Certificates: Gateway to Gainful Employment and College Degrees
Creator
Carnevale, Anthony P.
Rose, Stephen J.
Hanson, Andrew R.
Abstract
Certificates have swelled to become the second most common postsecondary award in the U.S.: Over 1 million are awarded each year. In the context of concerns about rising college costs and student loan debt, certificates, which are cheaper and take less time to complete than college degrees, have become of increasing interest to researchers, institutions, and other stakeholders in higher education. In this report, we analyze earnings by field of study, sex, race/ethnicity, and program length. One of the most important factors that affects earnings is whether certificate holders work in the same occupational field they studied in. We also take a close look at the demographic characteristics of certificate holders: sex, race/ethnicity, age, educational attainment, academic preparation/skill, family income, and parents' education. Last, we analyze the institutions that most commonly award certificates--such as community colleges and for-profit institutions--and the states where certificates are most prevalent and provide the highest earnings returns.
Permanent Link
http://hdl.handle.net/10822/559297Date Published
2013-07Collections
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The Overlooked Value of Certificates and Associate’s Degrees: What Students Need to Know Before They Go to College
Carnevale, Anthony P.; Garcia, Tanya I.; Ridley, Neil; Quinn, Michael C. (Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2020)This report examines the labor-market value of associate’s degrees and certificate programs, finding that field of study especially influences future earnings for these programs since they are tightly linked with specific ...