I've been spending time with some members of my department debating quantitative requirements for our major. (Debating doesn't mean arguing here: We are having a good discussion with people who see things differently. A little raucous at times, but I've enjoyed it by and large.)

Via Craig Newmark, I see Duke's economics department is having the same debate, frustrated by its college's requirement to keep a traditional liberal arts degree (the A.B.; we offer the B.A. here.) So they are continuing to offer the A.B. but make its requirements almost identical to the B.S. degree.

Most amusing: Duke's economics department has both a director and associate director of undergraduate studies (presumably with some compensation or release from teaching). It has 668 majors. We have about 1/6th that, and we have neither position -- the department chair does the advising (that's me). Further evidence of my productivity...

Categories: higher_ed