What’s the strangest subject in which you can gain a degree in the UK? We find out…
10 . Parapsychology
We really wanted to call this one ‘Ghostbusting’ but we decided that would probably count as lying. Parapsychology, which was launched as a masters at Coventry University in 2006, looked at the existence of ghosts, haunted houses and ‘the survival of bodily death’. Eerie.
Forget the David Beckham module at Staffordshire which made headlines a couple of years ago, Golf is one of the few sports offered as an entire course at degree level (at Buckinghamshire New University). Brilliantly, the course takes FORE years to complete (geddit?), which enables us to make that terrible golf-based pun. Hmm, we wonder if they sell sandWEDGES in the canteen. Groan.
8 . Wine Studies
We’re sure we weren’t the only ones who had the odd glass of wine whilst we hammered away at that essay. Of course, we always felt rather guilty about it. But what if we had taken a degree in Wine Studies at the University of Brighton? We certainly wouldn’t have felt so bad about drinking on the job…
7 . Stained Glass
Both the University of Edinburgh and Swansea Metropolitan offer four year and three year courses on glass, respectively. We can’t be sure as to what else this one entails but we’re thinking looking at lots of pretty windows covers at least some of it. And we can get on board with that.
A degree in Surf Science and Technology sounds pretty damn cool, in our book. And where better to study it than in Plymouth? The reality of learning wave dynamics might sound dry (ironically) but hey, we’re too busy imagining field trips to the Great Barrier Reef and lectures that look like they’ve been lifted straight from the beaches in 90210.
5 . Brewing and Distilling
What’s this? Learning about beer? All day? We might have just found our calling. The Brewing and Distilling course at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh is designed to educate students about the malting, brewing and distilling industries. We went to the Guinness factory once. That’s basically the same thing, right?
4 . Yacht Operations
Prospective students with a love of the sea can head to South Devon College for their qualification in Yacht Operations – one of the coolest sounding degrees we’ve come across. Screw driving on land, with this under your belt, you’ll have the opportunity to drive everything from a dinghy to a powerboat.
3 . Outdoor Leadership
When we saw that you could work towards a degree in Outdoor Leadership at the University of Cumbria, we instantly had visions of impeccably trained tour guides. And you know what? We weren’t far off. Rather than train you on the importance of carrying a neon-coloured umbrella to guide your team with however, this course equips students with the technical, strategic and practical skills required for the outdoors. In other words, it’s the Bear Grylls of degrees.
2 . Puppetry
For those looking for a really niche entry into the world of theatre, Central School of Speech and Drama at the University of London offers students the chance to study puppets for three whole years. During the course, students learn how to make puppets and how they can manipulate them effectively in performance. We can only hope that this means they get to watch repeats of The Muppets and Sooty and Co, too.
The way we see it, Viking Studies (available at The University of Nottingham) is just like this picture: lots of angry live action role playing, finished off with some very strong mead.
Article and images by studentbeans.com