At Wayne State University in Detroit, students will be making some new course selections in the coming semesters if a new faculty proposal is put into place. For those who find mathematics to be a bit on the difficult side or not important to their goals, good news! You won’t have to be bothered with studying calculus or statistics. Instead, you’ll be filling your time and required credit hours with courses in “diversity training.” (Michigan Capitol Confidential)

A faculty committee has proposed adding a three credit hours requirement in diversity to the general education curriculum at Wayne State University. It also recommended that WSU drop its university-wide requirement in mathematics, an idea that was carried out on June 13.

“We are proposing the creation of specific ‘Diversity’ courses, with students required to take one course in this designation,” said a document from the General Education Reform Committee, which is recalibrating what the university will expect from all students who earn a degree from the state university. It released the proposal in May.

The committee report said, “These courses will provide opportunities for students to explore diversity at the domestic level and consider the ways in which it intersects with real world challenges at the local, national and/or global level.”

The various revolts by the special snowflakes on America’s college campuses seem to be taking hold. If diversity and social engineering are your thing, classes such as these might be of great interest to you, but there remain a certain number of students who are seeking college degrees with an eye toward establishing a career and beginning their lives. Why bother with something as stodgy and outdated as math? I mean, those STEM courses are so last century, aren’t they?

There are good reasons for colleges and universities to refresh their course offerings, particularly in today’s competitive jobs environment. Unfortunately, adding more diversity courses is pretty much on par with expanding their liberal arts programs, which are of pretty much the same value to graduates hoping to make a living. As Business Insider so succinctly put it earlier this year, liberal arts majors are screwed.

A new study by my company and Beyond.com called “The Multi-Generational Job Search,” found that only 2% of employers are actively recruiting liberal arts degree holders. Compare that to the 27% that are recruiting engineering and computer information systems majors and 18% that are recruiting business majors.

What’s more, 49% of all generations responded that they believe there are “no jobs” out there for those with a liberal arts degree.

Keeping with my usual practice, a reminder for parents of students considering enrollment at Wayne State University: the tuition for Michigan residents is $22,075 per year. Hope you’re getting your money’s worth.