As many of you may already know, the former Department of Economics at UBC has changed its name and re-branded itself as the new “Vancouver School of Economics” last year. The VSE plans to add spaces for 328 students and 10 faculties. Along with the expansion, the VSE will also be introducing the new four year Bachelor of International Economics degree with support from the Sauder School of Business. The new program is said to have a greater focus on economics compared to the conventional BA with small class settings and the pairing of international and domestic students (1:1 ratio).
“UBC’s Vancouver School of Economics will expand UBC’s place as a global leader in economic policy,” says Prof. Michael Devereux, the school’s inaugural director. “This new centre will educate the next generation of global policy leaders – both those in Canada and other countries – and help to inform policy solutions for our challenging global economy.”
Coupled with this expansion is a growth of annual tuition to $7,672 for domestic students and $27,731 for international students from $4,700 and $22,622(BA) respectively. Whether or not this increase is justifiable is up to debate. From all the relevant sources I had access to, I learned little more than vague concepts of improvement. Aside from the restructuring inside the Faculty of Arts and increase in the enrollment of internationals, I see few differences in the actual program itself compared to the original BA in Economics. The profit incentive might be obvious enough from the attempt to capitalize on UBC’s international reputation by enlarging the enrollment overseas.
So what do you guys think? Is the new VSE able to follow the successful path set by the LSE or is this just a clever marketing strategy to increase their revenue?
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/announces+creation+Vancouver+School+Economics/7656107/story.html