Should degree have experation date?

If degree is used for entry in to profession should it have expiration date and have person to keep current with the degree
in a form of CCU's.

Now not the same as working on graduate degree or post graduate degree.

Wile this may be substitute to requirement to stay current.

Lets say a person with degree earned 20 years ego in IT, Electronics etc.

Is the employer been deceived by employee who clamed BS degree in Computer Science and fully accredited at the time?

I think experience will come to play but what is the degree is it
the same as a current graduate?

Learner

 

Something like this does indeed exist.

Observe: In most states, holders of professional doctorate degrees who are duly licensed must take a certain number of continuing educationhours every year in order to maintain licensure.

If these individuals fail to maintain their hours over a sufficiently long period of time, not only are their licenses suspended but they must either make up the missing hours or, in some cases, RETAKE their licensure examinations.

If such a person never obtained a license in the first place, the degree does not "lapse" but neither can the person practice his profession until he takes the CURRENT examinations.

 

Nosborne's description matches my situation exactly. A specified number of CEUs must be earned every year (it's every two years in Massachusetts) in order to keep your (Clinical Social Work)license. If your license is allowed to lapse then you must retake the exam (a giant pain). Now, in the field of Social Work there are jobs you can get with just your degree (no license) but they're not always very good jobs, they may not pay very well (as if being a licensed Social Worker pays well ) and many times there is an expectation that you will become licensed at some point. As for other degrees/disciplines, my brother has his BA in Economics and has worked as an IT professional for 25 years. I don't really think he uses his Economics training very extensively, except as it relates to management skills. I don't think he makes any effort to "keep up" with the field of Economics nor does his employer expect that of him. How would an expiration date on his degree help anyone? Just curious.
Jack

 

Yes,

I'm aware of professional licensing.

But not all professions require to be licensed.

Now in the name of quality assurance how can a person whit outdated degree (almost obsolete in some cases)
be considered as someone with standard education?

This becomes substandard and if one wants to claim a BS degree in Computer Science then unless the degree was earned in last 5 -10 years the education wile was good at the time today may be substandard.

The employer is been cheated by assuming that employee has standard education.

Well he had at one time in history but not today.

Now not the same for persons with degree in literature, linguistics, mat etc.
But people not robots may forget what they learned 20 years ego some more than others.

Learner

 

That's what resumes are for.

Anybody hiring computer science people these days knows that the "shelf life" of an accredited technology degree can be as little as, or less than, five years or so.

But a legitmate, accredited degree at least assures the potential employer that the applicant mastered the principles of his discipline at one time and therefore is probably capable of "getting up to speed" again.

Of course, if the "degree" is from an unaccredited school, the employer knows nothing of the sort!

 

Well in this case can employer request in the job requirements that applicant should have degree earned not later than such and such year.

Is there a law that forbids this?

Learner

 

I think it depends on the field. I can certainly see an expiration for an IT degree without continuing education to keep the professional current, but the debate rages over which are the best physicians -- those just out of med school who are up on the latest technology, or experienced doctors with decades of experience. I'm inclined to go with the latter, but maybe that's because I'm an old fart myself.

 

For Computer Science, this would be an issue only if the person was working in a different field for those 10 years. Most anyone working in the field has to remain fairly up to date in order to continue doing their job.

 

Good point.

Now in UK there is a formal way for a person to document his work experience.

I have a coworker that all he does is program old main frame VMS.
every year he thinks it's his last year but so far he had 7 such last years .

Electronics is in the same boat, technology and engineering.

I think Certifications add value in this case because a person who is MSSE on win NT 3.1 - well not going far but the one with MSCE
Win 2000 or better 2003 is current today.

The same should be with degrees.

BS degree with STAR system

Each 5 years a person adds a STAR to his degree by passing appropriate classes.

Or something like this.

This will be good for everyone, emploees, students, revenues etc

 

My hunch is that a CS degree content from 20 years ago is fairly current in its contents. Automata Theory, Algorithms, Operation Systems fundamentals and even Database theory are quite the same today, even though people now are not forced to use COBOL . Now IT degree is another matter...

As to your proposed changes, I see no point in it. Degrees are what they are - the certification of completed academic course, at particular date. To assess currency of applicants' knowledge, employers use other means. You mentioned one - certification.

 

Stanislav

I view this a little differently.

Just like the University has to go be reevaluated and the accreditation is not indefinite the same should be for the degree holder.

What was required for BS degree 10 years ego may be deferent
today. Also people forget some have better memory then others.

Requirement to take GRE once in 5 years to demonstrate that a person is still has the knowledge and didn't forget what he learned 10 or 20 years ego.

If that person got new knowledge in a form of additional degree then this may be substituted.

Am I the only one who thinks this way?

 

Perhaps I was too focused on the licensure aspect of the issue but it seems that you are too focused on the IT aspect. After all, this constitutes a vast minority of college degrees. What about the person whose degree is in History and now they're working in the retail industry or some other diverse business. Their degree may not be directly related to their job. Why should they have to continue to demonstrate that they're up to date (that's a little History joke, get it?) in the area of History? Why would anyone care? Lots of people go through college, studying something mildly of interest, not thinking too much about what happens after they graduate. They stumble through a number of different jobs and then wind up as the manager of a Blockbusters, or a landscaping business or whatever. Aside from teaching them some basic analytic skills, the essentials of writing a coherent essay, etc. their degree is largely irrelevent to their jobs. How would an expiration date improve that situation?
Jack

 

OK,

Then don't make it mandatory but create a system and let the employer make the decision whether to accept a person with a Star Maintained Degree or Degree no Star Maintained Obviously people may be maintained their knowledge but they will have to prove this and having STAR may just do that as official accredited maintenance system..

This will be voluntary process for people who wish to demonstrate that they maintained the learning and knowledge of what they studied in the past.

So I'm changing my post from Expired or outdated degrees to

Maintained degree versus non maintained degree.

Learner

 

Bill put it well. I could not imagine you would want to punish someone who gets a tech degree by telling them it will expire. On a resume you typically list your degree and year earned. If I earned a computer science degree in 1994 and have worked at WalMart as a greeter for the past 10 years, the employer should have the brains to realize that I would not know anything about Active Directory.

If you mark tech degrees to expire, what about management because theories change...acting/directing because styles change...journalism because laws and technology change…chemistry because there may be a new discovery…literature because there are new writers…the list can go on and on.

The only thing that would not expire is a degree in Humanities (Ancient Civilization). That will not change…unless there is a new discovery

 

But what about peoples memory.
Even if the degree is in any field, what about the memory.

Not only IT any field, some one who continued and earned graduate degree and followed by post graduate degree is in category od super star.

Learner

 

Maybe everyone who ever earned a degree will have it revoked within 36 months if they do not show proof of at least 6 credits in their major after graduation and they can be monitored by the government and have their degree torn off their office walls if they do not comply...yeah...yeah...that's it

 

Yap,

Thats were things are headed.
We will see a champion state that will protect the public from
people who use old and expired degrees.

I can see advertisements run by leading universities " come and update your expired degree"

And Mills will offer the same service as well actually they will offer degrees that never expire for one yearly fee a person will get a degree mailed to him anually.

The term backdated degree will be historry the new term will be predating or future dating degrees.
Come and order your 2012 degree.

There will be degree lottory as well.

Ok forum don't take me to serius today, I'm recovering from Russian weding,
I will be fine tommorow.

If anyone my degree is form 80s so it expired long time ego

 

I cannot see how there would be significant change in undergraduate education. The emphasis might shift slightly and the odd subject might change. In computer science, have there been any significant advances in data structures or algorithms? Granted the language being taught might change but teaching languages for the sake of teaching languages is not really the role of universities.

If you want to ensure that people are current with their learning, why not base it upon membership of professional societies which provide qualifications which require continuous updating?

For example, why not insist on only employing Chartered Engineers or Chartered Accountants? Any continuing education requirements would be satisfied by maintaining chartered status. The British Computer Society actually offers Chartered Information Technology Practicioner and Chartered Scientist qualifications. Why not only hire people who have attained those qualifications?

That way, the degree would indicate fundamental knowledge (which doesn't change significantly) and the professional membership/qualification would indicate current knowledge and experience. It also doesn't require any significant changes to current practice (other than a change in hiring practices).

 

Actually it is Chartered Information Technology Professional.