Top 10 Useless College Degrees and Classes

Top 10 Useless College Degrees and Classes10. David Beckham studies -- Staffordshire University, UKIt might sound like a joke, but the squeaky-voiced soccer star actually has a degree course dedicatedto him. The course, which is technically classed as "Football Culture", has been defended byits founder, who argues that degree courses must keep with the times. Celeb-style degreescan also be found in the US, with Madonna studies injected into the Gender course atHarvard (no less) and Oprah Winfrey studies at Illinois.9. Parapsychology -- various collegesThis degree is perfect for starting a career with Ghostbusters. Oh wait, Ghostbusters arefictional -- that's four years wasted. Nevertheless, this course dedicated to the study of theparanormal (Slimer and haunted houses included) is popping up in universities and collegesworldwide. Coventry, Edinburgh, Northampton and Liverpool in the UK, plus Belford andFlamel in the US all offer the course, which makes you wonder if people are watching toomany Most Haunted episodes.8. Doctorate of Philosophy in Ufology -- Melbourne UniversityIn August this year, Aussie Martin Plowman became the first student to become a realDr Who after passing his studies of unidentified flying objects. After his major in cultureand communications, he decided he wanted to do something a bit different, so he choselittle green men. However, despite his new status, he remains open-minded about things:"When I meet someone who says they've seen something strange, that's fair enough, becausemaybe they have. I don't know what it is, though,"7. The Phallus -- Occidental CollegeIt's difficult to get to grips with the exact nature of this course -- if you'll pardonthe pun. It's cited as studies "between the phallus and the penis, the meaning of thephallus, phallologocentrism, the lesbian phallus, the Jewish phallus, the Latino phallus, andthe relation of the phallus and fetishism" but is actually a survey offered by this distinguishedcollege's department of critical theory and social justice.6. Surfing Studies -- Plymouth / MelbourneGone are the days of dumb surfer dudes riding the waves without a care. Now, surfing meansbusiness. With Plymouth Uni in the UK offering a BSc (Hons) in Surf Science and Technologyand Southern Cross University in Australia offering Surf and Sport Management, is seemsthe seaside slackers want to be taken seriously. What next? Wrestling degrees?5. Philosophy -- various collegesPhilosophy, like sociology and psychology, is one of those degrees that people do whenthey&;re not quite sure what vocation they want to follow . It's a fun-time four years,open to stoners, egocentrics and those that love the sound of their own voice, who willfinish the course even more confused at what they want to do in life and probably end upworking at a convenience store.4. Queer Musicology -- UCLADue to seemingly popular demand, the UCLA have actually combined queer theory -- thestudy of gender, feminism and gayness -- with the science of music, to produce a very open-mindedcourse within their Herb Alpert School of Music. The LA Times reported that the coursewill introduce debates like: "the idea that if you& re gay, then music by gay composerssuch as Benjamin Britten will sound different to you than it would if you were straight."3. Star Trek -- Georgetown University in WashingtonIt&;s a degree, Jim, but not as we know it. The Georgetown faculty of Philosophy arguesthat "Star Trek is very philosophical. What better way, then, to learn philosophy, thanto watch Star Trek, read philosophy, and hash it all out in class?" The Trekkies have alsolanded at Indiana University, who curiously combine their Star Trek Studies with religion.If only there were more vacancies for professional dorks...2. Golf Management -- University of Birmingham / Florida Gulf Coast UniversityHere&;s another useless sport degree spreading through Universities across the world, butthis one lands the number two position because it's not even fun. There&;s nothing much dullerthan playing golf apart from studying golf, so why these two Universities have offeredcourses covering the psychology of golf; equipment technology; financial performance and coacheducation, is a mystery.1. Art History -- various collegesWhat career would you ever get with a degree in art history? Maybe an art gallery curator,but how many of those does the world actually need? Most art history courses consist ofa selection of well-to-do teenagers and arty-hippy types deliberating over the same Dali andMagritte paintings for four, even five years straight. It's time to move on!Honorable Mentions:The Science of Harry Potter -- Frostburg UniversityMaryland&;s Frostburg University provides this honors seminar, which is really a physicsclass that investigates the supposed magic of Harry Potter. Seems like an excuse to watchthe Harry Potter movies.Learning from YouTube -- Pitzer CollegeCalifornia&;s Pitzer College has added a class named, Learning from YouTube. TechCrunch reportsthat "the class consists of students watching YouTube videos and then discussing them. Theyalso leave comments on the videos themselves."