Students are more satisfied with traditional academic subjects than new "sexy" vocational disciplines such as media studies, suggests the first national student satisfaction survey.
Figures leaked to The Times Higher reveal that degree subjects such as philosophy, history and the sciences are among those rated most favourably by students.
Students on philosophy courses report the highest median "overall satisfaction" levels, with 4.3 out of a maximum five points, closely followed by history and archaeology, physical science, biology and English-based studies, all of which have a rating of 4.2.
Subjects such as mathematical sciences and European languages - increasingly spurned at school level - rate highly among students in higher education, both registering a median score of 4.1 out of five.
These results contrast with those for the ten subjects rated least satisfactory by students.
Art and design has the lowest median "overall satisfaction" rating of 3.7 out of five, closely followed by media studies, computer science and technology with 3.8. Tourism, transport travel and business, communications and information studies, and management each score 3.9.
"Perhaps the days when vice-chancellors could guarantee they could get bums on seats and fill all their places by putting on more and more courses such as media studies are over," said Andy Pike, national official at lecturers' union Natfhe.
"These results are perhaps a sign that vice-chancellors need to think long and hard about whether to continue to push those subjects."
Christine Geraghty, chairwoman of the management committee of the Media, Communications and Cultural Studies Association, said a gap between students' career expectations and the reality might explain the lower levels of contentedness.
"Media studies courses have lost their Mickey Mouse tag through high levels of graduate employment and other elements," she said.
"But while we don't say that if you do media studies you will get a job in media, it is possible that some students expect that."
Professor Geraghty, who holds the chair in film and television studies at Glasgow University, added: "It is possible that one of the issues might be sufficient investment in the subjects - especially in terms of access to equipment.
"In the case of art and design, and media, there is a strong hands-on element. Universities may not be sufficiently looking at this when developing new courses," she said.
Complex picture
Yet the overall satisfaction results of the survey, published for the first time in The Times Higher , mask a more complex picture of students' feelings about their degree courses.
The survey posed a series of questions to students covering different aspects of degree courses. These were: teaching on courses; assessment and feedback; academic support; organisation and management; learning resources; and personal development.
What will intrigue lecturers and admissions tutors is that some subjects fare well in some categories while performing relatively poorly in others.
One of the lowest ratings produced by final-year students, for example, concerns veterinary sciences, where respondents rated the subject only 2.9 out of five for assessment and feedback provided on degree courses.
Yet veterinary sciences tops the satisfaction ratings for academic support offered during their study (scoring four out of five).
Medicine and dentistry scores most highly - 4.3 out of five - in terms of personal development. But medics and dentists are among the worst performers, when it comes to assessment and feedback, scoring three out of five.
Philosophy, theology and religious studies students are most likely to find their teachers inspirational, giving this aspect of their courses 4.2 out of 5 on average.
Overall lessons
The results also offer some more general lessons for lecturers.
Students were least happy with the quality of their "assessment and feedback" - no subject scored more than 3.8. They were also critical - across most subject areas - of the "organisation and management" of their courses.
In this category, art and design was rated at only 3.3, while media studies and tourism, transport and business received 3.6.
Academics will be more pleased with the ratings for teaching on degree courses, with most subjects scoring more than four out of five in this category.
For Alan Smithers, professor of education at the private Buckingham University, however, the generally high satisfaction levels are excellent news for advocates of higher top-up tuition fees such as himself.
"It is good news that the general level of satisfaction is so high," he said.
"By and large, they are receiving their education as a free good and it could be that they still want to have these experiences - even if they have to contribute more towards the cost."
Professor Smithers said that next year the sector would get the first indication of how students react to the emerging market in higher education, when top-up fees of £3,000 are introduced.
"But these figures mean that it is now more conceivable that they could be raised even higher shortly," he said.
HIGHS AND LOWS
The teaching on my course
Assessment and feedback
Academic support
Organisation and management
Learning resources
Personal development
Happy customers: student survey results
Subject area
No of institutions
No of
students
in sample
Median
response
rate
Median
satisfaction
score
(out of 5)
Philosophy, theology and religious studies
30
2,9
65%
4.3
History and archaeology
66
13,343
66%
4.2
Physical science
45
6,230
67%
4.2
Physical geography and environmental science
39
3,511
72%
4.2
Biology and related sciences
61
9,757
68%
4.2
English-based studies
82
13,957
68%
4.2
Human and social geography
29
2,890
72%
4.2
Civil, chemical and other engineering
17
1,785
64%
4.2
Mathematical sciences
30
3,705
64%
4.1
European languages and area studies
42
6,087
72%
4.1
Medical science and pharmacy
24
3,095
69%
4.1
Medicine and dentistry
17
4,576
65%
4.1
Veterinary sciences
3
321
76%
4.1
Law
66
13,549
63%
4.1
Politics
50
5,747
63%
4.1
Agriculture and related subjects
17
1,733
67%
4.1
Combined
9
9,529
63%
4.1
Other subjects allied to medicine
38
3,930
63%
4.0
Sociology, social policy and anthropology
72
11,778
66%
4.0
Sports science
38
4,920
65%
4.0
Education studies
43
5,299
68%
4.0
Other languages and area studies
15
1,361
74%
4.0
Nursing
9
1,297
58%
4.0
Psychology
87
13,640
70%
4.0
Performing arts
66
8,078
66%
4.0
Economics
41
5,911
64%
4.0
Finance and accounting
42
4,672
62%
4.0
Teacher training
13
1,843
64%
4.0
Social work
34
4,755
63%
4.0
Business
67
18,075
60%
3.9
Electronic and electrical engineering
2,604
62%
3.9
Management
51
7,830
60%
3.9
Communications and information studies
3,010
66%
3.9
Mechanically based engineering
43
4,799
61%
3.9
Tourism, transport, travel
17
1,792
62%
3.9
Technology
18
1,921
58%
3.8
Computer science
81
19,831
60%
3.8
Media studies
45
5,976
65%
3.8
Architecture, building and planning
26
4,332
60%
3.8
Other creative arts
40
4,323
63%
3.8
Art and design
58
17,293
62%
3.7
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