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Classifying STEM Programs in Community Colleges to Develop a State-Level Middle-Skill STEM Workforce Strategy

By Valerie Lundy-Wagner & Eric W. Chan

Calls to increase the number of undergraduate STEM credential recipients have largely failed to differentiate between sub-baccalaureate and four-year credentials at the undergraduate level, which is problematic for workforce development. In this CAPSEE working paper, the authors lay out a classification system for sub-baccalaureate STEM credentials that is incorporated into an analysis of administrative data from the Virginia Community College System. The authors first describe sub-baccalaureate STEM students and then examine the relationships between STEM matriculation and short-term outcomes for six cohorts. The authors use Mincerian regressions to estimate the earnings associated with completing a STEM credential four years after initial enrollment.

In addition to confirming that students with career-oriented credentials drive short-term STEM earnings benefits and that full-time students are more likely to complete credentials than their part-time peers, the results show relative homogeneity between STEM and non-STEM community college students, suggesting that ability may not be the primary factor inhibiting middle-skill STEM workforce preparation. The authors conclude by discussing the findings and suggesting how these data could be useful in better aligning Virginia’s economic development plans and postsecondary educational offerings.

  • Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE)

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Download CAPSEE working paper
June 2016

Related Publications

November 2016

A Longitudinal Analysis of Community College Pathways to Computer Science Bachelor’s Degrees

June 2014

Gaining Access or Losing Ground? Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students in Undergraduate Engineering, 1994–2003

Additional Resources

For more policy briefs and fact sheets, visit CCRC’s Policy Resources page.

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