OCUFA SUBMISSION - College Master’s Degrees in Applied Areas of Study: An Ill-Conceived Plan

OCUFA SUBMISSION College Master’s Degrees in Applied Areas of Study: An Ill-Conceived Plan April 11, 2024 Introduction The Ministry of Colleges and Universities is proposing a regulatory amendment that would allow the Minister of Colleges and Universities the authority to grant Ontario’s public colleges that “meet certain conditions” the ability to offer applied master’s degrees in applied areas o. [...] The current proposal to allow colleges to grant applied master’s degrees is presented under the slogan of providing ‘more choice’ to students and employers, but the Ontario government has not clarified how the current proposal will give more choice in the context of chronic underfunding of postsecondary education. [...] From the perspective of faculty who research and teach at Ontario’s world-class public universities, we are concerned that permitting colleges in Ontario to offer applied master’s degrees in the absence of collegial governance will have the effect of undermining collegial governance and quality assurance in the sector as a whole. [...] In the context of chronic underfunding of postsecondary education in Ontario and given the lack of detail provided in the proposal, the absence of collegial governance at colleges and the prominent differences between college and university degrees, it would not be prudent for the Ontario government to implement this proposed change. [...] We urge the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to increase core funding for postsecondary education to match the Canadian average as a starting point for evaluating this and any other new proposals in the postsecondary sector.