Defining and Reporting Subbaccalaureate Certificates in IPEDS. NPEC 2012-835
Author: Sykes, Andrea
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Educational Certificates,Postsecondary Education,Definitions,Data Collection,College Programs,Educational Trends,Public Colleges,Two Year Colleges,Private Colleges,Proprietary Schools

Subbaccalaureate certificates, postsecondary awards conferred as the result of successful completion of a formal program of study below the baccalaureate level, have become more prominent in higher education over the last decade. Institutions of all sectors offer subbaccalaureate certificates, which can range in length from a few months to more than 2 years. Subbaccalaureate certificates provide individuals with a means for gaining specific skills and knowledge that can be readily transferred to the workforce. Each year institutions report the number of awards conferred in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Completions component. The current IPEDS instructions state that institutions should report: &quot;Formal awards conferred by the institution as the result of completion of an academic or occupational program of study. The instructional activity completed as part of the program of study must be credit-bearing, but can be measured in credit hours, contact hours, or some other unit of measurement.&quot; Subbaccalaureate certificates are reported in three categories based on the program length, and measured in terms of an academic year, with a clock and credit hour equivalency. The three categories are defined as programs that are: (1) Less than 1 academic year (referred to in this report as short-term); (2) At least 1 but less than 2 academic years (referred to in this report as moderate-term); and (3) At least 2 but less than 4 academic years (referred to in this report as long-term). Given the sharp increase in subbaccalaureate certificates, there is a need to better understand the wide variety of subbaccalaureate certificates reported to IPEDS. As part of its mission to promote the quality, comparability, and utility of postsecondary data, the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC) convened a working group to examine subbaccalaureate certificates, which focused on the following questions: (1) How has subbaccalaureate certificate award reporting in IPEDS changed over the last few years? (2) How comparable are the certificate awards reported in IPEDS? (3) What types of subbaccalaureate certificates are not reported to IPEDS? (4) Are there ways that IPEDS could be modified to improve the quality of data reported on subbaccalaureate certificates? To address these questions, the Working Group analyzed IPEDS subbaccalaureate certificate data and identified nine institutions for a more in-depth review of institutional practices for subbaccalaureate certificate reporting. The selected institutions represented different institutional sectors, varying student population sizes, and number of certificates awarded in a year. Some of the institutions reported their own IPEDS data, while other institutions' IPEDS data were reported by system offices on the institutions' behalf. Representatives from the institutions, and where appropriate system offices, were interviewed to gather detailed information on the types of certificates reported to IPEDS and institutional processes for reporting data. This report summarizes the findings related to the questions posed by the Working Group, and offers some recommendations for defining and reporting certificates in IPEDS in the future. Note that the Working Group's discussions focused specifically on subbaccalaureate certificates and references to certificates within this report are to certificates at that level. However, some of the recommendations outlined could have implications for the reporting of post-baccalaureate and postmaster's certificates as well. The report also includes appendices.