Surfers ride into careers

Traditionalists who mocked Plymouth University's controversial "surfing degree" as one of the worst examples of dumbing down were invited to eat their words this week as the first cohort of graduates secured jobs in the water-sports industry.

Phil Rowbottom, one of 17 to gain a BSc degree in surf science and technology, has a marketing post at surfing equipment and clothing manufacturer Rhino Boardbags, while Lucy Rimmer has taken a job as water-sports co-ordinator at Falmouth College.

Jim Edmundson has been appointed sales executive at wet-suit manufacturer Gul International and plans a postgraduate marketing degree next year.

He said: "A lot of people said that (this degree) must have been very easy, but if anything, they made it harder to avoid criticism from the sceptics. We were never allowed to surf in lecture time."

The course, which has 125 students, teaches units in business studies, science and environmental studies. The university has formed a partnership with Edith Cowan University, in Australia, to deliver the course under franchise.