Mrs Hodge told the Institute for Public Policy Research on Monday that simply stacking up numbers on 'Mickey Mouse' courses was not acceptable.

A 'Mickey Mouse' course was defined as one "where the content is perhaps not as rigorous as one would expect and where the degree itself may not have huge relevance in the labour market".

However, her comments have drawn sharp criticism from university leaders, who described the remark as "offensive" and "ill-informed".

Later this month the government will publish its review of higher education funding which includes a target for 50% of young people to enter higher education.

Do you agree with Margaret Hodge's comments? Do some degrees have more value than others?

This Talking Point was suggested by Mark Perkins, UK: "Why has Margaret Hodge been criticised for stating that some universities offer some "Mickey Mouse" courses when most people, in private, think this is the case?"

If you have any suggestions for Talking Points,

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

Your reaction

The degrees are just as valid Sam, JPN

The degrees haven't changed, the job market has. The degrees are just as valid, only not as useful for entering the job market. So, what if we only funded degrees that are of use to the public: maths, science, law, computer studies and so on...? Then we'd have no artists, no philosophers, no musicians, no film critics. At least not any publicly supported ones.
Sam, JPN

Instead of making 50% of school leavers go to full-time university, why not make them go to the Open University and hold down a full-time job too? This was they will be educated, learn life skills and only the really motivated ones will end up with a degree at the end of it. And as for people claiming degrees are getting easier, just you try doing an OU BSc (Hons) in computing and a full-time job.
Boris, UK

Like it or not, she's right and they certainly do exist. Clearly it's become almost criminal for it to be said aloud, but some courses offered are just a complete farce and lower the value of a degree for everyone.
Tom Page, UK

Be grateful for the quality Susan, USA

If you want a real "Mickey Mouse" education come to the US. My British-educated daughter's GCSE qualifications are equivalent to the standards here set for university entrance. Her A-levels put her through the first year of a three year university course. So who has the Mickey Mouse education system? Be grateful for the quality... never mind the width!
Susan, USA

Mickey Mouse degrees? Pretty much any arts, psychology or philosophy degree, and most of those from unis created after 1992.
Phil, UK

'Mickey Mouse' degrees are real and can be quite galling for those of us who have studied hard. I have a friend who studied film studies, while I did history, both at the same, quite good, university. He is the first to admit that the course was a joke, four hours of TV watching a week.

However, we both now have a 2:1, and his is taken with as much value as mine. Why should I have worked so hard to get a degree, if it's not worth more at the end of the day, than a course which required no effort?
Phill, UK

Just because a course is new or highly specialised doesn't mean it isn't rigorous and demanding Ben Drake, UK

So, no sooner have our beloved politicians finished having a cheap pop at A-level students than they move on to those in higher education! There are no 'Mickey Mouse' courses. Just because a course is new or highly specialised doesn't mean it isn't rigorous and demanding. It's insulting to suggest that academics would waste their talents teaching worthless courses, or that students would sign up for them.
Ben Drake, York, UK

I quote: "Walt Disney World Center for Hospitality and Culinary Art at Valencia Community College - Orlando The only degree-granting culinary program in Orlando offers you the opportunity to learn culinary skills in the world�s largest hospitality laboratory." So, yes. They do exist!
PS There is also the Walt Disney Memorial Cancer Institute at Florida Hospital, Orlando. So there is also Mickey Mouse research!
Barry Wilbourn, UK

If the government insists that 50% of the under thirties are to attend university then surely there has to be some 'Mickey Mouse' degrees? We cannot expect those of only average intelligence to get top quality degrees. I think we do need a layered higher education system but we should not call the lower establishments universities, maybe some of them should be renamed polys.
Andy, Lancs, UK

Surely the government has only itself to blame, expecting 50% of kids to go to university? Where's the evidence that there are more people being born today with academic brains than there were 20 years ago? There's no way all this 50% will be up to studying traditional degree subjects, which are best suited to the "lecture theatre, reading and lab" formula of university teaching. Hence the emergence of Equine Studies, Flooring Technology and their like, which are best taught hands on, if they are taught at all.

I could be cynical and conclude it's because en masse teaching is cheaper... but for whatever reason, education in the UK has been reduced to a means of collecting the bits of paper you need to enter a profession. Hence, anyone who's vaguely bright goes to university, but you can't find a good plumber for love nor money.
Heather, UK

A degree in Media Studies is not a degree in Physics. Alex, UK

A degree in media studies is not a degree in physics. That does not mean that in relation to the material studied it is not a degree. However it must be quite a temptation to pull in the herds when each student on a "degree" course brings in the same amount of higher education money (I believe).
Alex, UK

In an ideal world we should all be allowed to study for personal development. However, the government should not be expected to foot the bill. The choice is simple, cut down on the number of low quality degrees and higher education institutions or seek support from students on funding. How can somebody with three D's at A-level go to University for "higher education" when dumbed-down A-levels have already proven to be a step too far?
Jon Elliott, Ex-pat in US

Yes there are "Mickey Mouse" degrees from "Mickey Mouse" universities. Some entry standards are so low that such a degree is inevitable. Employers are now beginning to ask prospective employees where they got their degrees.
Barry Pugh, UK

Employers should ignore degrees entirely if they have no vocational aspect Dave, UK

I am employed marking students' work in a five-star research graded physics university department and I have had blank pieces of paper handed in, which I have obviously given zero. This mark was then "modified" so that the student would at least receive a pass. It is not just the media studies and the Klingon for beginners; traditionally solid degrees are being dumbed down to the extent that they are far easier than any A-level.

I have colleagues who work in institutions that award vocational awards like HNDs. These in my experience require a lot more knowledge and effort to achieve than most degrees I have encountered. Employers should ignore degrees entirely if they have no vocational aspect.
Dave, UK

"Mickey-Mouse degrees", "market forces" - whatever next? This of course from the minister who famously asked why the binman should support the doctor (because the binman will benefit from medical treatment for his back injuries, minister!). Yes, funding needs to be looked at, but simplistic labels are the wrong way of doing it.
Christian, UK

It is my view that the old universities supply the least relevant course and often get away with lower standards than the new ones. Why should we continue to fund vast numbers of places in courses such as the history of art etc, when in reality there are few openings to people in these fields.
Rod, UK

Getting an education is not just about job qualifications Hugh, England

Most university subjects and degrees have never had huge relevance in the labour market, and they should not necessarily have to. Getting an education is not just about job qualifications: it is also about developing one's mind and world-view. Studying literature may have little practical application, but it can help make you a better person.
Hugh, England

If I take a BA in media studies with a specialisation in Disney films, am I literally doing a Mickey Mouse degree?
Anon, UK

My cousin gained a degree in golf management in the mid-90s. She does not play golf and has never kept a full-time job. It angers me as I and other taxpayers put her through college. Degrees should be for core academic studies only and the others should go to the University of Life and get a real job.
Alistair, UK

Does it take a degree to work out the outcome? Simon Richardson, UK

It has been decreed that 20% of school leavers must go to university. But if the university fails them, then they are criticised for poor teaching. The possibility that 20% of the population may not be up to a "proper" degree course has not been considered. Does it take a degree to work out the outcome?
Simon Richardson, UK

I am not surprised by this but that is what you get when you want mass education. Can anyone out there remember when apprenticeships were the common place way of learning?
Nigel, UK

She is right. What is the point in having a degree in science fiction? It's the waste of public finances that I find offensive, not Margaret Hodge. Now why doesn't she do something about it rather than just talk about it.
James Williams, UK

While it is true that there are many Mickey Mouse courses, the government is the lead animator Richard, UK

While it is true that there are many Mickey Mouse degree courses, Her Majesty's government is itself the lead animator. Are 50% of the populace really naturally inclined to spend 6-8 hours a day in lectures and then go and do homework to get a proper degree? Outside Disneyland, I think not. Stupid, spin-led targets are what deserves criticism.
Richard, UK

I think the whole of the university system needs changing. As a recent product of that system, I feel a lot of my time was wasted there. It's a shame there isn't another route into the working world that gives you the skills you require whilst getting paid in relation to your ability rather than your possible potential.

Would it not make more sense for companies to sponsor 'useful' courses at university rather than employing graduates and then training them up? This way graduates would enter the job market with real skills! Universities are focused on academic research not on career development!
Steve, England

Ultimately, the real test of whether a degree is 'Mickey Mouse' or not is whether students graduating in that subject are able to secure successful careers based on their university learning. Based on the numbers of graduates currently employed in call centres, I would think that Mrs Hodge's description is more than appropriate.
Simon, UK

Well, I was happily studying for a perfectly good BSc in physics at a proper university, when all of a sudden all the polys were allowed to hand out degree certificates - thus rendering my degree, and any work I did to get it, pretty well worthless. So yes, I agree with Mrs Hodge.
Neil, UK

Does that mean that a BA is less of a degree than a BSc? Martyn, England

What defines a 'Mickey Mouse' degree? There are obviously some very specialised degrees that would be only really applicable to a specialised labour market but does that mean they are of any less worth? Does that mean that a BA is less of a degree than a BSc? I agree some degrees on the surface appear almost laughable but when a closer look is taken they actually require as much academic expertise as more traditional degrees.
Martyn, England

It's usually the old polys (that are now "universities") that offer the most ludicrous degrees. Shoe design? Media studies? Why is there such huge disparity between degrees? When I was studying for my BSc, a forty hour week was common, yet some of my BA colleagues rarely did more than six a week and had time off in the form of a "reading week"!!!! Degrees nowadays are not worth the paper they're written on. And as for A-levels...
Fraser, England

The value of a higher education should not be measured in what facts you learn and their utility in the work place; rather in the development of core transferable skills. Vitally, we must accept that not everyone has the intelligence to develop in this way - and this is in no way shameful. The growth of these 'Mickey Mouse' degrees reflects the growth in need for a lower tier higher education system for people unable to cope with the traditional rigour.
Andrew, UK

Andrew, can you hear yourself? What you are saying is let's give them a degree in what they are capable of achieving. Degrees are meant to be difficult and anyone achieving one should feel that it is an achievement through hard work, intelligence and dedication not that it was their right to get one! Your soapy liberal attitudes are what is ruining our education system for everyone.
Craig, UK