The Labor-Market Returns to Community College Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Jepsen, Christopher; Troske, Kenneth; Coomes, Paul
• 署名单位: University College Dublin; University of Kentucky; University of Louisville
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/671809
• 发表日期: 2014
• 页码: 95-121
• 关键词: education; middle

摘要

This article provides one of the first rigorous estimations of the labor-market returns to community college certificates and diplomas, as well as estimations of the returns to the more commonly studied associate''s degrees. Using administrative data from Kentucky, we estimate panel-data models that control for differences among students in precollege earnings and educational aspirations. Associate''s degrees and diplomas have quarterly earnings returns of nearly $$2,400 for women and $$1,500 for men, compared with much smaller returns for certificates. There is substantial heterogeneity in returns across fields of study. Degrees, diplomas, andfor womencertificates correspond with higher levels of employment.