Hey, Mickey, you're so fine...

When Margaret Hodge, the Higher Education minister, warned students to steer clear of 'Mickey Mouse' courses the universities were furious. Olivia Richwald and Joel Wolchover hears why vocational courses are so sought-after

Would-be students can be forgiven for being confused. Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary, has assured them that an average debt of £15,000 is a good investment in their future, thanks to their higher earning potential. But Margaret Hodge, the Higher Education minister, has warned school leavers to steer clear of "Mickey Mouse courses that do little to put graduates on the career ladder".

Mrs Hodge refused to name names, leaving students and universities to ponder what she meant. Media studies is one of the suspects, as is any course containing the word "leisure". However, most of the courses – such as golf studies, horticulture, football and pop music – are relatively new creations at former polytechnics and are often tied in to the world of work.

Some commentators believe that associating such courses with Disney's famous rodent is unfair to students and their teachers and contradicts the Government's stated aim of tailoring higher education to the needs of employers. "Employers value those who have vocational as well as academic awards and look for individuals with the practical skills and knowledge that vocational courses develop," says Richard Brown, chief executive of the Council for Industry and Higher Education.

"If you look at media studies, which has been thought of as a Mickey Mouse course, there are more graduates using skills gained on their courses than there are law students who are now practising lawyers."

The courses are developed in conjunction with employers and are exactly what the employers want, says Geoffrey Copland, the vice-chancellor of the University of Westminster and chairman of the Coalition of Modern Universities. "Universities evolve and change depending on the job market," he says. "They don't put on courses that they do not feel there is the market for and they are not proud of.

"People used to say exactly the same thing about engineering, that it wasn't a degree course. They used to say don't consider studying sociology. If you followed that sort of advice nobody would have moved past teaching theology, which was all the universities taught in the Middle Ages."

Who should prospective students believe? Are they taking a risk by choosing a non-traditional, highly specialised vocational degree course? We talk to three students who risked the Mickey Mouse jibes and came out smiling.

GOLF AND LEISURE MANAGEMENT

Russell Mayne, 25, is one of the youngest managers of a golf course in the country, running the Worsley Park Hotel Golf Course in Manchester, part of the Marriott hotel chain. He is certain that the golf qualification on his CV gave him the edge over other applicants. He earns about £30,000 a year and manages a team of up to 30 staff. His ambition is to become the director of a national golf chain earning £70,000, within the next two years.

He graduated in 1998 with a golf and leisure management HND from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, which has started one of the country's first degree courses in the subject. Having taken up golf at 15, Russell realised that he would never be good enough to play professionally.

"I find the term 'Mickey Mouse degree' completely disrespectful, not only to those people who have attained qualifications on these courses, but also to every other student," he says. "Many of the qualifications that Mrs Hodge is talking about are actually very beneficial for students looking to get straight into a career."

The course covered the rules and regulations of golf clubs, golf course maintenance and ground keeping, as well as human resources, management training and accountancy. "After just two years in my position I am running one of the biggest and most successful golf operations in the UK," he says.

POPULAR MUSIC PERFORMANCE

When Drew McConnell and his punk band Elviss heard that their second single, "D-Change", had been selected for Radio 1 DJ, Jo Whiley's Record of the Week, their tour bus went crazy. "There was shouting, jumping, it was surreal and awesome to hear our music on radio," he says. The single sold out in HMV and Virgin Megastores nationwide and was one of the 20 most requested music videos on a cable television station.

Elviss has won financial backing from a big international entertainment company. They have also been offered several recording contracts but are holding out for a deal with a major label. "It could be anything from £200,000 to half a million," says Drew, 24, who is the bass player in the four-piece band.

Having graduated from Thames Valley University with a 2:1 in Popular Music Performance in 2002, he is certain that his studies laid the foundations for his pop career. "The degree allowed me to focus completely on music. I ate, slept and made music 24 hours a day," he says.

His tutors helped Drew to improve his musical skills by forcing him to play jazz. "You have to play very fast and know when not to play," he explains. He formed Elviss after meeting a former graduate of Thames Valley's one-year pop music course. "Whether I do well or not in the end, I am still following my dreams right now."

COMPUTER GAMES DESIGN

Sajjad Ifthkar, 22, has a job that many youngsters would give their joystick arms for. Every day he earns a comfortable living by designing and playing computer games. As an "environment artist" at Vis Entertainment in Dunfermline, Scotland, Sajjad, uses sophisticated software to create the colourful backgrounds that the game's characters compete in.

Last year, he completed a Computer Games Design course at Teesside University, securing his current job three months before he graduated with a 2:1. He is already earning up to £20,000 a year basic salary, plus bonuses, for doing his dream job.

"I've wanted to do this since I was 10 years old," he explains, "but I would not be working in the games industry without my qualifications. The course gave me an insight into the trade and taught me what goes into making a game. Margaret Hodge has her opinion, but just because it isn't a science, maths or law degree doesn't automatically make it Mickey Mouse."

At university he sharpened his drawing skills, studied the background of the computer games industry and learnt basic animation. In the second year he learnt how to use 3D software to create games and in the final year he built a unique gaming world for his dissertation, which he sent to potential employers.

"I created a knight who had to rescue a princess from a rotating castle, it was very tongue-in-cheek," he says.

education@independent.co.uk