A degree that offers a module in Disney Studies has been named the worst in the UK for salary prospects, leaving graduates earning below minimum wage after five years and earning so little they face their student debt ballooning to almost £95,000.
Graduates of media, journalism and communications degrees from the University of Hull earned on average £16,100 after five years, according to data from the Department for Education (DfE). This is less than for any other course in the UK and below the roughly £19,000 National Minimum Wage full-time annual equivalent.
Those graduating face the cost of their degree ballooning to almost £95,000 before the debt is cancelled because they are unable to earn enough to pay it off, according to Telegraph analysis.
The earnings figure relates to the 2014/15 cohort’s PAYE salaries in the 2020/21 tax year, and a spokesperson for the Yorkshire institution said it was not a reflection of courses they offer today.
The University of Hull’s website states that the current BA (Hons) Media Studies “blends hands-on skill with thought-provoking theory” and promises its students they will leave a “work-ready professional” upon graduation.
The course includes a compulsory first year module digging into “the ways in which television has been conceptualised, theorised and analysed by television and media scholars”.
The third year also provides an optional “in-depth exploration of the history and impact of Disney’s global entertainment empire”.
This five-year earnings figure relates to the 2014/15 cohort’s PAYE salaries in the 2020/21 tax year, and a spokesman for Hull University said it was not a reflection of courses they offer today.
According to the Discover Uni data the university’s own information page links to, 0pc of graduates were “using what they learnt during their studies in their current work”.
