) subsequent review of undergraduate entry restructuring options and curriculum change strategies is noteworthy in that it drew attention to the growing popularity of ‘dual’ degrees, identified three operative models (combined, parallel and interdisciplinary) and cautioned against the assumption that such programs would automatically broaden student perspectives.

In-depth research into the appeal, growth and impact of what Rosenman (1996) collectively referred to as ‘dual’ degrees has, however, been hampered by both the lack of a national database and lack of agreement regarding terminology. Indeed, Australian universities employ a wide variety of terms (eg. dual, double, joint, combined, parallel, end-on, add-on, bolt-on), and qualitatively different definitions, to describe programs of study that aim to permit the attainment of two degrees within a shortened time frame. Extracts from the academic policies of Curtin University and the University of Technology serve to illustrate this point:

‘Double degree’ refers to a scheme of a combined study program leading to two degrees. The two degrees are normally also available independently within the university… The course scheme for double degrees shall offer an integrated pattern of studies in both disciplines early in the course… The duration of the double degree may vary among disciplines, although the degree will be less than the sum of two degrees. A double degree shall add at least one year of study beyond the length of the longest single degree. [Curtin University]

A program in which students complete the requirements for one award before embarking on the second. The expectation would be that a student would get credit in the second part of the course for work done in the first, and therefore might complete the requirements for the second award in less time than the first. Completing the requirements would normally be a two-stage process. [University of Technology, Sydney]

As well, when ‘dual degrees’ are the real object of interest, the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs’ definition of a ‘combined course’ is also problematic since it captures enrolments in diplomas as well as degrees.

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1.2 The perceived value of ‘dual’ degrees

Obviously there are numerous reasons why institutions in general, and faculties in particular, might look to expand the types of dual degree programs they offer and why, in turn, students might be attracted to these.

In an increasingly competitive market, such programs clearly have the potential to attract high-achieving students and to strengthen an institution’s image and position in the marketplace. To the extent that they produce either more flexible or more focussed graduates, they clearly also have the capacity to enhance an institution’s reputation amongst employers and to attract collaborative industry support. Moreover, it has been noted that such programs may draw students into disciplines that they might otherwise shun if forced to choose (Gravina and Shallcross, 1999), and by attracting international interest, can place local academics in a position of influence when the future face of a discipline is being contemplated (Gravina and Shallcross, 2000). In Europe and the United States of America, inter- and intra-continental ‘joint’ degree programs have also been specifically implemented to promote institutional collaboration and the international integration of curriculum and professional practice.

A review of university web sites, together with the results of pilot focus groups conducted during the present study, provided some insight into factors that encourage individual students to enrol in dual degrees. In addition to the time-saving factor, which seems to have considerable appeal, three broad themes were discerned and these are discussed in some detail below.

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1.2.1 Career indecision

While many students have very clear ideas about the field of study or particular program they wish to pursue, others obviously struggle to make such decisions. Indeed, in the most recent study of trends in the first year undergraduate experience, McInnes, James and Hartley (2000) noted that approximately 30% of all students who moved directly into higher education considered they had been required to make a course choice before they were ready. Additionally, 20% of all first year undergraduates in 1999 wanted to change their program of study and, relative to their 1994 peers, significantly fewer had settled on an occupation. Notwithstanding that the availability and quality of information and advice exerts an influence on such matters, it is more than likely that some students find it extremely difficult to choose between competing interests and/or career opportunities. In this context, dual degrees may represent an attractive option because they ostensibly provide students with the flexibility and time to explore their interests whilst leaving their options open. As two focus group participants remarked:

I chose my double degree because I couldn’t really decide which career path I wanted to take in the future I thought I might want to go towards accounting or finance or, on the other side, I might want to go towards computing. And I didn’t want to have just one degree with my mind on the other, so it was really convenient to have the two degrees together and it only takes me a year longer. So that way, I can find out what I really want to do and do that and still have the other degree behind me. [female]

People come out of Year 12 and I know I did not really knowing what they want to do. So the double degree offered me a chance of doing two different types of degrees, Arts and Business, and to really explore them well; to have the opportunity to see what the two degrees are like. I can finish the two or, if I don’t like the Arts or Business, I will know that I prefer to major in one degree and that’s positive. I’m probably more interested in Arts, but the Business one I find really interesting. In fact it’s applicable to many things, especially economics … you know so much more about the economy and the way things work. I will probably finish both sides and not just concentrate on one because they are both so complementary and international studies, especially, can help you travel and this is something I want to do. [female]

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1.2.2 A balanced and broad education

Although Rosenman (1996) had reservations about the capacity of dual degrees to provide students with a balanced and broad education, she concluded that careful planning could accomplish these objectives. It is not surprising, then, that many universities emphasise that particular dual degrees will not only allow students to acquire the skills to respond to the challenges of an ever-changing workplace, but also the knowledge and awareness to enable them to become lifelong learners. The following student comments add texture to these themes:

Double degree studies provide you with a ‘hard’ side as far as economics and number crunching and a ‘soft’ side as far as the political economy so I think you come out with a pretty good balance rather than having just one or the other. When you do economics or accounting you either understand it or you don’t; statistics is definitely an example of that! Whereas in the political subjects, you can just keep reading and reading and reading and it’s just a never-ending path of discovery really. It’s interesting: I think it challenges both sides of the brain. [female]

I just wanted to keep on doing my language, and I was more interested in the Arts side of my degree, but then I thought of employment and stuff and I thought this (double degree) would help me get a better edge on employment and increase my options. [female]

When you go to the BA classes, sometimes you think ‘I’m so glad I’m doing the BB’ and then when you go to a BB class, you think ‘I’m so glad I’m doing a BA’ because they complement one another really well. And, like, when you’re doing a BA assignment or essay, your train of thought is completely different. They really complement each other, even though they’re so different. It’s the difference! You can think in that International Relations kind of way about how to make an argument, and then you can think about facts and figures and economics when you’re doing International Business. And when we’ve got our degree, we’re going to be able to combine that. You know, our knowledge base is going to be so broad in that we will be able to think in those two ways and be enriched. [female]

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1.2.3 Employment marketability

Quite recently, Andrews and Wu (1998) ascertained that the labour market was becoming more fluid for graduates. They noted, for example, that graduates were competing in a wider range of occupations and were more frequently facing competition from other graduates, as well as non-graduates. In such an environment, the potential employment ‘edge’ that dual degrees are typically seen to offer attains importance. In this context, institutional web sites and students enrolled in dual degrees point to the diverse employment options available to graduates and the likelihood that completion of a dual degree will enhance their ability to compete for a particular job. Additionally, web site information pertaining to combinations such as Engineering/Computer Science and Engineering/Business highlight the prospect that graduates can intensify their specialist skills and, in so doing, fast track their careers by assuming responsibility for complex projects at an earlier age. Potential employment outcomes are captured in the comments below:

The time factor really appealed to me. You know, after three years, most of my friends will have a degree and that’s really fantastic. But, then, I could kick on for another year and come out with another degree and there would be more chance of getting employment at the end. Because you’ve got more skills and more areas of knowledge than someone else, I think that you are more appealing to the employer. [male]

The reason why I chose my double degree was because after Year 12, people kept telling me that engineers weren’t in their traditional roles any more that they were moving into management, business type roles. So I chose a double degree in Engineering/Commerce so that when I came out of Engineering, employers would see that I had a business side as well as Engineering and that would help complement their business. [female]

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1.3 Aims of the current study

The Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs first made provisions for student enrolments in combined courses to be coded to two fields of study in 1997¹. Combined course enrolment data has since been routinely collected from higher education institutions via their annual statistical returns, but no systematic analysis of such data has yet been undertaken. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to present a comprehensive picture of combined course enrolment patterns at the bachelor (honours/pass) level and, in so doing, to identify relevant equity issues.²

The aims of the study were as follows:

To analyse national, state/territory and institutional patterns of non-overseas combined course enrolments at the bachelor (honours/pass) level in Australian universities between 1997 and 1999.
To identify non-traditional major fields of study at the bachelor (honours/pass) level that have high or low access and/or participation rates for women in combined courses, relative to the threshold targets specified in A Fair Chance for All.
To identify non-traditional fields of study that have comparatively high or low access and/or participation rates for women in combined courses, relative to all women at the bachelor (honours/pass) level.
To analyse groups of students with other equity characteristics in terms of their access and participation patterns in combined courses at the bachelor (honours/pass) level, relative to equity indicators and other meaningful benchmarks.
To briefly explore institutional and student perspectives of dual degrees.

¹ The Department's operational definition for a combined course appears on page 6 of this report

² Most but not all, combined course students at the bachelor (honours/pass) level are enrolled in dual degrees

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