The first European universities emerged at the beginning of the High Middle Ages, offering courses in the liberal arts, and advanced professional training in theology, law, and medicine. A Medieval scholar might have described the study of the liberal arts as a necessary precursor to what academics now call ‘critical thinking’. But, it could be argued that then – as now – that a university education was the best way to get a good job. And we might consider critical thinking as merely another name for ‘indoctrination’. In fact, the most advanced university degrees – doctorates – share the same origins as the word ‘indoctrination’. In this presentation we’ll examine the reasons why we go to university, and whether – as the higher education industry claims – a college actually increases what some people call ‘human capital’ – and thereby productivity. It’s that time of year once again when high school graduates try to figure out what to do with their lives. In Canada, we are at or near the top in terms of the percentage of our adult population with a post-secondary education. 

The conventional wisdom is that a post-secondary education is necessary for people to develop critical thinking skills. From the perspective of the education industry, a broad general education is a key component in developing a country’s ‘human capital’. In our view, a college diploma – particularly a bachelor’s degree- is just a form of ‘credentialism’ pushed by our post-secondary ‘industry’. We used to think of education as a ‘public good’. But, if we consider universities as another industrial sector, students – and graduates – are the industrial equivalent of customers. In this video, we ask the questions that the news media, society, employers, and universities themselves are beginning to ask. Most stakeholders admit that the primary function of universities is to create a generation of graduates that is ‘job ready’. 

A recent video (September 2024) posted on CBC News’ website asked the question: Is a university degree still worth it? “University students across Canada are entering another school year, but are degrees worth the time and money? Taking into account the increasing costs of postsecondary education, we spoke to graduates, professors and current students about their thoughts on the value of a degree.”