THE NUMBER of students taking higher or honours degree programmes at third level has increased by a third in the past five years.
New figures show how Level 8, or higher-level degrees, once the domain of the academic elite, have become a routine option for many Leaving Cert students.
The dramatic rate of increase will raise new fears that some third-level courses are being “dumbed down”.
Concern has recently been expressed about so-called grade inflation at Leaving Cert level. With better grades and more CAO points, more students can opt for Level 8 courses. Students have also benefited from the end of the so-called points race which has seen a fall in points for many courses.
There is also an increasing availability of higher degree courses, with many of the institutes of technology reassigning ordinary degree courses to Level 8.
The number of Level 8 graduates from institutes of technology increased by almost 20 per cent since 2005, while the number of students taking higher or honours degree programmes at third level has increased by 32 per cent.
The report did not contain overall numbers taking the higher degrees. Overall, undergraduate enrolment at the universities has increased by 9 per cent since 2002 but the rate of increase is slowing, reflecting population trends.
The number of new students enrolling in the 14 institutes of technology dropped by 6.5 per cent in the last five years. In recent years, some institutes have struggled to fill places on many courses.
Overall, females accounted for 59 per cent of those enrolled at third level, reflecting their consistently stronger performance in the Leaving Cert exam.
The figures are revealed in the annual Higher Education Authority report, Higher Education: Key Facts and Figures, published yesterday.
The figures confirm how home location is a key factor in students’ choice of college. More than 80 per cent of DCU students are from Dublin, while 90 per cent of UCC students are from Munster.
Other key statistics show:
Enrolment at universities, colleges of education, the National College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Surgeons increased by an average of 7.2 per cent last year but there was a slight decline in new entrants at the institutes of technology.
Arts and humanities remain the most popular course choices, accounting for 28 per cent of new entrants to third level in 2006.
Demand for social sciences, law and business courses is strong across universities and institutes.
Demand for science and computer courses has been largely static in recent years.
Computing dominates the science disciplines in the institutes, at 61 per cent.
