Then throw it in the useless degrees section. I literally knew people with degrees in "guitar" "fashion design" and so forth.
My issue is who is going to universities in the USA in Europe there are ample options for solid career training without going to a university. Say you're in Germany and want to learn to work in an applied technology lets say robotics they have top notch apprenticeships for that one doesn't go to a university. One would go for a degree in researching and developing robotics technology on the high end of course that's where you should but to fix, maintain and tend to and use said technology you go through other channels. This is true for many careers including banking financial services you don't need a college degree just the right apprenticeship. So before we tackled fixing higher education maybe options diverting talent to applied career training would be far better before college. Now as for colleges and lets assume four year or more of education not a community college what is the role of that? If its purely for the scholarship aspects getting the best minds into one place and working at perfecting human knowledge then why degrees I would in the USA have academic hubs, let the students and faculty spend six years on whatever scholarship they like, they show what they leaned and get a degree. They would get one regardless of areas of work a chemistry focusing scholar would be the same as a philosophy focusing one save they would intermingle more. I think then this could lead to professional schools, medical apprenticeships and training and such. If they wish to stay they could as resident scholars and get a stipend if they also facilitated education and mentored people and live on the campus. They would work on the scholarship and teach in a way. However to get in one must commit to staying and be highly motivated and intelligent so there would be a barrier that is one must prove value to get in once in the education would be free as would minimal room and board and books and supplies might need some money spent there. How we do this now is crazy anyone can get into some kind of school somewhere even if in the 1950's they would laugh you out of the college and study anything and its really not that good unless a student gets into MIT or the New College of Florida or a Seven Sister School or regionally good school with standards what is the point. Debt for a piece of paper to work making coffee for people or some other employment where its a waste. For business and other subjects these could be apprenticeships, taught at dedicated business colleges for the skills and knowledge and well why not go to work and learn on the job after secondary school preparation in this area of work. So the models are flawed not so much the system your a student at a good school here your going to do well if one studies and goes into a meaningful area of study, if your going to just focus on pure scholarship then do that my six year model works there and would allow for science and the advancement of our knowledge with a strong dedicated scholarly core in time. I think this is the best model of one wants to have free education or very affordable and one could cull out wastes of space with peers saying your not working enough on your area of interest or if someone is broader in interests they might get a pass if they just are not as committed to one area if they show progress in their learning. I could see someone go well I like these eight areas of study so want to work on them all and am planning to do that after my six years I can then focus more if allowed to stay on as a resident scholar.
IMO it's no so much the present structure of higher education that is problematic, but the personalities of those using it and the goals of too many of those that are running it. IMO higher education would improve rather quickly if faced with stronger competition from the apprenticeships and other less academic programs you mentioned; artificial means of structural change would prove unnecessary.
