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Academic inflation means jobs that once required a bachelor’s degree now require a master’s degree, reducing the value of degrees and making it harder for new graduates to gain work experience. Grade inflation and rising tuition costs contribute to the problem.
Academic inflation refers to the growing demand for higher degrees for certain jobs, even when a higher degree is not required to perform those jobs. For example, many jobs that would have traditionally only required a bachelor’s degree in the past now require a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree. This phenomenon is reducing the ability of those who are simply entering the workforce to learn through work experience, and instead are encouraged to stay in school to obtain certificates and degrees for longer periods of time.
Having a university degree no longer implies that an employee is qualified. The job market is seeing an increasing number of graduates whose academic background would not have been strong enough to earn them a diploma in previous years. Therefore, this trend is both a result of academic inflation and, as a result, employers are now demanding even higher grades to avoid qualified candidates.
One response to academic inflation is the broadening of the range of difficulty of the undergraduate curriculum. Now that many employers require a bachelor’s degree, newer colleges are opening with easier programs and less strict admissions. Even today’s universities are reducing the difficulty of their academic programs and their admission requirements. This not only increases the number of individuals who are able to receive a degree but also reduces the value of that degree to other individuals.
Grade inflation is also increasingly prevalent and contributes to higher academic inflation. It is becoming easier for students to earn good grades, and more graduates are reporting higher grade point averages (GPAs) on their resumes. This makes it more difficult for employers to distinguish between candidates, and as a result, they rely more on certificates and higher grades to judge a candidate’s potential.
There are also several economic effects related to academic inflation, such as the increase in the cost of higher education. The cost of tuition for colleges and trade schools is rising much faster than the rate of inflation. This cost increase may dissuade some students from pursuing higher degrees, counteracting the effects of academic inflation. During times of economic downturn, however, the need for a job often outweighs the need to avoid student loans. Students are now struggling as the cost of education is high, requiring higher loans, while the number of jobs available is low, requiring higher degrees.
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