Omega University

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“Mental health experts observed that symptoms of mental illness are less pronounced in many patients after group music-therapy sessions, and job openings in the music-therapy field have increased during the past year. Consequently, graduates from our degree program of music therapists should have no trouble finding good positions. To help improve the financial status of Omega University, we should therefore expand our music therapy degree program by increasing its enrollment targets”

My response is below. Please critique it and provide an estimated score.

Thanks in advance.

The argument that Omega University should expand their music therapy degree program by increasing the enrollment targets because mental health experts have observed that symptom of mental illness are less pronounced in patients after music therapy sessions, and that job openings have in the field have increased during the past year is based on some presumptions that may not be accurate.

Most conspicuously, the argument links that graduates from the program should have no trouble finding good positions in the field as job openings have increased during the past year assumes that the job openings are in addition to the current jobs in that field. The job openings could potentially be music-therapists that have decided to leave their positions working with the mentally ill patients due to the possibly difficult working conditions and challenging working environment. This in turn, could explain the increase in the job openings in the field but does not necessarily mean that the job market demand has increased for music-therapists.

Secondly, the argument for Omega University to expand there enrollment targets potentially makes the assumption that because mental health experts have observed that music therapy sessions has helped reduce symptoms of mental illness in patients that group music therapy sessions will increase creating a higher demand for music therapists. The mental health system may not have adequate funding to support additional group sessions or even support the current music therapy group sessions that are ongoing. The group therapy sessions may be only temporary or part-time positions that would not necessarily support additional job openings.

Increasing the Omega University enrollment targets due to these assumptions may cause the opposite effect on the financial status of the University by increasing the supply of music therapists due to a falsified requirement based on the assumptions made in this argument. The argument can be more convincing if additional information is provided to indicate that the actual increase in job openings are new job openings created due to the increase in demand for music-therapist. Information regarding the employment rates of graduates from the music-therapy program working in that field are also essential in determining if the need for more therapist is accurate.

Therefore, the argument that Omega University to conclude that it should expand its enrollment targets makes links to premises based on assumptions that may be inaccurate leaving the argument incomplete and flawed.