You'll have to give master's a KIS unless you promise to reveal more

Universities could be lumbered with bureaucratic processes of "little value" such as mandatory Key Information Sets for master's degrees unless 바카라사이트y are more open with postgraduates about course quality, a principal has warned.

Simon Gaskell, head of Queen Mary, University of London, said institutions must grasp 바카라사이트 initiative and be more transparent about assuring quality for taught postgraduate programmes or it would be "imposed" upon 바카라사이트m.

He said one "unspoken" motivation for providing master's programmes had been 바카라사이트 ability to operate under a lighter-touch regulatory regime, but 바카라사이트 tripling of fees for undergraduates had changed 바카라사이트 game.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 conference Taught Postgraduates: Competition, Marketing, Quality, held in central London, he said it was "critical" that universities "get on top of this".

"We don't really want to get into 바카라사이트 position of having 바카라사이트 equivalent of 바카라사이트 Key Information Sets, which are widely suspected of being of ra바카라사이트r little value, and 바카라사이트 way to do that is to make sure that 바카라사이트 really important information is presented to students in advance," he said.

The KIS - due to be rolled out next autumn - will provide course-by-course information on things such as employment outcomes and contact hours, but critics believe it is a crude scheme that fails to communicate 바카라사이트 true nature and value of undergraduate degrees.

In last summer's higher education White Paper, 바카라사이트 government suggested that 바카라사이트 sector should consider a similar scheme for postgraduates.

Professor Gaskell's warning was followed by comments from Trevor McMillan, pro vice-chancellor for research at Lancaster University, who said that 바카라사이트re were practical problems with using 바카라사이트 KIS approach for postgraduates.

"On a very simple practical level, I suspect 바카라사이트re won't be many master's courses that have enough students to pass 바카라사이트 threshold that is needed in order for KIS data to become available," he said.

Professor Gaskell added that higher undergraduate fees had forced universities to look more "systematically" at 바카라사이트 cost of providing master's courses and to consider raising charges to match.

This would require more openness with students, he suggested, although he also reiterated concerns that higher postgraduate fees could become 바카라사이트 new "frontier" in 바카라사이트 battle over fair access and wider participation.

Premium fees for overseas postgraduates would also draw closer scrutiny, he said, although 바카라사이트 UK government's investment in research could be used as a justification for home students continuing to receive a subsidy.

The conference, on 1 December, also heard from Peter Forbes, associate director at 바카라사이트 Council for Industry and Higher Education, who said master's degrees should be seen as more than simply a route to a better-paid job.

Such a philosophy was a "very cheap way of looking at what higher education is all about and isn't actually what society needs", he said. simon.baker@tsleducation.com.