Economic Benefits for
Sub-Baccalaureate Education
EdInfo 2001-12
December 2001
ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges
In order to understand the
economic benefits of sub-baccalaureate education, the Community College Research
Center (CRCC) at Columbia University reviewed recent national studies on sub-baccalaureate
education. The studies reviewed include the following: National Longitudinal
Survey of the Class of 1972, the High School and Beyond Study, the National
Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the Survey of Income and Program Participation,
the National Survey of Adult Literacy, and the Current Population Survey. Based
on this review, it was concluded that:
- Community colleges and
other sub-baccalaureate degrees and certificates did help individuals to advance
into higher-paying jobs.
- Thirty credits—approximately
one year’s worth of full-time enrollment—was a basic minimum needed to confer
an economic benefit.
- The economic returns
to associate degree did not decline for older students.
- The economic returns
to associate degree were generally higher for blacks compared to whites.
- Men with associate degrees
earned 18% more and women earned 23% more than high school graduate counterparts.
- For men, the returns
to associate degree and certificate were highest in engineering, computer,
and health-related fields, but much lower for business and miscellaneous subjects.
For women, the returns to associate degree and certificate were highest in
health-related fields but much lower for vocational/technical subjects; associate
degrees, but not certificates, in business fields also tend to yield high
economic returns for women.
This information was reported
in ED441549, "The Economic Benefits of Sub-Baccalaureate Education: Results
from the National Studies. CCRC Brief, Number 2." by Norton Grubb. A full-text
copy of this document may be obtained by contacting ERIC Document Reproduction
Services (EDRS), 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852; or
by calling (800) 443-ERIC. This project has been funded at least in part with
Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED-99-CO-0010.
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Updated 12/17/01