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How Liberal Artsand Sciences MajorsFare in Employment -

By Debra Humphreys and Patrick Kelly


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How Liberal Artsand Sciences MajorsFare in Employment -

By Debra Humphreys and Patrick Kelly

With a foreword byCarol Geary Schneider and Peter Ewell

Association

of American

Collegesand

Universities


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1818 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

2014 by the Association o American Colleges and Universities.All rights reserved.ISBN 978-0-9890972-2-2

Tis report was made possible with unding rom the National Endowment orthe Humanities, the Spencer Foundation, and the eagle Foundation.

Te views, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication do notnecessarily represent those o the National Endowment or the Humanities, the Spencer Foundation,or the eagle Foundation.

o order copies o this publication or to learn about other AAC&U publications,visit www.aacu.org, e-mail [email protected], or call 202-387-3760.

Association

of American

Colleges and

Universities


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Contents

Foreword by Carol Geary Schneider and Peter Ewell v

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction 1

1. Is a College Degree Still a Good Investment? 4

2. How Important Is the Choice o Undergraduate Major? 6

3. What Are the Median Earnings and Employment Rates 8

or Graduates in Different Fields?

4. What Difference Do Graduate and Proessional Degrees Make? 12

5.What Proessions Do Graduates in Different Fields Pursue? 14

6.What Role Do Different Fields Play in Education and Social Services Proessions? 17

Conclusion 20

Appendix: List o Undergraduate Fields o Study rom the American Community Survey 21

Reerences 23

About the Authors 24


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How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare in Employment v

In recent years, a variety o orces have converged to generate an intense ocus among policymakers and members o the general public alike on the employment outcomes o college graduates.

One question probed repeatedly is whether college is still worth it in an economy that has been

jarred by a deep recession and hindered by a painully slow recovery. It is both understandable

and appropriate that this question is being raised, and it is important that policy makers and

members o the general public have as ull a picture as possible o the relevant evidence in order to

answer it. Te Association o American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the National

Center or Higher Education Management Systems are grateul to the National Endowment or

the Humanities, the Spencer Foundation, and the eagle Foundation or the unding support that

makes it possible to provide this analysis o data on the economic returns o earning a college degree.

Te Liberal Arts and Career Opportunity

A second question being raised with new urgency is whether specific college majorsare a good

investment or individuals seeking long-term career success and or policy makers seeking to

shepherd scarce resources as wisely as possible. In this context, majors in the humanities and

social sciencesthe so-called liberal artshave become targets or special scrutiny and potential

budget cuts. Governors, policy leaders, and legislators at both the ederal and state levels have

singled out specific humanities and social science fields, identiying them as poor choices or

undergraduate majors and decrying as wasteul the

investment o public money in associated academic

departments. Perhaps reflecting that judgment, andin an effort to reduce spending, some institu-

tions o higher education have moved recently to

eliminate departments in humanities and social

science fields such as philosophy, history, sociology, and oreign languages.

In How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare in Employment: A Report on Earnings and Long-erm

Career Paths, Debra Humphreys and Patrick Kelly address the concerns about whether college is still

worth it and whether liberal arts majors provide a solid oundation or long-term employment and

career success. Responding directly to the recent assaults on the humanities and social sciences, this

report compares earnings trajectories and career pathways or liberal arts majors with the earnings

trajectories and career pathways or those majoring in science and mathematics, engineering, andproessional or preproessional fields such as business or education. Readers who value the liberal

arts will, we believe, find the results reassuring.

Tere is a much larger casebeyond the purely vocational or economic caseto be made or

study in the humanities and social sciences, o course. Tese fields build the capacity to understand

our collective histories, ideals, aspirations, and social systems. Tey are indispensable to the vitality

Foreword

Majors in the humanities and social sciences

the so-called liberal artshave become targetsor special scrutiny and potential budget cuts


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vi Association o American Colleges and Universities

o our democracy and to the uture o global understanding, engagement, and community. TeAmerican Academys Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences makes that larger case

succinctly and persuasively in its recent report, Te Heart o the Matter(2013). AAC&U, too, has

ocused on the learning students need both or democracy and or global community, publishing

reports such as Ashley FinleysMaking Progress? What We Know about the Achievement o Liberal

Education Outcomes(2012), the National ask Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engage-

mentsA Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracys Future(2012), and the National

Leadership Council or Liberal Education and Americas Promises College Learning or the New

Global Century (2007). Tese reports oreground the centrality o the humanities and social sciences

to societal vitality and also provide extensive evidence to show that ar too many graduates leave

college knowing much less about democracy and global cultures than they need to know.Here, however, Humphreys and Kelly ocus more narrowly on the economic concerns and

debates o our time. Tey seek to enlarge the debate about earnings, which requently ocuses too

selectively on salaries achieved in the first ew years out o collegeinormation based on incomplete

data and that is, thereore, requently misleading.

Using data rom a statistically significant weighted sample o more than three million respondents

to the US Census Bureaus American Community Survey, How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare

in Employmentprovides evidence that, in strictly economic terms, college is, indeed, still a reliable

pathway to a solid income and to career progression. Even in todays difficult economic environment,

most college graduates are employed and are earning significantly higher salaries than those who

completed high school only.Te findings presented in this report speak directly to alarmist concerns that graduates who

majored in humanities or social science fields are unemployed and unemployable. Tose concerns

are unounded and should be put to rest.

Te report also shows the extent to which degree holders in the humanities and social sciences

are flocking to a amily o social services and education proessions that may pay less well than

some other fields (e.g., engineering or business management), but that are necessary to the health

o our communities and to the quality o our educational systems. In a public statement issued in

November 2013 in response to President Obamas proposed college ratings system, AAC&Uraised

concerns about schemes designed to rate institutions by graduates median salary levels, pointing

out that, i enacted, they would have the effect o rewarding institutions with many engineeringand technology graduates and punishing institutions whose graduates pursue jobs in public

service, teaching, and social servicesfields our society has chosen to compensate less well.

Tis report helps us see which fields would be lef depletedat high cost to our communities

were the United States, in act, to deund humanities and social science departments and turn

away rom liberal arts studies at the college level.


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How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare in Employment vii

We do students a significant disservice i we conveythe message that selecting the right major is the

primary key to career opportunity and success

It akes More Tan a MajorFinally, consistent with its ocus on wages, employability, and career trajectories, the report also

includes recent findings about employers views on the kinds o learning that make a graduate

employable and promotable. Employers themselves are reminding higher education that it takes

more than a major to both contribute to and prosper in an economy that is constantly adapting

to new challenges, new technologies, and new orms o competition. Employers seek graduates

who are ready to help them innovate. In this context, they privilege broad learning over narrow

learning, and they seek the capacity to engage cultural diversity as one o their top three require-

ments or new hires. Tey also seek graduates with cross-unctional proficiencies, meaning that

these learners are not limited to one particular

disciplinary rame o reerence, but rather can workadaptively and integrate across disparate fields o

expertise and enterprise.

In other words, whatever a students under-

graduate major, employers overwhelmingly agree

that all college graduates need broad knowledge, a portolio o intellectual and practical skills, and

hands-on experience in order to be well prepared or successul careers. We do students a significant

disservice i we convey the message that selecting the right major is the primary key to career

opportunity and success. In that sense, the current debate about majors and career opportunity

has been too narrowly ramed rom the outset.

Still, in a season o mounting anxiety about how to maximize the benefits o college study orindividuals and or our society, it is important to address the economic questions and the anxieties

about college and major fields o study directly. Policy makers and members o the general public

alike deserve the opportunity to examine the data on the economic returns rom college study in

as ull a context as possible.

In this spirit, we thank both Debra Humphreys and Patrick Kelly or the time and care they

have given to this research and to the preparation o this report.

Carol Geary Schneider

President, Association o American Colleges and Universities

Peter Ewell

Vice President, National Center or Higher Education Management Systems


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viii Association o American Colleges and Universities

Acknowledgments

Te authors are grateul to Dennis Jones, president o the National Center or Higher EducationManagement Systems, or the initial idea to pursue this research and to Dennis, Peter Ewell, and

Carol Geary Schneider or their assistance in raising unds to support this research and or their

guidance throughout the design, research, and writing phases o the project.

We are grateul to John Clark or his expert assistance with data analysis. We also thank

David ritelli or his expert editorial assistance and Michele Stinson, Liz Clark, and Diane Buric

or their design expertise and assistance.

Finally, we acknowledge with deep gratitude the National Endowment or the Humanities, the

Spencer Foundation, and the eagle Foundation or providing the financial support that enabled

us to produce this report. We also thank the leadership and staff members o these oundations or

their continued advocacy or the value o the liberal arts and sciences to individuals and our society.


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How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare in Employment 1

Introduction

Tis report is designed to complement otheranalyses o the employment status o college

graduates by presenting data on long-term

employment trajectories, with a particular

ocus on comparisons between graduates with

baccalaureate degrees in humanities and social

science fields, on the one hand, and graduates

with degrees in proessional and preproessional,

science and mathematics, and engineering

fields, on the other. Using data rom the US

Census Bureaus American Community Survey,

we seek to present a more accurate portrait o

the employment outcomes o college graduates

not just their outcomes in the first year

afer attaining an undergraduate degree,

but throughout their working lives.

Some Notes on Methodology

For this study, we analyzed the public use files

rom the US Census Bureaus American

Community Surveys or 2010 and 2011. Tese

files include inormation related to the education

and occupation o about three million US

residents between the ages o twenty-one andsixty-five who hold bachelors degrees and

work in a wide array o proessions.

For purposes o comparison, we grouped

together college graduates with a our-year

degree in a humanities or social science field

(e.g., philosophy, history, or sociology) and

compared the employment trajectories o this

group o graduates with the trajectories o three

other groups o graduates: those with a degree

in a proessional or preproessional field (e.g.,

nursing or business), those with a degree in

science or mathematics (e.g., chemistry orbiology), and those with a degree in engineering.

(A complete list o the fields included in each

category or the purposes o this study is pro-

vided in the appendix.) Te earnings and proes-

sions or baccalaureate graduates were tracked

by age-group in increments o five years rom

twenty-one through sixty-five. In addition, we

noted whether these our-year degree holdersalso earned graduate or proessional degrees.

Unless otherwise noted below in the tables and

figures that present data rom the American

Community Survey, we included in our

analysis alldegree holders, including those with

a baccalaureate degree only and those with a

baccalaureate degree who also subsequently

earned a graduate or proessional degree.

Te American Community Survey does not

identiy specific fields o graduate study.

Some Notes on erminology

In this report, we draw an important distinction

between the wage and employment trajectories

o graduates who majored in specific liberal arts

and sciences fields (e.g., history, philosophy,

and biology) and the continuing importance

o providing the broad outcomes o a liberal

education to allcollege graduates, regardless o

their chosen field o study.

When we use the term liberal arts and

sciences, we are reerring to the humanities, the

arts, the social sciences, mathematics, and thephysical and natural sciences. When we use the

term liberal arts, we are reerring to the humani-

ties, the arts, and the social sciences only. Trough-

out this report, the term the humanities is

understood to include the ull range o academic

disciplines in both the arts (visual, fine, and

perorming) and the humanities. (See the

appendix or the complete list o fields classified

as humanities and social sciences or the

purposes o the analysis presented below.)

Finally, when we use the term liberal educa-

tion, we are reerring to the broad approach toeducation that should be available to all students,

regardless o their chosen field o study.

Setting the Data in Context

In addition to making distinctions between these

key terms, we also recognize that proessional

success is not the only important outcome o


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2 Association o American Colleges and Universities

a college education. Higher education in theUnited States has always been designed to

prepare students not only or success in the

workplace, but also or flourishing, including in

their lives as citizens and community members.

Moreover, many actors influence whether a

college graduate succeeds in his or her chosen

proession. Some o these actors (e.g., personal

interest, job fit, motivation, drive, lie circum-

stances, geographic region, macroeconomic

trends, and global economic orces) have little

or nothing to do with the students choice o

undergraduate major or the institution rom

which he or she obtained a degree.

Current economic conditions and the supply

and demand o workers with particular degrees

and skill sets are especially important actors

that influence employment trajectories. Articles

in mainstream media outlets are filled with

anecdotal stories about recent humanities and

social science graduates working in low-level

service positions. Readers may draw the

conclusion that there is a vast oversupply o

such graduates relative to the number o jobsthat require the skills and capacities students

develop through study in those fields. Our

analysis o data rom the American Community

Survey reveals, however, that the majority o

humanities and social science majors do find

employment in the initial years beyond college

and settle into an array o proessions over the

long term.

In act, other evidence indicates that, with

very ew exceptions, jobs across a wide array o

proessions are available to graduates with a

baccalaureate degree in a humanities or socialscience field (Burning Glass and NCHEMS

2013). Currently, demand in the labor market or

graduates in engineering and some proessional

fields, including health-related fields, dramatically

exceeds supply, while demand or most graduates

in liberal arts and sciences fields is roughly even

with supply. In only a ew fields (e.g., oreign

L L A E:

A G T

Liberal Education:An approach to college

learning that empowers individuals and

prepares them to deal with complexity,

diversity, and change. Tis approach emphasizes

broad knowledge o the wider world (e.g., science,

culture, and society) as well as in-depth achieve-

ment in a specific field o interest. It helps

students develop a sense o social responsibility;

strong intellectual and practical skills that span

all major fields o study, such as communication,

analytical, and problem-solving skills; and the

demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and

skills in real-world settings. Tis approach to

education can apply to the ull range o majors,

including not only humanities and social

sciences, but also sciences, engineering, and

proessional fields.

Liberal Arts and Sciences:Disciplines spanning

the humanities, arts, sciences, and social

sciences. For example, humanities disciplines

include such fields as philosophy and literature;

social sciences include such fields as politicalscience and sociology; sciences include such

fields as biology and physics.

Liberal Arts:While this term is sometimes used

to describe all the arts and sciences disciplines,

in this report, the term reers only to disciplines

in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

General Education:Te part o a liberal educa-

tion curriculum that is shared by all students.

General education provides broad exposure to

multiple disciplines and orms the basis or

developing essential intellectual, civic, and

practical capacities. It can take many orms, andincreasingly includes introductory, advanced,

and integrative orms o learning.

Adapted rom Association o American Colleges

and Universities (AAC&U), Greater Expectations:

A New Vision or Learning as a Nation Goes to

College (Washington, DC:AAC&U, 2002), 25.


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languages and linguistics, visual and perormingarts, theology, and biological sciences) is there

a pronounced oversupplyo college graduates

relative to appropriate job openings.

Seeking a Broader and More Long-erm

Perspective

Looking only at employment and earnings data

or recentgraduates can be misleading. Higher

education provides a wide array o benefits

beyond just immediate gainul employment.

Moreover, or data about employment out-

comes to be useul to students, parents, and

policy makers, they should accurately reflect

what happens to graduates over the long term,

and they should be placed in a context that

properly reflects the most important contrib-

uting actors o proessional successmany

o which extend ar beyond the choice o

undergraduate major.

Policy makers interested in the public

good produced by higher education ofen

require inormation that is different rom the

inormation that interests students and parents.While students and parents may be mostly

concerned about the overall salary prospects

or graduates in various proessions relative to

their investment o time and money, policy

makers tend to ocus on the broader needs o

communities and regions. Tese include the

need or a population that is well educated in

an array o proessions, including proessions

where the pay is relatively low but that are

nonetheless essential or maintaining a

healthy community.

Te analysis o the employment status ocollege graduates provided in this report is

intended to inorm both policy and practice.

Te data we present strongly suggest that

students who graduate with baccalaureate

degrees in liberal arts disciplines are poised or

long-term success in graduate or proessional

school and over the course o their working lives.

Te data also suggest that liberal arts graduates

play disproportionately significant roles in

social services proessions such as social work

or counseling.

Tis report is organized as a response to

questions commonly asked by students,

parents, policy makers, and members o the

media. It also responds to less common

questions, the answers to which are nonethe-

less important to the careul marshaling o

resources devoted to increasing educational

opportunityan essential societal imperative.

Drawing on recent data collected by the US

Census Bureau through its American Commu-

nity Survey, this report provides

a comparative portrait of median annual

earnings or baccalaureate degree holdersand or those who also attained graduate or

proessional degrees, organized by area o

undergraduate major;

a comparative portrait of the career pathways

o baccalaureate degree holders, organized

by area o undergraduate major;

a comparative portrait, also organized by

area o undergraduate major, o the wage

bump provided by graduate or proessional

degree attainment;

a comparative portrait of the range of profes-

sions held by baccalaureate degree holders,organized by area o undergraduate major;

a comparative portrait of the educational

backgrounds o those in education and in

select social services proessions.

Students who graduate with baccalaureate degreesin liberal arts disciplines are poised orlong-term success in graduate or proessional schooland over the course o their working lives


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F .Te earnings premium or college study and degree attainment

S: Reprinted by permission rom Carnevale, Jayasundera, and Cheah (2012, fig. 7); authors estimate using Current Population Survey data(19702011).

N:Te estimates are the three-month moving averages o mean earnings o ull-time, ull-year wage and salary workers ages 25 to 54. Te our-year college earnings premium is the mean earnings o workers with Bachelors degrees or better relative to the mean earnings o workers with onlya high school diploma. Te AA premium is the earnings o workers with Associates degrees or some college relative to mean earnings o their highschoolonly counterparts. Te shaded bars indicate periods o recession as reported by the National Bureau o Economic Research.

BA+ Premium: wage premium or workers with Bachelors degrees or better over workers with high school diplomas or less

Some College/AA Premium:wage premium or workers with Associates degrees or some college over workers with high school diplomas or le ss

Prior to examining data about employmentoutcomes or those majoring in specific fields,

it is essential to note that a college degree o any

kind remains a good investment o time and

money (see fig. 1). Tis has remained true even

in the wake o a crippling recession (see fig. 2)

and in light o a highly competitive global

employment market. As Anthony Carnevale and

his colleagues at the Georgetown University

Center on Education and the Workorce make

clear in their 2012 report, Te College Advantage:

Weathering the Economic Storm, the average

earnings o a bachelors degree-holder remain

nearly twice as much as those o a worker with

only a high school diploma (Carnevale, Jayas-

undera, and Cheah 2012, 12). Moreover, the

report continues, the recession hit those with less

schooling disproportionately hardnearly our

out o five jobs lost were held by those with no

ormal education beyond high school. Tose

with a our-year degree, on the other hand, were

largely protected against job losses during therecession and some had job gains (3). As the

authors o the report themselves put it, college

degrees have served as protection or Americans

seeking shelter during a tough economic

storm (Georgetown University Center on

Education and the Workorce 2012). Accord-

ing to an earlier report rom the center, over

the course o their lietimes, workers with a

baccalaureate degree earn 84 percent more

than workers who complete high school only

(Carnevale, Rose, and Cheah 2011, 1).

Tese trends are confirmed by the findings

o a more recent study by the College Board.

Te studys authors observe in their report,

Education Pays 2013, that the financial return

associated with college credentials and the gaps

in earnings by education level have increased

over time. Moreover, they note that the 2012

unemployment rate or our-year college

graduates ages 2534 was 7.1 percentage points

Is a College DegreeStill a Good Investment?1

1.10

1.20

1.30

1.40

1.50

1.60

1.70

1.80

1.90

2.00

201020082006200420022000199819961994199219901988198619841982198019781976197419721970

Ratiooc

ollegeearningstohighsc

hoo

learnings

1.54

1.44

2.00 1.97

1.201.22

1.20

1.13

nBA+ Premium

nSome College/AA Premium

nRecession


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F .Impact o the 200810 recession on employment

S: Reprinted by permission rom Carnevale, Jayasundera, and Cheah (2012, fig. 1); authors estimate o the Current Population Survey data(20072012). Employment includes all workers aged 18 and older.

N: Te monthly employment numbers are seasonally adjusted using the US Census Bureau X12 procedure and smoothed using our-monthmoving averages. Te graph represents the total employment losses by education since the beginning o the recession in December 2007 to January2010 and employment gains in recovery rom January 2010 to February 2012.

belowthat or high school graduates (Baum,Ma, and Payea 2013, 5; emphasis added). It is

clear that investment in a college degree pays off

or individuals.

Tere also is persuasive evidence that public

investments designed to increase the number o

college graduates in a particular region pay off

or entire communities, and that such invest-

ments are essential to uture economic growth

(Carnevale, Smith, and Strohl 2010). As Baum,

Ma, and Payea point out, when regional percent-

ages o residents with college degrees increase,

ederal, state, and local governments enjoy

increased tax revenues rom college graduates

and spend less on income support programs

or them, providing a direct financial return

on investment in postsecondary education.

Further, adults with higher levels o education

are more active citizens than others, and

college education leads to healthier liestyles,

reducing health care costs (2013, 56).

Investing time and money to attain a college

degree is clearly worth it. But, as Carnevale and

Cheah point out in Hard imes: College Majors,

Unemployment and Earnings, while it still pays

to earn a college degree . . . not all college degrees

are created equal (2013, 3). Some graduates are

prepared or and enter proessions that pay

significantly more than others. Tis is the result

o several actors, including the relative supply

and demand o workers in certain fields who

possess specific skill sets and differences in how

particular proessions are valued in our society.

Public investments designed to increase thenumber o college graduates in a particular regionpay off or entire communities

-6

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

ose with a Bachelors degree or bettergained 187,000 jobs in the recession.

ose with an Associates degree or some collegeeducation lost 1.75 million jobs in the recession.

ose with a high school diploma or less lost5.6 million jobs altogether in the recession.

Feb-12Sep-11Apr-11Nov-10Jun-10Jan-10Aug-09Mar-09Oct-08May-08Dec-07

Employmentc

hange

(inmillions)

People withBachelors degreesor better gained 2million jobs inrecovery.

People with highschool diplomas orless lost 230,000

jobs by February2012 in recovery.

People withAssociates degreesor some collegeeducation gained1.6 million jobs inrecovery.

Recession Recovery

nBachelors degree

or betternSome college or

Associates degree

nHigh Schooldiploma or less


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How Important Is theChoice o Undergraduate Major?

Te ocus o several recent reportsincludingthis oneon relationships between college

graduates major field o study and their

employment outcomes may give the impression

that the choice o undergraduate major is the

most important actor in workplace success.

But this is not necessarily the case. In act, about

40 percent o baccalaureate degree holders in

the paid labor orce are working in a proession

that is unrelatedto their major field o study

(Georgetown University Center on Education

and the Workorce 2013). Moreover, the view

that the choice o undergraduate major is the

determining actor or success in the labor

market is not one that is held by most employers.

In 2013, the Association o American Colleges

and Universities commissioned a survey o

employers in order to probe their views oncollege learning and workorce preparation.

When asked about what they look or in job

candidates, the vast majority o the employers

surveyed (93 percent) agreed that a candidates

demonstrated capacity to think critically,

communicate clearly, and solve complex

problems is more importantthan their under-

graduate major (see table 1). In addition, more

than three in our employers urged colleges

and universities to place more emphasis on

five key learning outcomes: critical thinking,

complex problem solving, written and oral

communication, and applied knowledge in

real-world settings (Hart Research Associates

2013, 1). While undergraduate programs in

many fields excel at helping students develop

2

.Employer priorities or new hires

S: Data rom Hart Research Associates (2013).

Percentage of employers who agree somewhat or strongly with each statement

Our company puts a priority on hiring people with the intellectual and interpersonal skills that wil l help them

contribute to innovation in the workplace.

95%

Candidates demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more

important than their undergraduate major.

93%

Whatever their major, all students should have experience in solving problems with colleagues whose views are

different rom their own.

91%


16%

29%55%

F .Employer views on requirements or advancement and long-term career success

Which o the ollowing ranges o knowledge and skillsare more important or recent graduates who want topursue advancement and long-term career success atyour company?

nKnowledge and skills that apply to a specific field or position

nA range o knowledge and skil ls that apply to a range o fieldsor positions

nBoth field-specific knowledge and skills anda broad rangeo knowledge and skills


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these cross-cutting capacities, liberal arts majorstend to be more ocusedthan others on these

kinds o highly transerable skills (Arum and

Roksa 2010). Accordingly, graduates with

liberal arts majors are especially well prepared

to succeed in volatile job market conditions and

in environments that put a premium on

flexibility and creativity.

Especially when considered together with

findings rom AAC&Us previous employer

surveys (Peter D. Hart Research Associates

2006, 2008; Hart Research Associates 2010),

the findings rom the 2013 survey strongly

suggest that, in todays competitive, ast-moving

economic environment, those seeking well-paying

and rewarding jobs will require both specific

knowledge in a field o study and a broad range

o skills that extend across fieldssome o which

are particularly well developed through study in

the liberal arts. As figure 3 shows, a majority o

employers (55 percent) believe that, in order to

advance and achieve long-term success in their

companies, it is most important or college

graduates to possess both field-specific knowledgeand skills, on the one hand, and a broad range

o knowledge and skills, on the other. Tese

employer surveys provide clear evidence o the

high value employers place on broad learning,

or what educators call general education,

one o the hallmark eatures o higher education

in the United States. Across all parts o the US

higher education system, general education

consists primarily o studies in the liberal arts

and sciences. Finally, employers across a range

o fields understand that all college students

whatever their chosen majorshould have

educational experiences that teach them about

building civic capacity, broad knowledge about

the liberal arts and sciences, and cultures outside

the United States (see table 2).

When examining data about the earnings

and employment status o college graduates, it is

not entirely unhelpul to disaggregate by under-

graduate major. But ultimately, the success o

both individuals and companies alike may bemore dependent on the availability o a diverse

group o well-educated workers who hold degrees

in a wide array o fields and who possess broad

capacities and diverse skill sets.

A candidates demonstrated capacity tothink critically, communicate clearly,and solve complex problems is more importantthan their undergraduate major

.Employer views on the liberal arts and sciences and selected learning outcomes


Percentage of employers who agree somewhat or strongly with each statement

All students should have educational experiences that teach them how to solve problems with people whose views

are different rom their own.

91%

All students should learn about ethical issues and public debates important in their field. 87%

All students should have direct learning experiences working with others to solve problems important in their

communities.

86%

All students should take courses that build knowledge, judgment, commitment to communities, ensure integrity/

vitality o democracy.

82%

All students should acquire broad knowledge in liberal arts and sciences. 80%

All students should learn about societies and cultures outside the United States and about global issues and

developments.

78%


18/36


$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

616556605155465041453640313526302125

S: Data rom US Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey.

N: Tis figure depicts median earnings or those employed ull time (35+ hours per week).

F . Median annual earnings or college graduates, by age-group and area o undergraduatemajor (201011)

What Are the Median Earningsand Employment Ratesor Graduates in Different Fields?

3

When college graduates are grouped accordingto area o undergraduate major, comparison o

their median annual earnings over the course o

their working lives reveals, not surprisingly,

some differences (see fig. 4). Te annual earnings

o graduates with a baccalaureate degree in

engineering, in particular, are consistently higher

than the earnings o those with a degree in a

humanities or social science field, a proessional

or preproessional field, one o the physical or

natural sciences, or mathematics. However, not

all students are interested in or prepared to

pursue an engineering degree. While there is a

shortage right now o qualified workers in

engineering fields, the median annual earnings

o those employed in those fields would be likely

to decrease in relation to the size o any uture

influx o graduates with baccalaureate degrees in

engineering. Currently, only about 9 percent o

college graduates in the labor orce holdengineering degrees. Tereore, or the pur-

poses o this study, we have chosen to ocus

primarily on the 91 percent o graduates who

hold degrees in liberal arts and sciences fields

and in proessional or preproessional fields.

Figure 4 shows that median annual earnings

are roughly the same or those between the

ages o twenty-one and twenty-five with an

undergraduate major in a humanities or social

science field, a proessional or preproessional

field, one o the physical or natural sciences, or

mathematics. Over time, however, as college

graduates gain more experience, the annual

earnings o those with a baccalaureate degree in

engineering, science, or mathematics increase

significantly compared to the annual earnings

o those with a baccalaureate degree in a

humanities, social science, proessional, or

nHumanities and Social Sciences

nProessional and Preproessional

nPhysical Sciences, Natural Sciences,and Mathematics

nEngineering


19/36



N: Tis chart depicts median annual earnings or college graduates employed ull time (35+ hours per week) by area o undergraduate major,regardless o whether or not they also attained an advanced degree in the same or a different field o study. Te American Community Survey doesnot identiy fields o postgraduate study.

F .Short-term vs. long-term earnings: Median annual earnings or graduates directly outo college compared with peak, by area o undergraduate major (201011)

preproessional field. Te difference in earningsbetween those with a baccalaureate degree in

science or mathematics and those with a baccalau-

reate degree in engineering decreases over time.

As figure 5 shows, the median annual

earnings or recentcollege graduates with a

baccalaureate degree in a humanities or social

science field are slightly lower than those or

recent graduates with a baccalaureate degree

in a proessional or preproessional field. Te

median annual earnings or humanities and

social science degree holders between the ages

o twenty-one and twenty-five are about $4,900

lower than those or proessional or preproes-

sional degree holders. However, as individuals

age and gain more work experience, the gap in

earnings between these two groups closes.

In act, the median annual earnings or those

between the ages o fify-six and sixty with a

baccalaureate degree in a humanities or social

science field exceedsthe median annual earnings

or those with a baccalaureate degree in a

proessional or preproessional field. Mature

workers who majored in a humanities or social

science field earn on average about $2,000 more

than those who majored in a proessional or

preproessional field.

Figure 5 also shows that median earnings

increase substantially over time, with the biggest

increase rom early postgraduation to peak

earning ages occurring among those with a

Mature workers who majored in a humanitiesor social science field earn on average about$2,000 morethan those who majoredin a proessional or preproessional field

$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

EngineeringPhysical Sciences,Natural Sciences,and Mathematics

Professional andPreprofessional

Humanities andSocial Sciences

$66,185

$31,183

$41,577

$97,751

$86,550

$25,986$26,271

$64,149

nDirectly Out o College (Ages 2125)

nPeak Earning Ages (5660)


20/36


baccalaureate degree in science or mathematics.At peak earning ages, those with a baccalaureate


earn nearly $40,000 more annually than they

earned in the early years afer graduation. For

those with a baccalaureate degree in science or

mathematics, annual earnings are more than

$60,000 higher at peak ages than in the early

years afer graduation. Notably, and contrary to

widespread assumptions, the earnings gap

between those with a baccalaureate degree in a

humanities or social science field and those with

a baccalaureate degree in a proessional or

preproessional field closes over time (see fig. 5).

In act, while those with humanities or social

science degrees earn nearly $5,000 less than

those with proessional or preproessional

degrees employed directly out o college, they

earn more than $2,000 more at peak ages.

In this context, it is important to note theeffect that earning a graduate or proessional

degree, in addition to the baccalaureate, has on

median earnings overall and on gaps between

groups o degree holdersan effect that is

especially pronounced or those who majored

in a liberal arts and sciences field. Figure 6

shows that, or those who do not earn an

advanced degree, the earnings gap between

those with a baccalaureate degree in a humanities

or social science field and those with a baccalaure-

ate degree in a proessional or preproessional

field persists over time. (Te effects o earning

an advanced degree are examined in greater

depth in chapter 4 below.)

Apart rom the earnings trajectories associ-

ated with different areas o undergraduate major,

how well do particular baccalaureate degrees

protect against unemployment over time? As

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

$70,000

$80,000

$90,000

$100,000

616556605155465041453640313526302125


N: Tis chart depicts median annual earnings only or graduates employed ull time (35+ hours per week) or whom the baccalaureate degreewas the highest degree earned.

F . Median annual earnings or college graduates with a baccalaureate degree only,by age-group and area o undergraduate major (201011)

nHumanities and Social SciencesnProessional and Preproessional


nEngineering


21/36


noted in chapter 1 above, the unemploymentrates or college graduates are substantially

lower than or those who do not graduate rom

college. However, there are differences across

areas o undergraduate major. Te unemploy-

ment rates or those who major either in a

humanities or social science field or in science

or mathematics decline over time, while the

unemployment rates or those who major

either in a proessional or preproessional field

or in engineering initially decline and then rise

slightly (see fig. 7).

In addition, differences in unemployment

rates vary between areas o undergraduate

major and over time. For example, the unem-

ployment rate or those between the ages o

twenty-one and thirty who hold a baccalaureate

degree in a humanities or social science field is

5.2 percenta ull percentage point higher

than or those with a degree in a proessional or

preproessional field and more than 2 percentage

points higher than or those with a degree in

engineering, science, or mathematics. However,

or those between the ages o orty-one and fify

who hold a baccalaureate degree in a humanities

or social science field, the unemployment rate

is only 3.5 percentjust 0.4 percentage points

higher than the rate or those with a proessional

or preproessional degree.

Te earnings gap between those with a baccalaureatedegree in a humanities or social science field andthose with a baccalaureate degree in a proessionaland preproessional field closes over time


N: Tis chart depicts unemployment rates or college graduates by area o undergraduate major, regardless o whether or not they also attainedan advanced degree in the same or a different field o study. Te American Community Survey does not identiy fields o postgraduate study.

F . Unemployment rates or college graduates by age-group and area o undergraduate major(201011)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

415031402130

PercentageUnemployed

5.2

3.0

3.6

2.7 2.8

3.5

4.2

2.9

1.9

2.43.1

1.8

nHumanities and Social Sciences

nProessional and Preproessional


nEngineering


22/36


Graduates o our-year colleges who go on toearn a graduate or proessional degree see a

significant boost in their earnings, regardless o

their major field o undergraduate study (see fig.

8). Te impact o earning an advanced degree is

most significant or those who hold a baccalau-

reate degree in science or mathematics and is

least significant or those with a baccalaureate

degree in a proessional or preproessional field.

While baccalaureate degree holders in all

our areas o undergraduate major experience

higher earnings i they also possess a graduateor proessional degree, the proportions and

numbers o individuals who go on to earn an

advanced degree vary across the our areas (see

fig. 9). For example, more than hal o those

with a baccalaureate degree in science or

mathematics go on to earn a graduate or

proessional degree. Overall, however, only

about our million individuals hold a baccalau-

reate degree in science or mathematics (about

10 percent o all baccalaureate degree holders),

What Difference Do Graduateand Proessional Degrees Make?4

F .Te graduate school earnings bump: Additional median annual earnings or holders oadvanced degrees by area o undergraduate major (201011)


N: Tis figure depicts median earnings or those employed ull time (35+ hours per week).

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000




$14,214

$21,828

$33,560

$19,550


23/36


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Engineering(n = 1,310,435)

Physical Sciences,Natural Sciences,and Mathematics(n = 2,082,375)

Professional andPreprofessional(n = 6,072,873)

Humanities andSocial Sciences(n = 3,973,129)

24% 30%24%26%

5%2%

13%5%

4%

16%

4%

9%

nProessional

nDoctorate

nMasters

and only slightly more than hal o theseindividuals (about 2.1 million) also hold a

graduate or proessional degree (about 15

percent o all advanced degree holders).

By contrast, more than 9.6 million individuals

hold a baccalaureate degree in a humanities or

social science field, and nearly our million o

these individuals (about 40 percent) also hold a

graduate or proessional degree (e.g., doctor o

medicine, doctor o law, or master o business

administration). Less than one-third o those

with a baccalaureate degree in a proessional orpreproessional field go on to earn an advanced

degree, and the majority o those who do so

earn a masters degree. In other words, both

liberal arts graduates and science and math-

ematics graduates are essential to US strength

in education at the proessional and doctoral

levels and to the intellectual capital and

expertise that these advanced degree holders

provide to our society and the world.

F .Percentages and total numbers o baccalaureate degree holders who also earnedadvanced degrees, by area o undergraduate major (201011)



24/36



N: Tis chart depicts percentages o college graduates by area o undergraduate major, regardless o whether or not they also attained an advanceddegree in the same or a different field o study. Te American Community Survey does not identiy fields o postgraduate study.

F .Percentages o college graduates represented in the top 5 proessions, by area oundergraduate major (201011)

Data rom the American Community Surveysuggest that nearly all mature workers who

hold a baccalaureate degree in engineering are

employed either directly in engineering fields

or in management positions within companies

in the engineering, manuacturing, or technical

sectors. But what proessions do those with

other baccalaureate degrees pursue? And do

liberal arts and sciences graduates pursue a

wider array o proessions, compared to those

who major in other fields?

As college graduates with a baccalaureate


mature and gain experience, they are employed

across a relatively broad range o fields, running

the gamut rom highly paid positions in senior

management, marketing, finance, and law to

lower-paid but socially vital positions in

education and social services proessions.

Mature workers with a baccalaureate degreein science or mathematics are clustered in

proessions related to health care, education,

and physical and computer science, while

those with baccalaureate degrees in a proes-

sional or preproessional field are clustered

primarily in education, health care, accounting,

and management (see table 3).

Based on the top five proessions or

baccalaureate degree holders in each area o

undergraduate major, figure 10 shows that

those with a degree in a humanities or social

science field are the least likely group to be

clustered in a small number o proessions.

Te liberal arts have long emphasized broad

learning, and college students who major in

these fields go on to make careers in an

especially broad array o enterprises and

proessions.

5 What Proessions Do Graduatesin Different Fields Pursue?

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%




27.2%

31.7%

27.8%

21.3%


25/36


.op 20 proessions by area o undergraduate major (201011)

Humanities and Social Sciences

ProessionsNumberEmployed

MedianAnnualEarnings

Elementary and Middle Schooleachers

129,177 $53,967

Lawyers, and Judges, Magistrates,and Other Judicial Workers

127,300 $125,243

Miscellaneous Managers 105,318 $91,470

Postsecondary eachers 78,363 $63,131

Chie Executives and Legislators 51,764 $135,126

Education Administrators 51,548 $72,760

Social Workers 47,626 $46,774

Secondary School eachers 44,724 $56,129

Counselors 41,119 $46,774

Sales Representatives,Wholesale and Manuacturing

40,455 $83,495

Clergy 40,198 $45,735

First-Line Supervisorso Retail Sales Workers

39,640 $54,050

Secretaries and AdministrativeAssistants

38,736 $40,729

Accountants and Auditors 37,745 $64,445

Marketing and Sales Managers 37,381 $103,943

Financial Managers 35,251 $103,943

General and Operations Managers 35,091 $91,641

Retail Salespersons 30,612 $48,875

First-Line Supervisors oNon-Retail Sales Workers

28,945 $86,550

First-Line Supervisorso Office and AdministrativeSupport Workers

28,117 $62,366

Professional and Preprofessional



Elementary and Middle School eachers 520,258 $51,930

Accountants and Auditors 291,187 $72,760

Registered Nurses 267,316 $69,642

Miscellaneous Managers, IncludingFuneral Service Managers andPostmasters and Mail Superintendents

234,758 $93,549

Financial Managers 123,611 $98,769



Sales Representatives,Wholesale and Manuacturing

101,196 $88,587


First-Line Supervisorso Retail Sales Workers

91,066 $56,003


Sofware Developers, Applicationsand Systems Sofware

86,388 $99,787


First-Line Supervisors oNon-Retail Sales Workers

74,165 $91,641

Computer and Inormation SystemsManagers

72,260 $104,982

First-Line Supervisors o Officeand Administrative Support Workers

69,368 $61,326

Social Workers 68,316 $44,802


Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 65,807 $39,498

Retail Salespersons 65,656 $51,971


26/36



N: Tis ranking o proessions is organized by area o undergraduate major, regardless o whether or not t hose employed in the o ccupationslisted also attained an advanced degree in the same or a different field o study. Te American Community Survey does not identiy fields opostgraduate study.

(continued)

Physical Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Mathematics



Physicians and Surgeons 117,538 $260,669



Elementary and Middle School eachers 34,254 $51,971

Physical Scientists, All Other 24,967 $91,641

Sofware Developers, Applicationsand Systems Sofware

22,596 $103,943

Medical Scientists, and Lie Scientists,All Other

18,751 $86,550


Registered Nurses 15,368 $67,563

Chemists and Materials Scientists 14,827 $83,495

Dentists 14,682 $152,736


Sales Representatives, Wholesale andManuacturing

12,723 $101,824

Computer and Inormation SystemsManagers

12,686 $107,061

Computer Programmers 12,237 $93,549

Medical and Health Services Managers 11,593 $91,641

Lawyers, and Judges, Magistrates, andOther Judicial Workers

11,400 $122,188



Biological Scientists 10,667 $68,222

Engineering




Miscellaneous Engineers,Including Nuclear Engineers

67,454 $101,824

Sofware Developers, Applications andSystems Sofware

59,838 $106,915

Civil Engineers 47,384 $93,549

Electrical and Electronics Engineers 43,242 $101,824

Architectural and Engineering Managers 35,004 $122,188

Mechanical Engineers 32,656 $91,641


Aerospace Engineers 23,783 $110,988


Computer and Inormation Systems

Managers 19,530 $122,188

Industrial Engineers,Including Health and Saety

18,336 $85,233

Construction Managers 16,042 $101,824

Sales Representatives, Wholesaleand Manuacturing

15,398 $103,943


Computer Programmers 13,635 $89,605


Bus-Management Analysts 12,525 $121,613

Computer Systems Analysts 12,200 $101,824

Chemical Engineers 11,037 $108,101


27/36


28/36


F .Percentages o men and women ages 2140 in education and social services proessions


N: For this study, the category o social services proessions includes counselors; social workers; social and human/community serviceassistants, managers, and specialists; clergy and other religious workers; and similar categories.

science graduates are also heavily representedin education proessions. Graduates who hold

a baccalaureate degree in a proessional or

preproessional field are more highly represented

in education proessions, but less highly repre-

sentedin social services proessions.

It is important to consider these data in the

context o broader trends related to wage dispari-

ties between men and women. For example,

data rom the American Community Survey

confirm that, across all proessions, it remains

the case that, on average, women earn about 85

percent o what men earn, even when they are

in the same proessions. Moreover, women are

disproportionately represented in some clusterso lower-paying proessions (see fig. 12).

Gender disparities also exist among areas o

undergraduate major. Among recent graduates

between the ages o twenty-one and orty,

overall undergraduate enrollment rates were

similar or men and women. Yet, women are

overrepresented among those who majored in

a humanities, social science, or proessional

field, and they are underrepresented among

those who majored in engineering, science, or

mathematics (see fig 13).

Just as many actors influence whether a

college graduate succeeds in his or her chosen

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Education ProfessionsSocial Services Professions

29%36%

64% 71%

nWomen

nMen


29/36


Relative to their share o the overallemployment market, graduates with a baccalaureatedegree in a humanities or social science fieldare overrepresented in social services proessions

proession, including some that have little ornothing to do with the students choice o

undergraduate major, so too many actors

influence earnings disparities within and

among particular proessions. Nonetheless,

our communities, our society, and our economy

benefit rom the availability o college graduates

who are well prepared to work in all proessions,

including those that provide lower financial

incentives than others. However, it also remains

true that certain proessions are dominated

by graduates who majored in particular fields.

I unding or the humanities and social

sciences were to be cut, or i students were to

be discouraged rom majoring in these fields,

then socially vital proessions, such as teaching

and social work, could be deprived o an

adequate supply o qualified workers.

F .Representation o men and women ages 2140 with baccalaureate degrees, by area oundergraduate major


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%




46%

83%

53%

44%

56% 54% 47%

17%

nWomen

nMen


30/36


Conclusion

Students, parents, and policy makers areincreasingly concerned about the return on

investment o a college education. Many are

ocused on income rom employment, but the

truth is that a high-quality college education

pays dividends in myriad ways, or graduates

and or society. Te data and inormation

presented in this report add to the growing

body o research that demonstrates the continued

value o the college degree to individuals and our

society. Te liberal arts and sciences, in particular,

play a major role in sustaining the social and

economic abric o our society. Study in these

fields educates graduates or employment in a

wide range o proessions, including socially

vital proessions related to public service,

education, healthcare, and other social services.

Te choice o undergraduate college major is

not all that matters in determining long-term

career success. Te analysis presented in this

report affirms that, while there are differences

in outcomes related to employment, the majority

o college graduates do achieve success in their

careers, regardless o their choice o under-graduate major. Moreover, public and policy

doubts to the contrary, those with baccalaureate

degrees in a humanities or social science field

earn middle-class salaries, make progress in

their careers, and close earnings gaps with those

who hold baccalaureate degrees in proessional

and preproessional fields.

Students making choices about their initial

field o concentration and their long-term

career prospects deserve to know that i they

choose a career in science or engineering, they

are likely to earn significantly more over thecourse o their working lives. I they are choosing

between a liberal arts major and study in a

preproessional or proessional field, however,

earnings differentials should not be determina-

tive. In terms o salary, college graduates who

major in a humanities or social science field

are likely to do as well as those who major in a

proessional or preproessional field. Students

and parents would be well served by giving

careul consideration to their investment o

time and resources beore selecting a college or

a major field o undergraduate study. But they

also should pay close attention to long-term

career outcomes and to what employers them-

selves say are the most important skills and

knowledge or proessional success in todays

highly competitive global economy.

Whatever undergraduate major they may

choose, students who pursue their major within

the context o a broad liberal education sub-

stantially increase their likelihood o achieving

long-term proessional success. Such an

education provides knowledge and skills in areas

such as critical thinking, analytic reasoning,written and oral communication, complex

problem solving, and quantitative reasoning.

Students and parents should examine inorma-

tion like that presented in this report or broad

trends, but they also should take advantage o

opportunities at their own college or university

in order to explore their own strengths, weak-

nesses, and career goals. Success can and should

be measured in multiple waysincluding ways

that extend ar beyond income level.

Policy makers, too, can and should take a

broad and longer-term view when they con-sider investments in educational institutions

and systems o postsecondary education.

We offer this analysis to help guide them in

making wise choices that will ensure the uture

health o our communities, the continued

strength o our democracy, and the economic

vitality o our shared utures.

Te liberal arts and sciences, in particular,play a major role in sustaining the socialand economic abric o our society


31/36


Humanities and Social Science FieldsArea ethnic and civilization studiesCommunications

Linguistics and comparative language and literatureFrench, German, Latin, and other common oreign

language studiesOther oreign languages

Pre-law and legal studiesEnglish language and literatureComposition and rhetoric

Liberal arts

HumanitiesMulti/interdisciplinary studiesIntercultural and international studies

Interdisciplinary social sciencesPhilosophy and religious studiesTeology and religious vocationsPsychology

Educational psychologyClinical psychologyCounseling psychology

Industrial and organizational psychologySocial psychologyMiscellaneous psychologyPublic administration

Public policyGeneral social sciencesEconomicsAnthropology and archeology

GeographyInternational relationsPolitical science and government

SociologyMiscellaneous social sciencesFine artsDrama and theater arts

MusicVisual and perorming arts

Art history and criticismStudio arts

Miscellaneous fine artsHistoryUnited States history

Professional and Preprofessional FieldsGeneral agricultureAgriculture production and management

Agricultural economicsMiscellaneous agricultureForestryNatural resources management

ArchitectureJournalismMass media

Advertising and public relations

Communication technologiesComputer and inormation systemsComputer programming and data processing

Computer scienceInormation sciencesComputer administration management and securityComputer networking and telecommunications

Cosmetology services and culinary artsGeneral educationEducational administration and supervision

School student counselingElementary educationMathematics teacher educationPhysical and health education teaching

Early childhood educationScience and computer teacher educationSecondary teacher educationSpecial needs education

Social science or history teacher educationeacher education (multiple levels)Language and drama education

Art and music educationMiscellaneous educationFamily and consumer sciencesCourt reporting

Library sciencePharmacology

Statistics and decision scienceMilitary technologies

Nutrition sciencesPhysical fitness parks recreation and leisureNuclear, industrial radiology, and

biological technologies

Criminal justice and fire protectionHuman services and community organization

List o Undergraduate Fields o Study rom the American Community Survey

Appendix

Continued


32/36


Professional and Preprofessional Fields(continued)

Social work

CriminologyConstruction servicesElectrical, mechanical, and precision technologies

and productionransportation sciences and technologiesCommercial art and graphic designFilm video and photographic arts

General medical and health servicesCommunication disorders sciences and servicesHealth and medical administrative services

Medical assisting servicesMedical technologies techniciansHealth and medical preparatory programsNursing

Pharmacy pharmaceutical sciences and administrationreatment therapy proessionsCommunity and public healthMiscellaneous health medical proessions

General businessAccountingActuarial scienceBusiness management and administration

Operations logistics and e-commerce

Business economicsMarketing and marketing research

FinanceHuman resources and personnel managementInternational businessHospitality management

Management inormation systems and statisticsMiscellaneous business and medical administration

Physical Sciences, Natural Sciences,and MathematicsAnimal sciencesFood science

Plant science and agronomy

Soil scienceEnvironmental scienceBiology

Biochemical sciencesBotanyMolecular biologyEcology

Genetics

MicrobiologyPhysiology

ZoologyNeuroscienceMiscellaneous biology

MathematicsApplied mathematicsMathematics and computer scienceCognitive science and biopsychology

Physical sciencesAstronomy and astrophysicsAtmospheric sciences and meteorologyChemistry

Geology and earth science

GeosciencesOceanography

PhysicsMaterials scienceMultidisciplinary or general science

EngineeringGeneral engineeringAerospace engineeringBiological engineering

Architectural engineeringBiomedical engineeringChemical engineering

Civil engineeringComputer engineeringElectrical engineeringEngineering mechanics physics and science

Environmental engineeringGeological and geophysical engineeringIndustrial and manuacturing engineeringMaterials engineering and materials science

Mechanical engineeringMetallurgical engineeringMining and mineral engineering

Naval architecture and marine engineeringNuclear engineeringPetroleum engineering

Miscellaneous engineeringEngineering technologiesEngineering and industrial managementElectrical engineering technologyIndustrial production technologies

Mechanical engineering related technologiesMiscellaneous engineering technologies


33/36


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Peter D. Hart Research Associates. 2006. How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in odays Global Economy?Washington, DC: Association o American Colleges and Universities.

. 2008. How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning? Employers Views on the Accountability

Challenge. Washington, DC: Association o American Colleges and Universities.

Reerences


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About the Authors

Debra Humphreysis vice president or policy and public engagement at the Association oAmerican Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), a position she assumed in early 2013 afer serving

or eleven years as vice president or communications and public affairs. She previously served as

director o programs in AAC&Us Office o Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives. Humphreys

currently leads the associations national and state-level advocacy and policy efforts related to issues

o student success and the quality o undergraduate learning. Humphreys holds a PhD in English

language and literature rom Rutgers University and a bachelor o arts degree in art history rom

Williams College. Drawing on her special expertise in board communications, internal campus

communications, employer-educator partnerships, and media relations, she speaks widely and serves

ofen as a communications and educational consultant to colleges and universities. In addition to

general education, campus diversity issues, and employer views o college graduates, Humphreys

has written, taught, and published on Arican American womens literature, immigrant womens

literature, and women and American film history.

Patrick Kellyis senior associate at the National Center or Higher Education Management Systems

(NCHEMS), where he also serves as director o the NCHEMSInormation Center or State Higher

Education Policymaking and Analysis and works on many projects that apply research and policy

analysis to link higher education with the critical needs o states and their residents. Kelly presents

his work to a variety o audiences, including higher education researchers and policy analysts,

state higher education executive officers and their staffs, and other state-level policy makers.

Beore joining NCHEMSin February 2002, Kelly worked or six years at the Kentucky Council on

Postsecondary Education. His most recent position at the council was senior associate or inormation

and research. In that position, he worked with higher education leaders to design perormance

indicators in order to measure progress toward postsecondary education reorm in Kentucky,conducted research studies or statewide higher education policy initiatives, and coordinated the

analysis and reporting o data and inormation in support o many other council projects. Prior to

working at the council, he was research associate at the National Center or Family Literacy in

Louisville, Kentucky. Kelly holds a PhD in urban and public affairs rom the University o

Louisville, where he also earned a masters degree in sociology. His undergraduate studies were

completed at the University o Alabama at Birmingham. His areas o specialization and interest

include research and statistical methodology, policy analysis, and program evaluation.


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About AAC&Uand NCHEMS

Te Association o American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is theleading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public

standing o undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed

to extending the advantages o a liberal education to all students, regardless

o academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U

now comprises more than 1,300 member institutionsincluding accredited public and private

colleges, community colleges, research universities, and comprehensive universities o every type

and size. AAC&Uunctions as a catalyst and acilitator, orging links among presidents, admin-

istrators, and aculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission

is to reinorce the collective commitment to liberal education and inclusive excellence at both the

national and local levels, and to help individual institutions keep the quality o student learning at

the core o their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges. Inormation about

AAC&Umembership, programs, and publications can be ound online at www.aacu.org.

Trough its more than orty years o service to higher education, the

National Center or Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)

has been committed to bridging the gap between research and practice by

placing the latest concepts and tools in the hands o higher education

policy makers and administrators. Since its ounding, NCHEMShas received widespread acclaim

or developing practical responses to the strategic issues acing leaders o higher education

institutions and agencies. With project support rom multiple oundations, NCHEMSdevelops

inormation and policy tools targeted at policy makers and institutional leaders that can help

them set strategic directions and evaluate their effectiveness. NCHEMSalso delivers research-

based expertise, practical experience, inormation, and a range o management tools that can helpinstitutions and higher education systems and states improve both their efficiency and their

effectiveness. A particular hallmark o what we do is identiying and analyzing data drawn rom

multiple sources to help solve specific policy and strategic problems.

NCHEMS


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NCHEMSNational Center for Higher EducationManagement Syste