Degrees of Value: College Majors and the Pennsylvania State System's Contribution to the Workforce
Author: Carnevale, Anthony P.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Higher Education,Academic Degrees,Employment Qualifications,Career Readiness,Supply and Demand,Labor Market,Economic Factors,State Colleges,Bachelors Degrees,Costs,Disadvantaged Youth,Economically Disadvantaged,Minority Group Students,Gender Differences,Majors (Students),STEM Education,Business Administration Education,Wages,Salaries,College Graduates,Health Education,Law Related Education,Professional Education

Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with nearly 107,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs. With almost 90 percent of students coming from Pennsylvania and the vast majority of graduates remaining in the state immediately after graduation, the future of the 14 State System universities and that of the Commonwealth are intimately tied. According to projections by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, by 2020, more than one-third of Pennsylvania jobs and job openings will require a Bachelor's degree or higher. Individuals with a college education fare better than their peers in both economic and non-economic terms. Students, parents, businesses, taxpayers, legislators, and other policymakers understand this and recognize the importance of higher education to the state. In response to this changing environment and the State System's strategic plan, &quot;Rising to the Challenge 2020,&quot; the State System has renewed its emphasis on aligning its academic programs with the workforce and personal growth needs of students. The State System is critically looking at ways to supplement and complement the existing work that is going on in our 14 universities to prepare our students for a lifetime of productive employment. An important resource in this effort is the State System's Program Alignment Toolkit, an infrastructure of resources that will help the 14 universities individually and collectively connect better with the state's economy. The toolkit includes a supply/demand gap analysis, which will add to the State System's capacity to use labor market intelligence, provide better data to students, and offer needs-based research such as that conducted by colleagues and partners at Georgetown University. This report demonstrates the State System's contribution to higher education in the Commonwealth and highlights the economic outcomes of college-educated workers in Pennsylvania. This information has informed and guided the development of the State System's supply/demand gap analysis project. It is an example of improved data developed specifically to help students, faculty, employers, state legislators, and policymakers better understand the Keystone State's higher education landscape and contextualize the State System's contribution within this environment. Appended are: (1) Occupational Earnings and Employment for Top State System Major Groups; and (2) Pennsylvania Employment and Earnings for Detailed Major Subgroups.