Thanks to those that have replied with useful links.
"It was almost a thousand years ago, when the University of Bologna, or
Alma Mater Studiorum (Nourishing Mother of Studies), the oldest
university functioning constantly started teaching various disciplines
at graduate level. "
"Cost effective study options and minimal tuition fees are Europe’s mere
advantage and deserve commendation, therefore this advantage should not
be lost. "
That said, the American UNiversities have a lot more money. I my
opinion they are now not good value for money. College cost increased
more than 500% while the consumer price index increased 121% The actual
cost of instruction only went up less than 10% Sending more money there
didn’t work. Student loans now total $1.2 trillion. Only 60% graduate
within six years, the remainder has to pay off the debt without a
degree. A CareerBuilder Survey finds 51% of employed 2014 college grads
are in Jobs that don’t require a degree. Just 27 percent of college
grads had a job that was closely related to their major. It seems
universities are more interested in acquiring student fees than
preparing them for the world. Harvard professor Clayton Christensen
predicted that in 15 years half these institutions would be in bankruptcy.
It is still not clear to me what degree Penon has. It doesn't look like
it is PhD but as others have pointed out, the master's degree carries
the title of Dr. there. Certainly Beene belittles Penon by calling him
a glorified mechanic. As a licensed engineer he should be qualified to
do the assessment. Probably better than a lot of scientists who have
had no practical training or experience.
"The Bologna University system
University studies are divided into three cycles:
First cycle and Single cycle degree programmes: First Cycle Degrees,
Single Cycle Degrees.
Second cycle degree programmes: Second Cycle degree programme.
Third cycle degree programmes: Doctoral studies (PhD) and Specialisation
Schools.
The University also runs vocational programmes including First and
Second level Professional Master's Programmes, Post-Graduate programmes,
Lifelong Learning Courses and Intensive Courses.
The qualifications awarded are: first cycle degree (laurea - L) and
second cycle degree (laurea magistrale - LM). To obtain a first cycle
degree, students must acquire 180 educational credits (CFU) in a maximum
of 20 exams; to obtain a second cycle degree they must acquire 120 CFU,
in a maximum of 12 exams."
