YOU'VE got an 'ology'? If you've got an 'ology', you're a scientist - that is, according to Maureen Lipman in those intensely annoying but oddly memorable BT adverts from the 1980s.

Now, it would appear, there's a new 'ology' on the curriculum - chavology.

Droitwich student Verity Jennings has just completed a media studies degree at Leeds Metropolitan University with a final thesis exploring the 'chav' phenomenon.

Verity, who has graduated with a highly commendable 2:1, looked at 'the whole culture' of chavs and chav lifestyles.

Now, there are those that will look at her subject matter and decry Verity's efforts as 'not a proper degree'.

Such 'studies', the argument goes, undermine the whole validity of higher education. 'Meedja' degrees are not worth the paper they are written on. What's wrong with English, maths or history?

But hold on. Degrees are not just about subject matter. They are also about learning to learn. They are about students understanding the importance of independent research and the ability to present cogent arguments.

And that is what Verity has done. Let's be honest, how many of us can hold up our hands and say the classics of English literature or complex quadratic equations are part of our daily lives?

But chavs - we read about them all the time. So we say well done to Verity and her peers.