Completion of a career
degree program at Carroll yields a quick return on investment. A
new study sponsored by the Governor's Workforce Investment Board
and conducted by the Jacob France Institute at the University of
Baltimore, found substantial income gains in the three years following
students' graduation from the community college.
Overall, for the cohorts studied, the median annual
income of Carroll Community College graduates three years after
graduation was 2.4 times their income prior to graduation. Put another
way, completion of the community college career program was associated
with student incomes more than doubling in three years.
Information technology graduates had the highest
average income three years after graduation, $38,014. Physical therapist
assistants who graduated from Carroll were earning $29,709 per year
on average. Graduates of business and accounting programs earned
an average of $27,006. Early childhood education graduates had the
lowest median income, $13,344, but this was $3,168 higher than their
incomes prior to completing their degree.
The study identified annual earnings from Maryland
state wage records for six graduating classesthe classes of
1995 through 2000. Only graduates of A.A.S. career programs were
studied. The income data were limited to Maryland unemployment insurance
databases, so graduates working in other states, working for the
federal government, or who were self-employed were not included.
Jacob France was able to find income data for 81 to 90 percent of
the graduates in each class.
A relatively young college, Carroll's career program
offerings are limited. Over 80 percent of Carroll's credit students
are in baccalaureate-transfer programs. Expansion of career degree
programs is constrained by budget limitations. Career programs are
generally more expensive to deliver than transfer programs, due
to program-specific accreditation requirements, specialized equipment
needs, mandated small class sizes, and laboratory and clinical courses.
Thus this study included a relatively low number of graduatesan
average of 39 per cohort. Data were found for over 80 percent of
the graduates in the study.
Unduplicated
Headcount, FY2000-FY2002
Average for Six Cohorts Classes of 1995 through 2000
|
|
Median Annual Income
|
Program |
Number of Graduates
|
Year prior to Graduation
|
First Year after Graduation
|
3 Years after Graduation
|
All career program graduates |
234
|
$11,504
|
$21,152
|
$27,513
|
Information Technology |
20
|
23,278
|
30,720
|
38,014
|
Physical Therapy Assistant |
88
|
9,057
|
23,218
|
29,709
|
Business/Accounting |
59
|
16,038
|
22,198
|
27,006
|
Early Childhood Education |
48
|
10,176
|
13,347
|
13,344
|
SOURCE:
Jacob France Institute. Data for graduates of other programs, included
in the total, were not disclosed due to the low number of graduates.
Income data were adjusted for inflation.
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