"_____ Studies"

[Alpha]

I've heard it said that, in terms of prospective employment, some of the worst degrees are those that are "_____ Studies" degrees.  Regardless of that I thought I'd throw out this new online Masters degree program in Chicano Studies.  It's notable for being the first of its kind in the country.
https://www.krqe.com/digital-now/first-i...a-program/

[ss20ts]

None of what students would learn applies outside of New Mexico? The Chicano communities don't face the same or similar issues outside of New Mexico? Could be a reason there's not another university offering this degree.

[freeloader]

It seems that what is novel is an ONLINE masters in Chicano Studies. A quick Google search (for “Chicano studies masters”) reveals many universities that offer masters degrees and PhDs in Chicano studies. There are also lots of substantially similar programs (Southwestern Studies, Latino/a Studies, Mexican American Studies, etc) along with degrees in fields like history, anthropology, and sociology with concentrations or graduate certificates in Chicano Studies. Some of these are available online. But, this one degree VERY SPECIFIC title does seem to be new online.

[ashkir]

I find this interesting as Chicano Studies tend to lead to people becoming teachers in rural communities.

I am from New Mexico and I lived there half of my childhood (and spent the other half in New Mexico). New Mexico has made great strides in reaching out to rural communities and trying to uplift them. My grandma retired from the state of California and moved retired in New Mexico and worked again (lol she has 2 pensions from two different states now). The government has made tremendous strides. Most New Mexico students can get education free now. New Mexico has heavily invested into sciences and more. It is showing.

[rachel83az]

They're bad for employment because you usually don't focus on anything "useful". A Liberal Studies degree can be almost anything, except business. A Woman's Studies degree is something like the history of women and their contributions, possibly with a little psych thrown in. Important, but not especially useful to most employers.

[openair]

Considering that there are close to 215 majors that have worse job outcomes than a Liberal Studies Bachelor's degree, I would not agree that the major is necessarily bad for employment with its mid-career pay. To be sure, it may not be the most lucrative (place 611 out of 827 on the Payscale list of Bachelor's degree majors that pay you back), but it 's far from the worst. See this link; https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-...rs/page/34

[rachel83az]

It may not be the worst, this is true, but it does have a reputation for not being that good. Some of it is likely unwarranted, similar to parents who told their kids that if they didn't do well in school then they'd "only" be a plumber. Never mind that a decent plumber can make more money than a mid-level management position!

[Alpha]

I've heard it said that, in terms of prospective employment, some of the worst degrees are those that are "_____ Studies" degrees.  Regardless of that I thought I'd throw out this new online Masters degree program in Chicano Studies.  It's notable for being the first of its kind in the country.
https://www.krqe.com/digital-now/first-i...a-program/

Explain why they are considered the worst for employment?

If you get a degree in Nursing it's pretty clear that you're going to be employed as a nurse.  If you get a degree, even in something like Business, then you're likely to be employed in some big industry such as insurance or finance or somesuch.  But if you get a degree in something like Chicano Studies the path to employment is less clear.  It's a transdisciplinary field that combines elements of History, Sociology, Anthropology, etc.  Grads tend to be rather good at reading/analyzing text, writing essays, etc.  Those are great skills to have but, again, don't immediately lead to employment opportunities.  I imagine that many go on to grad school in one of the disciplines I listed above but I could also see someone going into Journalism, Media/Communication or even Law.