Georgia higher learning and earnings

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
David Evans II
January 2017

Executive Summary
By 2025, over 60 percent of jobs in Georgia likely will require some form of a college education, whether a certificate, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree.1 Expected earnings are an important factor in making the decision to pursue a certain degree or major, but these data have not previously been publicly available. With this in mind, the Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings Report presents earnings information for Georgia technical college and college/university graduates who work in Georgia after earning their degrees.2 It presents median, 25th percentile, and 75th percentile wages by degree category (certificate, bachelor's, etc.), technical college or college/university, program of study, and whether the student graduated with the HOPE scholarship/grant for the first and fifth year after graduation. In addition, it explores award patterns by gender and race/ethnicity.3
In addition to degree type and program of study, it is important to note that many factors, such as student ability/motivation, college selectivity, and job market conditions affect earnings, so the results in this report should not be interpreted as a guarantee of employment or earnings. The report is limited to wage data on graduates who work in Georgia for employers that provide wage data to the Georgia Department of Labor, so it does not include wages earned in out-of-state jobs, as an independent contractor, or as a federal or military employee. With this in mind, the results should be seen as one piece of information that students and parents can use when making program and degree choices.
Some of the high-level findings include:
As students increase their level of education, their wages tend to increase as seen in Figure 1 below. These differences become more pronounced as more time passes after graduation.
Earnings vary dramatically by program of study and college. Within program of study and college, wages tend to increase after five years
but at varying rates.
1 For more information regarding this statistic and the Complete College Georgia initiative, please visit http://www.completegeorgia.org/. 2 GAAWARDS, the state's longitudinal data system housed at the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, contains data on all graduates from University System of Georgia (USG) and Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) institutions, as well as information on Georgia public high school graduates for out-of-state colleges/universities from the National Student Clearinghouse. Some, but not all, institutions in the Georgia Independent Colleges Association (GICA) provide data to GAAWARDS, and those that provide data do not always do so for the entire report period. For the purposes of this report, technical colleges, colleges, and universities are referred to as "colleges." 3 HOPE grants and scholarships and Zell Miller grants and scholarships are defined as HOPE scholarships for the purposes of this report.
ii

First-year earnings across all degree categories declined during the Great Recession (December 2007 through June 2009), and none had returned to 2008 levels by 2014 (in constant dollars).
Among the most popular programs of study, medically-related fields are consistently amongst the top earners relative to other popular degree categories.
Business-related bachelor's and master's degrees have higher earnings relative to other popular programs of study.
Certificates in mechanic and repair technologies represent three of the top ten highest earning certificates.
Associate's degrees in health top the list in that category, while engineering and computer & information science degrees are the highest earners among bachelor's degrees.
Among master's degrees, degrees in business are the highest earners. Professional degrees in pharmacy have by far the highest median earnings
in this degree category. The difference in wages between students graduating with the HOPE
scholarship/grant and those who do not is fairly small. Figure 1: Median Earnings by Category
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Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ ii Table of Figures and Tables................................................................................................ v Table of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... vii Introduction......................................................................................................................... 8 Data and Methodology........................................................................................................ 9 Patterns in Degree Attainment .......................................................................................... 11 Matching Award Completers with Wage Data ................................................................. 17 Higher Degrees, Higher Earnings ..................................................................................... 17 Earning Trends over Time: Wages Still Below Pre-Recession Levels............................. 21 Earning Patterns by Most Popular Programs .................................................................... 24 Highest Earning Programs ................................................................................................ 28 Earnings by Institution ...................................................................................................... 31 Earnings for HOPE Graduates .......................................................................................... 50 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 52 Appendix A: Degree Categories ....................................................................................... 53 Appendix B: Race/Ethnicity Data..................................................................................... 55 Appendix C: Effects of the Great Recession .................................................................... 60 Appendix D: Abbreviated Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Titles ............ 61 Appendix E: Percentage of Graduates Matched in Wage Data ........................................ 63 Appendix F: College Mergers and Consolidations ........................................................... 82
iv

Table of Figures and Tables
Figure 1: Median Earnings by Category .......................................................................................................... iii Figure 2: Awards by Category and Year......................................................................................................... 11 Figure 3: Awards by Category and Year (Education Specialist, PhD, and Professional)................................ 12 Figure 4: Percentage of Graduates Attaining a Subsequent Award by First Award........................................ 13 Figure 5: Percentage of Completers in Traditionally Underrepresented Race/Ethnicity Groups .................... 14 Figure 6: Percentage of Male and Female Students by Category.................................................................... 15 Figure 7: Most Popular Awards for Females .................................................................................................. 16 Figure 8: Most Popular Awards for Males ...................................................................................................... 16 Figure 9: Range of Earnings by Category One Year after Graduation ............................................................ 18 Table 1: Range of Earnings One Year after Graduation.................................................................................. 18 Figure 10: Range of Earnings by Category Five Years after Graduation ........................................................ 19 Table 2: Range of Earnings Five Years after Graduation................................................................................ 19 Table 3: Percentage Change in Earnings from One to Five Years after Graduation ....................................... 20 Figure 11: First-Year Earnings for Certificates over Time.............................................................................. 21 Figure 12: First-Year Earnings for Associate's over Time ............................................................................. 22 Figure 13: First-Year Earnings for Bachelor's over Time............................................................................... 22 Figure 14: First-Year Earnings for Master's over Time .................................................................................. 23 Figure 15: First-Year Earnings for Education Specialists over Time .............................................................. 23 Figure 16: Earnings for Professional Degrees over Time ............................................................................... 24 Figure 17: Earnings by Most Popular Certificates .......................................................................................... 25 Figure 18: Earnings by Most Popular Associate's .......................................................................................... 26 Figure 19: Earnings by Most Popular Bachelor's ........................................................................................... 26 Figure 20: Earnings by Most Popular Master's............................................................................................... 27 Figure 21: Earnings by Most Popular Professional Degrees ........................................................................... 27 Figure 22: Highest Earning Certificates .......................................................................................................... 28 Figure 23: Highest Earning Associate's .......................................................................................................... 29 Figure 24: Highest Earning Bachelor's............................................................................................................ 29 Figure 25: Highest Earning Master's ............................................................................................................... 30 Figure 26: Highest Earning Professional Degrees........................................................................................... 30 Figure 27: Median Earnings after One Year for Certificates (TCSG)............................................................. 32 Figure 28: Median Earnings after Five Years for Certificates (TCSG) ........................................................... 32 Figure 29: Median Earnings after One Year for Certificates (USG) ............................................................... 33 Figure 30: Median Earnings after Five Years for Certificates (USG) ............................................................. 33 Figure 31: Median Earnings after One Year for Associate's (TCSG)............................................................. 34 Figure 32: Median Earnings after Five Years for Associate's (TCSG) ........................................................... 34 Figure 33: Median Earnings after One Year for Associate's (USG) ............................................................... 35 Figure 34: Median Earnings after Five Years for Associate's (USG) ............................................................. 35 Figure 35: Median Earnings after One Year for Bachelor's ........................................................................... 36 Figure 36: Median Earnings after Five Years for Bachelor's.......................................................................... 36 Figure 37: Median Earnings after One Year for Master's .............................................................................. 37 Figure 38: Median Earnings after Five Years for Master's ............................................................................. 37 Figure 39: Median Earnings after One Year for Education Specialists ........................................................... 38 Figure 40: Median Earnings after Five Years for Education Specialists ......................................................... 38 Figure 41: Median Earnings after One Year for Professional Degrees ........................................................... 39 Figure 42: Median Earnings after One Year for Professional Degrees ........................................................... 39 Figure 43: Median Earnings after One Year for Accounting Certificates by College ..................................... 41 Figure 44: Median Earnings after Five Years for Accounting Certificates by College ................................... 41 Figure 45: Median Earnings after One Year for Accounting Associate's by College ..................................... 42 Figure 46: Median Earnings after Five Years for Accounting Associate's by College ................................... 42 Figure 47: Median Earnings after One Year for Accounting Bachelor's by College ...................................... 43 Figure 48: Median Earnings after Five Years for Accounting Bachelor's by College .................................... 43 Figure 49: Median Earnings after One Year for Business Certificates by College ......................................... 44 Figure 50: Median Earnings after Five Years for Business Certificates by College ....................................... 44 Figure 51: Median Earnings after One Year for Business Associate's by College ......................................... 45 Figure 52: Median Earnings after Five Years for Business Associate's by College ....................................... 45 Figure 53: Median Earnings after One Year for Business Bachelor's by College .......................................... 46 Figure 54: Median Earnings after One Year for Business Bachelor's by College .......................................... 46 Figure 55: Median Earnings after One Year for Teaching Certificates by College......................................... 47
v

Figure 56: Median Earnings after Five Years for Teaching Certificates by College....................................... 47 Figure 57: Median Earnings after One Year for Teaching Associate's by College......................................... 48 Figure 58: Median Earnings after Five Years for Teaching Associate's by College....................................... 48 Figure 59: Median Earnings after One Year for Teaching Bachelor's by College.......................................... 49 Figure 60: Median Earnings after Five Years for Teaching Bachelor's by College........................................ 49 Figure 61: Awards by HOPE Graduate and Category..................................................................................... 50 Figure 62: Earnings One Year after Graduation by HOPE Graduate and Category........................................ 51 Table 4: Degree Categories ............................................................................................................................. 53 Figure 63: Award Totals by Race/Ethnicity.................................................................................................... 55 Figure 64: Certificates Awarded by Race/Ethnicity........................................................................................ 56 Figure 65: Associate's Awarded by Race/Ethnicity........................................................................................ 56 Figure 66: Bachelor's Awarded by Race/Ethnicity ......................................................................................... 57 Figure 67: Master's Awarded by Race/Ethnicity ............................................................................................ 57 Figure 68: Education Specialist Degrees Awarded by Race/Ethnicity............................................................ 58 Figure 70: Professional Degrees Awarded by Race/Ethnicity......................................................................... 59 Table 5: Percent Matched in Wage Data by Degree Category ........................................................................ 63 Table 6: Percent Matched in Wage Data by Gender ....................................................................................... 63 Table 7: Percent Matched in Wage Data by Race/Ethnicity ........................................................................... 63 Table 8: Percent Matched with Wage Data by Degree Type and Year ........................................................... 64 Table 9: Percent Matched within Wage Data by Most Popular Programs and Category: ............................... 65 Table 10: Percentage of Graduates Matched in Wage Data: Highest Earning Programs ................................ 67 Table 11: Percent Matched within Wage Data by College and Category ....................................................... 69 Table 12: Percent of Graduates Matched within Wage Data by College, Degree Category, and Popular Programs: Accounting and Related Services .................................................................................................. 76 Table 13: Percent of Graduates Matched within Wage Data by College and Degree, Category, and Popular Programs: Business Administration, Management, and Operations ............................................................... 78 Table 14: Percent of Graduates Matched within Wage Data by College and Degree, Category, and Popular Programs: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods........................ 80 Table 15: Percent Matched within Wage Data by HOPE Status ..................................................................... 81 Table 16: TCSG Mergers ................................................................................................................................ 82 Table 17: USG Consolidations........................................................................................................................ 83
vi

Table of Abbreviations

CPI GAAWARDS GaDOL GICA GSFC HOPE IPEDS TCSG USG

Consumer Price Index Georgia's Academic and Workforce Analysis and Research Data System Georgia Department of Labor Georgia Independent College Association Georgia Student Finance Commission Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Technical College System of Georgia University System of Georgia

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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Introduction
By 2025, over 60 percent of jobs in Georgia likely will require some form of a college education, whether a certificate, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree.4 Expected earnings are an important factor in making the decision to pursue a certain degree or major, but these data have not previously been publicly available. With this in mind, the Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings Report presents earnings information for Georgia technical college and college/university graduates who work in Georgia after earning their degrees.5 It presents median, 25th percentile, and 75th percentile wages by degree category (certificate, bachelor's, etc.), technical college or college/university, program of study, and whether the student graduated with the HOPE scholarship/grant for the first and fifth year after graduation. In addition, it explores award patterns by gender and race/ethnicity.6
In addition to degree type and program of study, it is important to note that many factors, such as student ability/motivation, college selectivity, and job market conditions, affect earnings, so the results in this report should not be interpreted as a guarantee of employment or earnings. The report is limited to wage data on graduates who work in Georgia for employers that provide wage data to the Georgia Department of Labor, so it does not include wages earned in out-of-state jobs, as an independent contractor, or as a federal or military employee. With this in mind, the results should be seen as one piece of information that students and parents can use when making major and degree choices.
The report begins with an overview of the data and methodology, followed by information on the certificates and degrees awarded. The next sections analyze earning patterns by degree category, popular programs of study, college, and HOPE graduates. The final section provides a summary and next steps.
4 For more information regarding this statistic and the Complete College Georgia initiative, please visit http://www.completegeorgia.org/. 5 GAAWARDS, the state's longitudinal data system housed at the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, contains data on all graduates from University System of Georgia (USG) and Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) institutions, as well as information on Georgia public high school graduates for out-of-state colleges/universities from the National Student Clearinghouse. Some, but not all, institutions in the Georgia Independent Colleges Association (GICA) provide data to GAAWARDS, and those that provide data do not always do so for the entire report period. For the purposes of this report, technical colleges, colleges, and universities are referred to as "colleges." 6 HOPE grants and scholarships and Zell Miller grants and scholarships are defined as HOPE scholarships for the purposes of this report.
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Data and Methodology
Data for the report are provided by Georgia's Academic and Workforce Analysis and Research Data System (GAAWARDS). GAAWARDS is the state's Pre-K through workforce (P-20W) longitudinal data system. Student degree and certificate data are provided to GAAWARDS by the University System of Georgia (USG), Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), Georgia Independent College Association (GICA), and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). The Georgia Department of Labor (GaDOL) provides wage data to GAAWARDS, and the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) provides financial aid data.
This report includes information on students who obtained degrees and certificates between 2007 and 2013.7 Students graduating from a Georgia college, and those graduating from a Georgia high school who subsequently graduated from an out-of-state college between the years of 2007 and 2013, are included in the report.8
Wages are reported for the calendar year following graduation and for five years after the graduating year.9 For example, if a student graduated in May 2007, oneyear and five-year wages are reported for January-December of 2008 and 2012, respectively. If a student is enrolled in college during a wage reporting year, those wages are not included in the data to reduce the number of part-time wages reported.10 When an individual does not have wages for each calendar quarter, the data are imputed based on available information.11 All wage data are reported in 2015 dollars.12
7 For presentation purposes, this report lists academic years as the year in which the academic year ends. For example, the 2006-2007 year is represented as 2007. 8 GAAWARDS contains data on all graduates from USG and TCSG institutions and information on Georgia public high school graduates from the National Student Clearinghouse. Some, but not all, GICA institutions provide data to GAAWARDS, and those that provide data do not always do so for the entire report period. Due to issues unique to Piedmont University, all observations from this university are excluded from the dataset. GOSA does not report on groups with fewer than ten observations. 9 For students with multiple degrees in a given year, wages are attributed to all degrees awarded to a student in that year. For example, if a student received an associates and a certificate in the same year, wages for the following year are reported for both credentials. 10 Not including students who are enrolled also removes students who were working full-time while enrolled. The wage data does not include the number of hours worked, so there is no way to differentiate between students who are working part-time and those working full-time. 11 The following method is used to impute missing wage data:
If the individual has three quarters of wages, the sum of these wages is multiplied by 4/3 to get the annualized wage.
If the individual has two quarters of wages, the sum of these wages is multiplied by 2 to get the annualized wage.
If the individual has one quarter of wages, the sum of these wages is multiplied by 4 to get the annualized wage. 12 To convert to 2015 dollars, the 2015 Consumer Price Index (CPI) is divided by the CPI from previous years and then multiplied by the dollar amount needing conversion in accordance with the method described by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
If a person receives more than one degree, wages from the first degree are reported until he/she enrolls to obtain the subsequent degree. For example, if a person obtains a bachelor's in 2008, works during 2009 and 2010, then starts and completes his master's in 2011, his wages are counted for his bachelor's degree in 2009 (one year after graduation) and for his master's degree in 2012 (one year after graduation).
Degrees and certificates are divided into the following degree categories: Certificates, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Education Specialists, PhDs, and Professional Degrees. Professional degrees are terminal degrees geared toward preparing individuals for a particular profession with an emphasis on practice. Examples include law degrees, medical degrees, and education doctorates. PhDs are terminal degrees with an emphasis on research. Programs of study are identified using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System's (IPEDS) Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes. For more information, please see Appendix A.
For the purposes of this report, all degrees and certificates are referred to as "awards," and all technical colleges, colleges, and universities are referred to as "colleges."
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Patterns in Degree Attainment

From 2007 through 2012, certificates were the most popular award earned in Georgia, followed by bachelor's degrees, as seen in the figure below. In 2012, certificates declined by a significant amount after a surge in 2011. Between these two academic years, TCSG merged several institutions and switched from quarter to semester hours. In anticipation of these changes, many students completed their awards in 2011 rather than waiting until the next academic year, thereby inflating the 2011 results and reducing the 2012 counts. The number of bachelor's degrees surpassed certificates in both 2012 and 2013, and bachelor's and certificates remained the top two most awarded categories in the state by a large margin.

Associate's and master's degrees were the third and fourth most awarded degrees, respectively, and exhibited similar trends. The advanced degree categories (education specialist, PhDs, and professional degrees) had the lowest counts.

Figure 2: Awards by Category and Year

Award Count

50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000
0 2007

Awards by Category and Year

2008

2009

2010

2011

Award Year

2012

Certificates Bachelor's Education Specialist Professional

Associate's Master's PhD

Note: TCSG merged several institutions and switched from quarter to semester hours in 2011-2012. This inflated 2010-2011 certificate awards and depressed the number of certifcates awarded in 2011-2012.

2013

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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Figure 3 offers a closer look at the trends for the advanced degrees beyond master's degrees. There was a sizeable jump in the number of professional degrees awarded in 2013. Mercer University began reporting data to GAAWARDS in 2013, which accounts for most of the increase in professional degrees during that academic year.13 No single college accounts for the volatility in the education specialist category throughout the period.
Figure 3: Awards by Category and Year (Education Specialist, PhD, and Professional)
Awards by Category and Year Education Specialist, PhD, and Professional Degrees

400 800 1,200 1,600

Award Count

0

2007

2008

2009

2010

Award Year

Education Specialist Professional

2011

2012 PhD

2013

13 Before 2013, GAAWARDS obtained information on awards from Mercer only for those students who graduated from a Georgia public high school. From 2013 forward, GAAWARDS received information for all Mercer graduates.
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 4 shows the percentage of students who went on to earn additional degrees between 2007 and 2013.14 Students whose first awards were certificates or associate's degrees were most likely to earn additional degrees (19.8% and 23.0%, respectively). Unsurprisingly, students who obtained professional degrees and PhD's had the lowest percentages of subsequent award attainment (both below 1%).
Figure 4: Percentage of Graduates Attaining a Subsequent Award by First Award
Percent Attaining a Subsequent Award by First Award

Certificate

19.8

Associate's

23.0

Bachelor's

9.0

Master's 6.1

Education Specialist 2.0

PhD 0.7

Professional 0.8

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

14 This is calculated as the total number of students obtaining an award/s after their first award/s by category divided by the total number of students who obtain their first award in each category. If a student obtains more than one degree in the first year, he is counted in both categories. For example, if a student obtains both a certificate and an associate's in 2007 and a bachelor's in 2010, he is counted in both the numerator and denominator for the certificates and associate's category. For students who obtain more than two degrees, this calculation only takes into consideration their first and most recent degrees. For example, if a student obtains a certificate in 2007, an associate's in 2008, and a bachelor's in 2010, she is counted in the numerator and denominator for certificates but not for associate's or bachelor's.
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 5 shows the percentage of awards completed by students in traditionally underrepresented race/ethnicity groups.15 This percentage includes black and Hispanic students, as well as students in the multiple/other category. The top bar contains the percentage of Georgia's statewide population who belong to traditionally underrepresented race/ethnicity groups as of July 1, 2015.16 The remaining bars represent the percentage of graduates in traditionally underrepresented groups by degree type. The percentage of certificate holders who are in traditionally underrepresented race/ethnicity categories is similar to the statewide percentage. For all other degree categories, the percentage of traditionally underrepresented students with awards is significantly lower than the percentage of traditionally underrepresented residents in the state, especially in the PhD and Professional categories. More information regarding degree attainment by category and race/ethnicity can be found in Appendix E.
Figure 5: Percentage of Completers in Traditionally Underrepresented Race/Ethnicity Groups
Percentage of Completers in Traditionally Underrepresented Race/Ethnicity Groups

Georgia Population Certificate Associate's Bachelor's Master's
Education Specialist PhD
Professional

42.1 42.6 34.9 27.1 21.7 22.6 13.4 14.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
*Note: Georgia population estimates are taken from the July 1, 2015 U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The remaining bars represent the percentage of graduates in traditionally underrepresented groups by degree type.

15 For the purposes of this report, students of Hispanic ethnicity are treated as their own race/ethnicity category. Due to the small number of observations, the "American Indian or Native Alaskan", "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander", and "Two or More Races" race/ethnicity categories are combined into the Multiple/Other category. 16 The State of Georgia estimates are calculated using the July 1, 2015 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The calculation is performed as follows: 100 (%White alone, not Hispanic or Latino + % Asian alone). For more data from the Census Bureau, visit http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/13. The Census Bureau produces these estimates every five years. The 2010 percentage is 40.9%.
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Figure 6 displays the breakdown of male and female percentages by degree category from 2007-2013. In every degree category except PhD's, females comprised a larger proportion of students receiving the award.
Figure 6: Percentage of Male and Female Students by Category
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

As seen in the next two figures, many of the most popular awards for women are in the health and education fields, while many of the most popular awards for men are in mechanic and repair technologies.

Figure 7: Most Popular Awards for Females

Most Popular Awards for Females

Liberal Arts and Sciences (Associate's) Practical Nursing (Certificate) Education (Bachelor's)
Business Operations (Certificate) Cosmetology (Certificate)
Allied Health and Medical (Certificate) Health Admin. Services (Certificate) Accounting (Certificate) Registered Nursing (Associate's) Registered Nursing (Bachelor's) Psychology (Bachelor's) Business Administration (Bachelor's) Education (Certificate) Biology (Bachelor's) Human Development (Certificate)

23,068 18,816 13,554 12,547 11,897 11,631 9,678 9,372 9,018 8,814 8,550 7,134 6,410 6,353 5,883

0

10,000

20,000

Number of Degrees

*2007-2013, TCSG and USG colleges

30,000

Figure 8: Most Popular Awards for Males17

Most Popular Awards for Males

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Certificate) Precision Metal Working (Certificate)
Liberal Arts and Sciences (Associate's) Ground Transportation (Certificate)
HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR (Certificate) Business Administration (Bachelor's)
Electrical Transmission Installers (Certificate) Electrical Maintenance and Repair (Certificate)
Allied Health Diagnostic (Certificate) Industrial Equipment Maintenance (Certificate)
Business Administration (Master's) Business Operations (Certificate)
Finance and Financial Mgmt (Bachelor's) Biology (Bachelor's)
Accounting (Bachelor's)

14,050 12,482 11,232 10,931 8,773 6,644 5,804 5,797 5,629 4,915 4,577 4,446 3,757 3,575

22,815

0

10,000 20,000 30,000

Number of Degrees

*2007-2013, TCSG and USG colleges

17 HAC, HACR, HVAC, and HVACR are abbreviations for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician fields.
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Matching Award Completers with Wage Data
The wage data include only graduates employed within the state of Georgia by employers that provide wage information to the Georgia Department of Labor for unemployment insurance purposes. Not included in the data are out-of-state wages, self-employed individuals, federal employees, or military employees. When the wage data are matched with the award completers, roughly 70% of college graduates are found within the wage data the year after graduation, and 61% are found in the wage data five years after graduation.18 These percentages vary by degree category and program of study. As a result, Appendix E contains the percentage of award completers found in the wage data whenever earnings are reported. However, if the percentage is less than 80%, it is noted in the footnote.19 It is important to note that a low percentage does not mean that individuals are unable to find jobs, but rather that these individuals may be working in jobs that do not report wages to the Georgia Department of Labor or that is out of state.
Higher Degrees, Higher Earnings
According to Complete College Georgia, "by 2025, it is projected that over 60 percent of jobs in Georgia will require some form of a college education, whether a certificate, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree."20 This report serves to provide a more complete picture of the earning potential of these degrees. In general, higher awards increase an individual's earning potential.
The following analysis uses percentiles to display a range of wages one and five years after the student obtains an award. A percentile indicates the percentage of students that fall below a given percentage. For example, earnings reported at the 25th percentile would indicate that those earnings are higher than 25 percent of the earnings in the dataset. The median (50th percentile) exhibits the value of earnings in the middle of the earnings for a given award. Note that all of these percentiles are based on the wages of the individuals in the data as described above, not of the statewide labor force.
The figure on the following page shows the earnings by degree category one year after graduation. Associate's and bachelor's awards had median earnings around $28,000. However, as seen in the next section, earnings vary widely by programs of study for both degrees. Wages increased noticeably for graduate degrees. With the exception of the education specialist category, each degree category exhibits large variation within the interquartile range (25th to 75th percentile).
18 The denominator for these rates includes only graduates who are eligible to be in the numerator. Graduates who were enrolled during that year are not included. 19 According to the US Department of Labor, slightly more than 80% of the civilian labor force was covered by Unemployment Insurance in 2015. Source: UI Data Summary, 4th Quarter 2015. 20 For more information regarding Complete College Georgia, please visit http://www.completegeorgia.org/.
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Table 1 shows the difference between the 75th and 25th percentiles. It is important to note that the percentage of PhD graduates matched in the wage data is substantially lower than the other degree types. PhDs often compete in a national job market and move out of state for employment.
Figure 9: Range of Earnings by Category One Year after Graduation21
Range of Earnings by Degree Category One Year after Graduation

125,000

75,000

Earnings

25,000

Certificate Associate's Bachelor's Master's Ed. Specialist PhD Professional

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile (Median)

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

Table 1: Range of Earnings One Year after Graduation

Category

25th Percentile Median Earnings 75th Percentile

One Year after One Year after One Year after

Graduation

Graduation

Graduation

Certificate Associate's Bachelor's Master's Education Specialist
PhD Professional

$11,841 $16,430 $16,084 $34,411 $52,786 $36,348 $47,280

$20,483 $27,796 $28,869 $47,454 $60,851 $53,169 $65,917

$30,874 $42,281 $41,653 $63,261 $69,452 $74,548 $96,528

Difference between 75th Percentile and 25th Percentile
+ $19,033 + $25,851 + $25,569 + $28,850 + $16,666 + $38,200 + $49,248

21 Only Education Specialists had greater than 80% of graduates matched within the wage data. The match rate for PhDs is substantially lower than all other degree types at 31%.
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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
The differences in earnings among the degree categories becomes more pronounced when examining wages five years after graduation, as seen in the figure and table below. Education specialists exhibited the smallest percentage change in wages after five years but had the second highest median wages among graduate degrees after one year. Bachelor's degrees also had a much higher percentage increase in earnings from the first to the fifth year after graduation.22
Figure 10: Range of Earnings by Category Five Years after Graduation23
Range of Earnings by Degree Category Five Years after Graduation

125,000

75,000

Earnings

25,000

Certificate Associate's Bachelor's Master's Ed. Specialist PhD Professional

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile (Median)

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

Table 2: Range of Earnings Five Years after Graduation

Category

25th Percentile Median Earnings 75th Percentile

Five Years after Five Years after Five Years after

Graduation

Graduation

Graduation

Certificate Associate's Bachelor's Master's Education Specialist
PhD Professional

$14,787 $20,698 $27,393 $41,979 $54,573 $48,167 $58,568

$25,027 $33,078 $40,834 $55,097 $62,655 $65,583 $85,678

$37,221 $48,583 $56,824 $79,462 $70,634 $89,882 $122,853

Difference between 75th Percentile and 25th Percentile
+$22,434 +$27,885 +$29,431 +$37,483 +$16,061 +$41,715 +$64,285

22 It is important to note that the individuals represented in the wage data change over time; the same individuals whose earnings are represented one year after graduation are not necessarily the same ones represented five years after graduation. 23 Only Education Specialists had greater than 80% of graduates matched within the wage data. The match rate for PhDs is substantially lower than all other degree types at 23%.

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Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Table 3: Percentage Change in Earnings from One to Five Years after Graduation

25th Percentile %

Median %

75th Percentile %

Category

Change in Earnings after

Change in Earnings after

Change in Earnings after

Five Years

Five Years

Five Years

Certificate

25%

22%

21%

Associate's

26%

19%

15%

Bachelor's

70%

41%

36%

Master's

22%

16%

26%

Education Specialist

3%

3%

2%

PhD

33%

23%

21%

Professional

24%

30%

27%

20

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Earning Trends over Time: Wages Still Below Pre-Recession Levels
The Federal Reserve lists the Great Recession as officially lasting from December 2007 June 2009.24 All award categories experienced a decline in first year wages during some period of the recession, particularly in the 2009-2010 academic year. Wage recovery began in different years across the degree categories, and in some cases, after a period of growth, flattened or declined. Most notably from 2008 to 2014, no award category at 25th, 50th, or 75th percentile experienced a net total gain in earnings.
The figures below display the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of wages over time and by degree category in blue, red, and green, respectively.25 Appendix C shows the percentage change in wages from the prior year; negative values are highlighted in red.
Figure 11: First-Year Earnings for Certificates over Time26
First-Year Earnings for Certificates over Time

32,870

32,428

31,110

30,323

29,283

30,086

30,156

22,192

21,807

20,432

19,999

19,538

19,764

20,214

13,112

12,238

11,994

11,458

11,353

11,518

11,730

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000

2007

2008

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

2015

24 More information regarding the 2007-2009 recession can be found here: http://www.federalreservehistory.org/Events/DetailView/58. 25 Information for PhD is not represented here due to low match rates with wage data. 26 For all years, the percentage of graduates matched in the wage data is less than 80%.
21

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 12: First-Year Earnings for Associate's over Time27

First-Year Earnings for Associate's over Time

45,132

45,643

43,093

41,945

40,137

40,508

40,959

30,294 19,344

30,113 18,033

28,252 16,946

27,507 16,264

26,421 15,137

26,173 15,204

27,285 15,489

2007

2008

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

2015

Figure 13: First-Year Earnings for Bachelor's over Time28

First-Year Earnings for Bachelor's over Time

44,847

43,687

39,606

39,573

40,468

40,697

42,029

33,601 21,201

31,647 17,876

27,282 15,109

27,026 15,250

27,254 14,856

27,773 15,370

28,433 15,662

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000

2007

2008

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

2015

27 For all years except 2008, the percentage of graduates matched in the wage data is less than 80%. 28 For all years, the percentage of graduates matched in the wage data is less than 80%.
22

0 15,000 30,000 45,000 60,000 75,000

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 14: First-Year Earnings for Master's over Time29
First-Year Earnings for Master's over Time

65,505 50,941 38,931

66,381 51,219 39,011

64,414 48,774 36,144

60,980 46,573 34,003

59,961 45,366 32,468

61,561 44,822 32,309

65,184 46,143 32,007

2007

2008

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

2015

Figure 15: First-Year Earnings for Education Specialists over Time30

First-Year Earnings for Education Specialists Degrees over Time

74,251 65,495 57,739

73,752 64,973 57,824

71,746 63,568 55,021

68,471 60,420 52,536

65,255 57,135 49,356

63,315 55,967 47,400

68,697
59,214 52,144

25,000 50,000 75,000

0

2007

2008

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 year

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

2015

29 For all years, the percentage of graduates matched in the wage data is less than 80%. 30 The percentage of graduates matched in the wage data the first year after graduation is less than 80%.
23

0 30,000 60,000 90,000 120,000

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 16: Earnings for Professional Degrees over Time31
First-Year Earnings for Professional Degrees over Time

109,990

111,458

101,412

73,215

73,251

69,885

50,067

51,148

48,604

88,139 65,372 47,331

85,880 62,310 44,865

90,921
63,589 45,062

92,937
60,172 43,581

2007

2008

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 year

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

2015

Earning Patterns by Most Popular Programs
Earnings vary significantly between the ten most popular degree programs within each award type. The following graphs display earnings for the most popular programs within each category one year and five years after graduation.32 Earnings are stacked horizontally in blue, pink, and green categories representing the 25th, 50th (median), and 75th percentiles, respectively.
Medically-related awards tended to be the highest earners across most degree categories. In the bachelor's and master's category, business related degrees earned higher wages than most other popular degrees. Within the associate's degrees, liberal arts majors were the most awarded degree by a substantial margin; 37,855 liberal arts associate's degrees were awarded in 2007-2013, as compared to the next most popular program, registered nursing, which awarded 10,392 degrees.33 However, liberal arts associate's earned much less when compared to the other nine associate's degrees one year and five years after attaining the degree. This pattern is partially explained by the fact that 36% of students in this program go on to earn
31 For all years, the percentage of graduates matched in the wage data is less than 65%. 32 Education Specialists are not displayed here since there is little variation in the program of study within this degree category. PhDs are not displayed here since fewer than 80% of graduates for all of the most popular PhDs are matched with the wage data. 33 These numbers represent all students in the dataset, not just graduates from TCSG and USG colleges.
24

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

another degree, which is 15 percentage points higher than all associate's degree holders.

In general, the earning patterns for the top ten programs of study hold up over time; those degrees that are the highest earners in the year following graduation were also the high earners five years after graduation. A few notable exceptions exist, however. In the bachelor's category, registered nursing degrees had by far the highest earnings one year after graduation, but the gap narrowed five years after graduation. Professional degrees in medicine experienced a large upward shift in earnings after five years, while the median earnings for pharmacy, physical therapy and EdD's showed little growth.34

Figure 17: Earnings by Most Popular Certificates35

Earnings by Most Popular Certificates

HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR Allied Health Diagnostic Ground Transportation
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Precision Metal Working Accounting Practical Nursing Allied Health and Medical Business Operations Cosmetology

26,259 32,267

26,119 30,925

23,146 29,267

21,294

28,558

23,492 27,878

21,181 24,249

20,931 23,187

18,706 21,484

13,964 17,967

11,462 16,427

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

34 Upon graduation, doctors must still complete a residency program and experience lower salaries their first few years removed from medical school because of this. The jump in rankings after five years of employment may be partly attributed to this fact. 35 Only Allied Health Diagnostic, Practical Nursing, and Allied Health and Medical had match rates greater than 80% in the first year after graduation. No program had a match rate greater than 80% five years after graduation.
25

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 18: Earnings by Most Popular Associate's36

Earnings by Most Popular Associate's

Registered Nursing Allied Health Diagnostic
Computer Systems Business Administration Allied Health and Medical
Accounting Criminal Justice and Corrections
Liberal Arts and Sciences Business Operations
Teacher Ed. (Levels & Methods)

30,126 37,146
29,960 36,008
26,191 31,798
26,204 30,219
23,391 29,228
23,055 27,631
20,222 27,164
20,957 24,869
16,057 18,218

46,854 49,383

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

Figure 19: Earnings by Most Popular Bachelor's37

Earnings by Most Popular Bachelor's

Registered Nursing Finance and Financial Mgmt
Accounting Business Administration
Marketing Teacher Ed. (Subject Areas) Teacher Ed. (Levels & Methods)
Biology, General Criminal Justice and Corrections
Psychology, General

50,851 52,637

37,152

50,571

36,762

50,153

32,519

43,984

30,418

43,240

29,564 38,834

29,485 38,193

17,973

36,665

24,555 33,286

19,376

29,982

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

36 Only Registered Nursing, Allied Health Diagnostic, and Allied Health and Medical had match rates greater than 80% in the first year after graduation; only Registered Nursing had a match rate greater than or equal to 80% five years after graduation. 37 Only Registered Nursing, Teacher Education (Subject Areas), and Teacher Education (Levels & Methods) had match rates greater than or equal to 80% in the first year after graduation. No program had a match rate greater than 80% five years after graduation.
26

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 20: Earnings by Most Popular Master's38

Earnings by Most Popular Master's

Business/Commerce, General Electrical Engineering
Business Administration Registered Nursing Accounting
Educational Administration Teacher Ed. (Levels & Methods) Special Education and Teaching
Teacher Ed. (Subject Areas) Public Administration

82,212

107,515

74,937

98,336

73,469 93,492

65,330 79,083

53,793 72,222

53,696 57,275

44,963 50,755

45,094 48,954

44,808 48,952

36,481 45,266

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

Figure 21: Earnings by Most Popular Professional Degrees39

Earnings by Most Popular Professional Degrees

Medicine Pharmacy
Dentistry Law
Nursing Ed.D
Veterinary Medicine Physical Therapy

50,134

132,134

111,709 113,712

95,649 111,521

55,971

85,177

74,857 84,125

76,038 76,775

63,117 69,948

62,288 63,072

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000

One Year after Graduation
*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

Five Years after Graduation

38 Registered Nursing, Accounting, Educational Administration, Teacher Education (Levels & Methods), and Special Education and Teaching match rates greater than 80% in the first year after graduation; only Registered Nursing had a match rate greater than 80% five years after graduation. 39 Only Nursing and Ed.Ds had match rates greater than or equal to 80%.
27

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Highest Earning Programs

This section highlights the top earning programs by median earnings five years after graduation.40 Note that these are the top earning programs based on the
available data, not the statewide population. The following graphs display the
median earnings for these programs within each category one year and five years after graduation.41 The percentage of graduates matched in the wage data can be
found in Appendix E.

Certificates in mechanic and repair technologies represent three of the top ten highest earning certificates (Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance; HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR; and Vehicle Maintenance and Repair). Associate's degrees in health top the list in that category, while engineering and computer & information science degrees are the highest earners among bachelor's degrees. Among master's degrees, degrees in business are the highest earners. Professional degrees in pharmacy have by far the highest median earnings in this category.

Figure 22: Highest Earning Certificates42

Highest Earning Certificates

Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Computer Systems
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers Drafting/Design Engineering Fire Protection HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR Allied Health Diagnostic Business Administration Ground Transportation
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair

35,429 42,304
29,172 36,663
27,019 35,135
26,830 34,011
27,830 32,288
26,259 32,267
26,119 30,925
27,587 30,330
23,146 29,267
21,294 28,558

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

40 Program groupings are determined by four-digit CIP codes. Programs with fewer than 200 graduates in the wage data five years after graduation are dropped. Education specialists are not included here because only two programs meet the criterion. PhD's are not included here because no programs meet this criterion. 41 Education Specialists are not displayed here since there is little variation in the program of study within this degree category. PhDs are not displayed here since fewer than 80% of all of the most popular PhDs are matched with the wage data. 42 Only Fire Protection and Allied Health Diagnostic have a match rate greater than 80% in the first year after graduation; only Fire Protection had a match rate greater than 80% the fifth year after graduation.
28

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 23: Highest Earning Associate's43

Highest Earning Associate's

Registered Nursing Dental Support Services Allied Health Diagnostic
Computer Systems Business Administration Allied Health and Medical
Accounting Sales, Merchandising, and Marketing
Criminal Justice and Corrections Liberal Arts and Sciences

46,854 49,383

29,108

40,699

30,126 37,146

29,960 36,008

26,191 31,798

26,204 30,219

23,391 29,228

21,952 28,156

23,055 27,631

20,222 27,164

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

Figure 24: Highest Earning Bachelor's44

Highest Earning Bachelor's

Industrial Engineering Mechanical Engineering
Computer Science Computer and Information Sciences
Civil Engineering Insurance
Management Information Systems and Services Registered Nursing
Business/Managerial Economics Information Science/Studies

60,530 79,061
57,022 71,037
52,397 69,257
48,297 65,224
49,374 62,725
42,139 57,393
42,119 55,464
50,851 52,637 31,710 52,299 40,136 52,148

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

43 Only Registered Nursing, Dental Support Services, Allied Health Diagnostic, and Allied Health and Medical have a match rate greater than or equal to 80% in the first year after graduation; only Registered Nursing and Dental Support services have a match rate greater than or equal to 80% the fifth year after graduation. 44 Only Registered Nursing had a match rate greater than 80% in the first year after graduation. No program had a match rate greater than 80% the fifth year after graduation.
29

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 25: Highest Earning Master's45

Highest Earning Master's

Business/Commerce, General Business Administration Registered Nursing Accounting
Educational Administration Teacher Ed. (Levels & Methods)
Ed./Instructional Media Design Special Education and Teaching
Teacher Ed. (Subject Areas) Social Sciences, Other

82,212

107,515

73,469 93,492

65,330 79,083

53,793 72,222

53,696 57,275

44,963 50,755

46,790 49,911

45,094 48,954

44,808 48,952

52,193 48,275

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

Figure 26: Highest Earning Professional Degrees46 Highest Earning Professional Degrees

Pharmacy

111,709 113,712

Law

55,971

85,177

EdD

76,038 76,775

0

50,000

100,000

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

*All Wages are in 2015 dollars.

45 Only Registered Nursing, Accounting, Educational Administration, Teacher Education (Levels & Methods), Education/Instructional Media Design, Special Education and Teaching, and Social Sciences have a match rate greater than 80% in the first year after graduation; only Registered Nursing had a match rate greater than 80% the fifth year after graduation. 46 Only Ed.Ds have greater than an 80% match rate with the wage data in the first and fifth years after graduation.
30

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Earnings by Institution
Earnings for the same degrees also differ between Georgia colleges/universities.47 The figures in this section show median wages by degree category and institution.48 These figures are meant to provide a high-level overview of patterns but do not take into account other factors that affect earning potential, such as incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, labor market conditions in the area near the college, and the degree programs offered within each award type. For example, colleges with graduates earning higher salaries may have more selective admissions criteria for students, which may translate into higher earnings after graduation. Or, colleges offering degree programs that traditionally earn higher salaries, such as engineering or business degrees, will have higher earnings by award time. Given this context, the information presented here should be used for informational purposes but should not be used to assign rank or value to a degree from a particular college.
Although there is some shuffling in earnings by colleges one year and five years after graduation, earnings tend to increase after five years across all colleges. Due to the large number of colleges offering certificates and associate degrees, the figures for these degree categories are split up by TCSG and USG institutions. Only USG institutions offer bachelor's degrees and above.49
Note that some colleges listed below have merged with other colleges since 2007. The earnings information presented below reflects the name of the institution at the time of graduation. For example, Coosa Valley and Northwestern Technical Colleges merged in July 2009 to become the new Georgia Northwestern Technical College. Earnings for 2007-2009 graduates of Coosa Valley and Northwestern Technical College are listed under these colleges. Earnings for graduates of Georgia Northwestern Technical College will be listed under this name when wage information five years after graduation become available. For a full list of mergers, please see Appendix F.
47 Because GAAWARDS contains all awards from TCSG and USG institutions for all years, only TCSG and USG institutions are displayed here. 48 Colleges must have at least 20 students in the wage data for the first and fifth year after graduation to be included in the figures below. 49 PhDs are not displayed here because the match rates for these degrees are substantially lower than other degree types.
31

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 27: Median Earnings after One Year for Certificates (TCSG)50

Median Earnings after OneYear for Certificates: TCSG Colleges

Georgia Aviation Technical College (M) Gwinnett Technical College
Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M) Georgia Piedmont Technical College North Metro Technical College (M) Coosa Valley Technical College (M) Appalachian Technical College (M) Lanier Technical College Northwestern Technical College (M) Griffin Technical College (M) Columbus Technical College North Georgia Technical College West Central Technical College (M) Southeastern Tech College - Vidalia
West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M) Ogeechee Technical College Savannah Technical College South Georgia Technical College Athens Technical College Okefenokee Technical College (M) Albany Technical College Augusta Technical College Southwest Georgia Technical College (M) Atlanta Technical College Valdosta Technical College (M) Altamaha Technical College (M) Flint River Technical College (M) Swainsboro Technical College Heart of Georgia Technical College (M) East Central Technical College (M) Sandersville Technical College (M) Moultrie Technical College (M) Middle Georgia Technical College (M)

25,607 25,223 23,780 23,489 23,122 23,038 22,093 22,080 21,740 21,728 21,301 21,198 21,053 21,024 21,006 20,823 20,566 20,318 20,285 20,154 19,884 19,569 19,373 18,925 18,801 18,637 18,373 17,845 17,298 17,216 16,995 16,518 13,226

33,255

0

10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

Figure 28: Median Earnings after Five Years for Certificates (TCSG)51

Median Earnings after Five Years for Certificates: TCSG Colleges

Georgia Aviation Technical College (M) Gwinnett Technical College
Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M) Georgia Piedmont Technical College North Metro Technical College (M) Coosa Valley Technical College (M) Appalachian Technical College (M) Lanier Technical College Northwestern Technical College (M) Griffin Technical College (M) Columbus Technical College North Georgia Technical College West Central Technical College (M) Southeastern Tech College - Vidalia
West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M) Ogeechee Technical College Savannah Technical College South Georgia Technical College Athens Technical College Okefenokee Technical College (M) Albany Technical College Augusta Technical College Southwest Georgia Technical College (M) Atlanta Technical College Valdosta Technical College (M) Altamaha Technical College (M) Flint River Technical College (M) Swainsboro Technical College Heart of Georgia Technical College (M) East Central Technical College (M) Sandersville Technical College (M) Moultrie Technical College (M) Middle Georgia Technical College (M)

32,749 30,865 29,572 27,925 26,049 26,531 26,437 27,406 27,170 25,204 24,219 25,493 23,464 27,586 24,681 25,237 24,549 23,060 25,116 24,031 23,594 24,807 22,436 23,058 22,808 22,960 22,582 22,645 21,261 20,881 21,652 20,320 17,806

41,831

0

10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

50 Many of these institutions had a match rate less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 51 None of these institutions had a match rate greater than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
32

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 29: Median Earnings after One Year for Certificates (USG)52

Median Earnings after One Year for Certificates: USG Colleges

Macon State College (M) Columbus State University Gainesville State College (M)
Clayton State University Armstrong Atlantic State University
Middle Georgia State College (M) Darton State College Dalton State College
College of Coastal Georgia Bainbridge State College

36,984 32,963 32,196 31,627 28,748 25,698 24,657 21,050 17,380

52,122

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000
*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars
Figure 30: Median Earnings after Five Years for Certificates (USG)53

Median Earnings after Five Years for Certificates: USG Colleges

Macon State College (M) Columbus State University Gainesville State College (M)
Clayton State University Armstrong Atlantic State University
Middle Georgia State College (M) Darton State College Dalton State College
College of Coastal Georgia Bainbridge State College

34,320
34,766 34,990 32,672 27,298 28,227 25,994 18,845

44,282

55,878

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000
*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

52 Many of these institutions have a match rate less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 53 Many of these institutions have a match rate less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
33

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 31: Median Earnings after One Year for Associate's (TCSG)54

Median Earnings after One Year for Associate's: TCSG Colleges

West Central Technical College (M) Southwest Georgia Technical College (M)
Columbus Technical College Gwinnett Technical College
Coosa Valley Technical College (M) Athens Technical College Lanier Technical College
Georgia Piedmont Technical College North Metro Technical College (M)
West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Okefenokee Technical College (M) Northwestern Technical College (M) Appalachian Technical College (M)
Griffin Technical College (M) Heart of Georgia Technical College (M)
Augusta Technical College Ogeechee Technical College Southeastern Tech College - Vidalia Middle Georgia Technical College (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M) Valdosta Technical College (M) Savannah Technical College Flint River Technical College (M)
Albany Technical College North Georgia Technical College South Georgia Technical College
Atlanta Technical College Sandersville Technical College (M)

33,997 32,517 30,201 29,566 29,386 28,213 28,005 27,565 27,274 26,480 26,274 25,809 25,327 24,738 24,459 24,222 24,020 23,902 23,252 23,132 23,111 22,710 22,626 22,551 22,109 21,082 19,902 19,805 17,899

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

Figure 32: Median Earnings after Five Years for Associate's (TCSG)55

Median Earnings after Five Years for Associate's: TCSG Colleges

West Central Technical College (M) Southwest Georgia Technical College (M)
Columbus Technical College Gwinnett Technical College
Coosa Valley Technical College (M) Athens Technical College Lanier Technical College
Georgia Piedmont Technical College North Metro Technical College (M)
West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Okefenokee Technical College (M) Northwestern Technical College (M) Appalachian Technical College (M)
Griffin Technical College (M) Heart of Georgia Technical College (M)
Augusta Technical College Ogeechee Technical College Southeastern Tech College - Vidalia Middle Georgia Technical College (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M) Valdosta Technical College (M) Savannah Technical College Flint River Technical College (M)
Albany Technical College North Georgia Technical College South Georgia Technical College
Atlanta Technical College Sandersville Technical College (M)

39,378 35,783 34,692 36,086 34,203 34,323 33,925 30,923 31,791 29,509 31,548 25,059 28,577 27,200 28,863 28,711 29,016 28,794 29,329 32,134 27,261 30,436 27,276 25,319 24,018 27,740 26,822 19,289 22,504

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

54 Many of these institutions had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 55 Many of these institutions had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
34

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 33: Median Earnings after One Year for Associate's (USG)56

Median Earnings after One Year for Associate's: USG Colleges

University of North Georgia (M) Augusta State University (M) Macon State College (M) Darton State College
South Georgia State College (M) Georgia Highlands College
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Gordon State College
College of Coastal Georgia Clayton State University
Middle Georgia State College (M) Dalton State College
Georgia Perimeter College Armstrong Atlantic State University
Columbus State University Valdosta State University Bainbridge State College
Gainesville State College (M) East Georgia State College
Atlanta Metropolitan State College Waycross College (M)

37,958 37,584 36,527 36,161 35,192 35,041 32,704 31,569 30,440 30,396 29,093 28,457 25,287 23,949 22,684 21,701 19,775 19,636 17,039

48,712 45,642

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000
*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

Figure 34: Median Earnings after Five Years for Associate's (USG)57

Median Earnings after Five Years for Associate's: USG Colleges

University of North Georgia (M) Augusta State University (M) Macon State College (M) Darton State College
South Georgia State College (M) Georgia Highlands College
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Gordon State College
College of Coastal Georgia Clayton State University
Middle Georgia State College (M) Dalton State College
Georgia Perimeter College Armstrong Atlantic State University
Columbus State University Valdosta State University Bainbridge State College
Gainesville State College (M) East Georgia State College
Atlanta Metropolitan State College Waycross College (M)

20,286

40,041 37,439
38,486 38,901 35,832 36,891 39,036 38,753 30,311 35,914 34,548 34,784 39,219 28,962 25,856 27,698 28,401 26,600

52,904 52,365

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000
*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

56 Many of these institutions had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 57 Many of these institutions had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
35

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 35: Median Earnings after One Year for Bachelor's 58

Median Earnings after One Year for Bachelor's

Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Regents University (M) Southern Polytechnic State University (M) Kennesaw State University (M) Armstrong Atlantic State University
Clayton State University Macon State College (M) Gainesville State College (M) Georgia Gwinnett College Georgia Southern University Georgia College & State University
Dalton State College Georgia Southwestern State University
University of North Georgia (M) University of Georgia
University of West Georgia Columbus State University
Georgia State University Valdosta State University Augusta State University (M)
Albany State University Savannah State University Fort Valley State University

30,840 30,522 29,783 29,671 29,513 29,289 28,977 28,696 28,330 28,246 27,798 27,652 27,394 27,235 27,230 25,243 24,378 21,472 19,486 19,356

50,318 48,508 45,762

0

25,000

50,000

75,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

Figure 36: Median Earnings after Five Years for Bachelor's59

Median Earnings after Five Years for Bachelor's

Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Regents University (M) Southern Polytechnic State University (M) Kennesaw State University (M) Armstrong Atlantic State University
Clayton State University Macon State College (M) Gainesville State College (M) Georgia Gwinnett College Georgia Southern University Georgia College & State University
Dalton State College Georgia Southwestern State University
University of North Georgia (M) University of Georgia
University of West Georgia Columbus State University
Georgia State University Valdosta State University Augusta State University (M)
Albany State University Savannah State University Fort Valley State University

41,705 38,446 38,271 35,311 35,806 38,279
39,470 38,343 37,209 33,884 37,858
44,765 38,757 37,151 39,624 35,807 35,268 29,760 29,312 26,962

52,929 59,104

67,456

0

25,000

50,000

75,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

58 Many of these institutions had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 59 None of these institutions had match rates greater than 80%.
36

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 37: Median Earnings after One Year for Master's 60

Median Earnings after One Year for Master's

Georgia Institute of Technology Southern Polytechnic State University (M)
Georgia Regents University (M) Kennesaw State University (M)
Georgia State University University of North Georgia (M)
Columbus State University University of West Georgia
University of Georgia Georgia Southern University Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia College & State University Armstrong Atlantic State University
Albany State University Augusta State University (M)
Valdosta State University Savannah State University Fort Valley State University

58,864 58,100 57,053 50,072 46,648 46,346 46,292 45,788 44,651 43,299 43,186 42,606 42,025 40,528 40,000 31,401 30,059

70,550

0

20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

Figure 38: Median Earnings after Five Years for Master's61

Median Earnings after Five Years for Master's

Georgia Institute of Technology Southern Polytechnic State University (M)
Georgia Regents University (M) Kennesaw State University (M)
Georgia State University University of North Georgia (M)
Columbus State University University of West Georgia
University of Georgia Georgia Southern University Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia College & State University Armstrong Atlantic State University
Albany State University Augusta State University (M)
Valdosta State University Savannah State University Fort Valley State University

63,506 63,946 61,692 50,701 48,965 52,597 53,558 49,986 50,007 50,493 48,823 51,104 47,811 44,701 37,480 35,191

75,349

88,512

0

20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

60 Many of these institutions had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 61 Many of these institutions had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
37

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 39: Median Earnings after One Year for Education Specialists
Median Earnings after One Year for Education Specialists

University of West Georgia University of North Georgia (M)
Albany State University Columbus State University Georgia College & State University
Valdosta State University Georgia Southern University
University of Georgia Augusta State University (M)
Georgia State University Georgia Southwestern State University

65,042 64,978 64,487 63,598 63,385 59,432 59,224 59,088 58,732 57,951 55,528

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university.
*(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

Figure 40: Median Earnings after Five Years for Education Specialists62

Median Earnings after Five Years for Education Specialists

University of West Georgia University of North Georgia (M)
Albany State University Columbus State University Georgia College & State University
Valdosta State University Georgia Southern University
University of Georgia Augusta State University (M)
Georgia State University Georgia Southwestern State University

65,680 64,235 64,399
66,086 64,339 59,697 60,945 59,503 62,054 59,079 58,313

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

62 Georgia State University had a match rate less than 80%.
38

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 41: Median Earnings after One Year for Professional Degrees63
Median Earnings after One Year for Professional Degrees

Georgia Southern University

74,346

Valdosta State University

71,733

University of Georgia

71,357

Georgia Regents University (M)

59,872

Georgia State University

57,510

0

20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

Figure 42: Median Earnings after One Year for Professional Degrees64
Median Earnings after Five Years for Professional Degrees

Georgia Southern University

76,490

Valdosta State University

73,671

University of Georgia

91,038

Georgia Regents University (M)

89,385

Georgia State University

82,771

0

20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars

63 Fewer than 80% of graduates from Georgia Regents University, Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia were matched within the wage data. 64 Only Georgia Southern University and Valdosta State University had match rates greater than 80%.
39

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
The next set of graphs show median wages by college for the three most popular programs of study across the state: accounting, business administration, and teacher education.65 Comparable to findings presented above, earnings differ by college and degree category, but variation also exists within program of study. After five years, most programs experienced an increase in earnings. However, the amount of the increase differs among colleges. Earnings by college for all degree types and programs of study are available on the Higher Learning and Earnings Dashboard (http://learnearn.gosa.ga.gov).
65 Only undergraduate programs are shown on the following pages because colleges specialize more in graduate degree categories, leading to less comparability between programs and institutions. Only majors that have at least ten observations in the wage data one year and five years after graduation are included. Programs meeting these requirements are then chosen based on the number of awards conferred.
40

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 43: Median Earnings after One Year for Accounting Certificates by College66

Median Earnings after One Year: Accounting Certificate*

North Metro Technical College (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Gwinnett Technical College Appalachian Technical College (M) West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange (M)
Lanier Technical College Georgia Piedmont Technical College Coosa Valley Technical College (M) West Central Technical College (M) Northwestern Technical College (M)
Valdosta Technical College (M) Middle Georgia Technical College (M)
Okefenokee Technical College (M) Athens Technical College
Augusta Technical College Ogeechee Technical College Altamaha Technical College (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M) Swainsboro Technical College
Albany Technical College Griffin Technical College (M)
Atlanta Technical College South Georgia Technical College
Moultrie Technical College (M)

28,309 27,938 25,977 24,731 24,566 23,210 23,040 22,126 21,345 21,177 20,382 20,263 20,051 19,926 19,831 19,207 17,983 17,872 17,845 17,475 16,822 16,596 15,783 15,504

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Accounting and Related Services.

Figure 44: Median Earnings after Five Years for Accounting Certificates by College67

Median Earnings after Five Years: Accounting Certificate*

North Metro Technical College (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Gwinnett Technical College Appalachian Technical College (M) West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange (M)
Lanier Technical College Georgia Piedmont Technical College Coosa Valley Technical College (M) West Central Technical College (M) Northwestern Technical College (M)
Valdosta Technical College (M) Middle Georgia Technical College (M)
Okefenokee Technical College (M) Athens Technical College
Augusta Technical College Ogeechee Technical College Altamaha Technical College (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M) Swainsboro Technical College
Albany Technical College Griffin Technical College (M)
Atlanta Technical College South Georgia Technical College
Moultrie Technical College (M)

16,630 29,943 29,534 33,626
24,887 28,089 29,196
21,099 25,318 30,848
24,818 24,176 17,016 23,618 24,647 24,621 20,974 17,772 21,447 18,969 21,545 22,126 22,096 16,604

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Accounting and Related Services.

66 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 67 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
41

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 45: Median Earnings after One Year for Accounting Associate's by College68

Median Earnings after One Year: Accounting Associate's*

Georgia Piedmont Technical College Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Lanier Technical College Gwinnett Technical College
Athens Technical College Columbus Technical College Savannah Technical College Griffin Technical College (M) West Central Technical College (M) Northwestern Technical College (M) Ogeechee Technical College North Georgia Technical College
Augusta Technical College

28,623 28,502 28,217 26,400 26,003 24,064 23,585 22,899 21,871 21,761 20,619 20,371 20,182

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Accounting and Related Services.

Figure 46: Median Earnings after Five Years for Accounting Associate's by College69

Median Earnings after Five Years: Accounting Associate's*

Georgia Piedmont Technical College Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Lanier Technical College Gwinnett Technical College
Athens Technical College Columbus Technical College Savannah Technical College Griffin Technical College (M) West Central Technical College (M) Northwestern Technical College (M) Ogeechee Technical College North Georgia Technical College
Augusta Technical College

30,898 36,044 35,761
33,873 29,516 26,840 29,215 24,972
30,285 34,193
27,600 30,855
24,422

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Accounting and Related Services.

68 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 69 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
42

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 47: Median Earnings after One Year for Accounting Bachelor's by College70

Median Earnings after One Year: Accounting Bachelor's*

University of Georgia Kennesaw State University (M) University of North Georgia (M)
Georgia State University Georgia College & State University
Georgia Southern University Clayton State University
University of West Georgia Valdosta State University
Georgia Southwestern State University Augusta State University (M) Columbus State University Savannah State University Albany State University

41,265 38,319 37,314 36,988 36,924 34,575 31,919 31,595 31,426 30,844 29,057 24,919 20,638

53,138

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Accounting and Related Services.

Figure 48: Median Earnings after Five Years for Accounting Bachelor's by College71

Median Earnings after Five Years: Accounting Bachelor's*

University of Georgia Kennesaw State University (M) University of North Georgia (M)
Georgia State University Georgia College & State University
Georgia Southern University Clayton State University
University of West Georgia Valdosta State University
Georgia Southwestern State University Augusta State University (M) Columbus State University Savannah State University Albany State University

52,544 47,780
50,279 50,514 48,395 47,947 46,146 41,753 39,019 43,104 40,716 36,442 28,665

74,036

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Accounting and Related Services.

70 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 71 None of these colleges had match rates greater than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
43

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 49: Median Earnings after One Year for Business Certificates by College72

Median Earnings after One Year: Business Administration Certificate*

Augusta Technical College South Georgia Technical College
Valdosta Technical College (M) Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Gwinnett Technical College Lanier Technical College
Columbus Technical College Southwest Georgia Technical College (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M)
Northwestern Technical College (M) Savannah Technical College
North Georgia Technical College Albany Technical College
Griffin Technical College (M)

19,398

38,462 35,544 32,807 31,263 30,943 30,589 27,879 27,437 27,326 26,764 25,432 25,158 24,688 24,666

0

10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Business Administration, Management and Operations.

Figure 50: Median Earnings after Five Years for Business Certificates by College73

Median Earnings after Five Years: Business Administration Certificate*

Augusta Technical College South Georgia Technical College
Valdosta Technical College (M) Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Gwinnett Technical College Lanier Technical College
Columbus Technical College Southwest Georgia Technical College (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M)
Northwestern Technical College (M) Savannah Technical College
North Georgia Technical College Albany Technical College
Griffin Technical College (M)

37,906 39,290
28,858 32,330 39,797
27,273 28,303
25,053 33,879
28,178 32,914 35,686
26,420 28,282 32,920

0

10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Business Administration, Management and Operations.

72 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 73 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
44

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 51: Median Earnings after One Year for Business Associate's by College74

Median Earnings after One Year: Business Administration Associate's*

Gwinnett Technical College Lanier Technical College
Northwestern Technical College (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Columbus Technical College Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M)
Griffin Technical College (M) Augusta Technical College

33,626 33,026 28,022 27,700 26,285 25,224 23,813 23,634

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000
*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Business Administration, Management and Operations.
Figure 52: Median Earnings after Five Years for Business Associate's by College75
Median Earnings after Five Years: Business Administration Associate's*

Gwinnett Technical College Lanier Technical College
Northwestern Technical College (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Columbus Technical College Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M)
Griffin Technical College (M) Augusta Technical College

42,835 40,073 33,940 37,169 33,305 29,260 28,691 26,638

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000
*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Business Administration, Management and Operations.

74 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 75 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
45

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 53: Median Earnings after One Year for Business Bachelor's by College76

Median Earnings after One Year: Business Administration Bachelor's*

Georgia Institute of Technology Kennesaw State University (M)
Georgia Southern University University of Georgia
Clayton State University University of North Georgia (M)
Georgia State University Dalton State College
Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University
University of West Georgia Macon State College (M)
Columbus State University Valdosta State University
Augusta State University (M) Savannah State University
Albany State University Fort Valley State University

35,273 33,305 33,186 32,811 31,771 31,578 31,135 30,124 30,082 29,063 28,917 27,852 27,818 27,661 26,046 21,166 19,407

44,802

0

10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Business Administration, Management and Operations.

Figure 54: Median Earnings after One Year for Business Bachelor's by College77

Median Earnings after Five Years: Business Administration Bachelor's*

Georgia Institute of Technology Kennesaw State University (M)
Georgia Southern University University of Georgia
Clayton State University University of North Georgia (M)
Georgia State University Dalton State College
Georgia College & State University Georgia Southwestern State University
University of West Georgia Macon State College (M)
Columbus State University Valdosta State University
Augusta State University (M) Savannah State University
Albany State University Fort Valley State University

46,944 43,720
51,078 42,350 42,206
44,422 36,938
43,825 35,770
42,358 36,414
38,138 41,983
39,282 31,733 28,022 23,012

62,010

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000
*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F. *All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Business Administration, Management and Operations.

76 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 77 All of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
46

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 55: Median Earnings after One Year for Teaching Certificates by College78

Median Earnings after One Year: Teacher Education Certificate*

Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M) Flint River Technical College (M)
Northwestern Technical College (M) Atlanta Technical College
Coosa Valley Technical College (M) Ogeechee Technical College
Southwest Georgia Technical College (M) Augusta Technical College Lanier Technical College
Middle Georgia Technical College (M) East Central Technical College (M) Albany Technical College Moultrie Technical College (M) South Georgia Technical College

17,475 16,390 16,138 15,888 14,686 14,385 14,186 13,738 13,732 13,471 13,157 13,078 11,700 10,790

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.

Figure 56: Median Earnings after Five Years for Teaching Certificates by College79

Median Earnings after Five Years: Teacher Education Certificate*

Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M) Flint River Technical College (M)
Northwestern Technical College (M) Atlanta Technical College
Coosa Valley Technical College (M) Ogeechee Technical College
Southwest Georgia Technical College (M) Augusta Technical College Lanier Technical College
Middle Georgia Technical College (M) East Central Technical College (M) Albany Technical College Moultrie Technical College (M) South Georgia Technical College

17,622 15,523
17,094 15,171
17,567 13,469
14,391 15,871 16,466
13,362 14,660
13,360 12,449
13,192

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.

78 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 79 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
47

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 57: Median Earnings after One Year for Teaching Associate's by College80
Median Earnings after One Year: Teacher Education Associate's*

Griffin Technical College (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Georgia Piedmont Technical College Savannah Technical College Lanier Technical College Atlanta Technical College
Northwestern Technical College (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M)
Athens Technical College Augusta Technical College

18,950 18,096 17,742 17,487 17,338 17,334 17,330 15,847 15,466 13,971

0

5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.

Figure 58: Median Earnings after Five Years for Teaching Associate's by College81

Median Earnings after Five Years: Teacher Education Associate's*

Griffin Technical College (M) Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta (M)
Georgia Piedmont Technical College Savannah Technical College Lanier Technical College Atlanta Technical College
Northwestern Technical College (M) Central Georgia Tech College - Macon (M)
Athens Technical College Augusta Technical College

19,330 18,723
21,794 18,472 15,017
20,843 19,217 18,782 18,050 17,095

0

5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.

80 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 81 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
48

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 59: Median Earnings after One Year for Teaching Bachelor's by College82

Median Earnings after One Year: Teacher Education Bachelor's*

Clayton State University Georgia College & State University
University of Georgia Georgia State University University of North Georgia (M) Armstrong Atlantic State University Macon State College (M) Kennesaw State University (M) Valdosta State University Georgia Southern University Gainesville State College (M) Albany State University
Dalton State College Augusta State University (M)
University of West Georgia Columbus State University Georgia Southwestern State University

34,665 33,474 33,119 32,710 31,985 31,781 31,048 29,116 29,103 29,091 28,846 28,639 27,817 27,067 26,266 26,139 25,935

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.

Figure 60: Median Earnings after Five Years for Teaching Bachelor's by College83

Median Earnings after Five Years: Teacher Education Bachelor's*

Clayton State University Georgia College & State University
University of Georgia Georgia State University University of North Georgia (M) Armstrong Atlantic State University Macon State College (M) Kennesaw State University (M) Valdosta State University Georgia Southern University Gainesville State College (M) Albany State University
Dalton State College Augusta State University (M)
University of West Georgia Columbus State University Georgia Southwestern State University

40,285 37,628
40,677 41,354
38,671 38,994 38,671 39,215 37,273 36,822 35,000 34,658 38,644 38,240 38,458
40,153 31,970

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

*Earnings differences between colleges may be driven by incoming student characteristics, admissions policies, nearby labor market conditions, and which degree programs are offered at each college/university. *(M) denotes this institution is affected by a merger. Please see Appendix F.
*All wages are in 2015 dollars *Full CIP title is listed as Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.

82 Many of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details. 83 All of these colleges had match rates less than 80%. Please see the appendix for more details.
49

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Earnings for HOPE Graduates
The HOPE Scholarship/Grant is a grant/scholarship program originating in 1993 under Governor Zell Miller.84 The program offers funding assistance to postsecondary-bound high school students meeting the required academic qualifications upon graduation from high school.85 For this report, undergraduate students who have surpassed the allotted amount of credit hours eligible under the program criteria (127 hours) or maintained their scholarships through their graduation years are defined as HOPE graduates.86 Due to data limitations, this section analyzes only students who received awards in 2012 and 2013 from colleges located in Georgia and were considered eligible to receive HOPE in high school. High school HOPE eligibility data are only available starting in 2007, so high school graduates prior to that year are not included in this analysis.87
As shown in Figure 61, HOPE graduates earned almost 68% of certificates and 60% of bachelor's awards from 2012 to 2013 but only 44% of associate's.
Figure 61: Awards by HOPE Graduate and Category
Number of Awards by HOPE Graduates and Category
24,365

Number of Awards 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000

13,889

16,079

6,431

4,073

5,195

HOPE Non-HOPE Certificate

HOPE Non-HOPE Associate's

HOPE Non-HOPE Bachelor's

84 HOPE grants and scholarships and Zell Miller grants and scholarships are defined as HOPE scholarships for the purposes of this report. 85 More information on the HOPE program can be found online here: https://gsfc.georgia.gov/hope. 86 Undergraduates are defined as students who have held a certificate, associate's, and/or bachelor's degree. 87 To identify those who were eligible to receive HOPE, this report used only students who had a HOPE GPA from high school and received an award from a college in Georgia. GAAWARDS began receiving these data with the high school graduating class of 2007. Therefore, this analysis is limited to students who receive their degrees in 2012 and 2013 to ensure that GAAWARDS received the HOPE GPA from high school for most of the students who were eligible to receive HOPE.
50

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Overall, HOPE graduate earnings are similar for graduates with certificates and bachelor's degrees. For those with associate's, the median earnings for HOPE graduates were $4,655 higher one year after graduation than non-HOPE graduates.
Figure 62: Earnings One Year after Graduation by HOPE Graduate and Category88
Earnings One Year after Graduation by Category HOPE vs. Non-HOPE

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000

HOPE Non-HOPE Certificate

HOPE Non-HOPE Associate's

HOPE Non-HOPE Bachelor's

25th Percentile 75th Percentile

50th Percentile (Median)

*All wages are in 2015 dollars

88 The bachelor's category and non-HOPE graduates in the associate's category had match rates less than 80%.
51

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Conclusion Expected earnings are one of many factors students and parents should consider
when selecting degrees to pursue. Prior to this report, earnings of recent graduates who are working in Georgia were not available. This report presents earnings patterns for degree types and colleges one and five years after graduation.
In general, wages tend to increase as students earn higher degrees. However, there is a large amount of variation within program of study and college. Regardless of degree type, first-year wages declined in conjunction with the Great Recession and had not returned to 2008 levels as of 2014 (in constant dollars).
It should be noted that the report does not take into account how other factors, such as student ability/motivation, college selectivity, and job market conditions, affect earnings, so the results in this report should not be interpreted as a guarantee of employment or earnings. Recognizing the limits of the data, the information provided in this report offers another tool to guide education stakeholders in making decisions related to postsecondary choices. In conjunction with this report, GOSA has published an interactive dashboard using the same data used for this report for stakeholders to dig deeper into earnings patterns by program of study and award type (http://learnearn.gosa.ga.gov).
52

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Appendix A: Degree Categories

System
GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA GICA NSC

Degree Level
1
17 18 19
2
3 5 6 7
8
99 A B C F M P X N/A

Table 4: Degree Categories

Degree Level Description*

Category

Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma of (less than 1 academic year)
Doctor's degree - research/scholarship; Doctor's degree - professional practice;
Doctor's degree - other Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma of (at least 1 but less
than 2 academic years); Associate's degree Bachelor's degree
Postbaccalaureate certificate; Master's degree
Post-master's certificate (Education Specialist)
Undecided / Unknown Associates Bachelors Certificate Professional Masters PHD N/A N/A

Dropped (category too heterogeneous to classify)
PhD Professional
PhD
Dropped (category too heterogeneous to classify)
Associate's Bachelor's Dropped (category too heterogeneous to classify) Master's Ed. Specialist is classified as its own category; all others dropped (too heterogeneous to classify) Recode according to academic program description; if unknown, drop Associate's Bachelor's Dropped (Category only includes Piedmont observations, which are dropped) Professional Master's
PhD Recode according to academic major description; if unknown, drop
Dropped (no description provided)

53

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System

Degree Level

Degree Level Description*

Category

NSC

A

Associates

Associate's

NSC

B

Bachelors

Bachelor's

NSC

C

Certificate

Certificate

NSC

D

Postsecondary Diploma

Certificate

NSC

F

Professional

Professional

NSC

M

Masters

Master's

NSC

P

PHD

PhD

NSC

X

N/A

Recode according to academic major description; if unknown, drop

TCSG

1

Certificate

Certificate

TCSG

2

Diploma

Certificate

TCSG

3

Associate's Degree

Associate's

TCSG

4

Diploma

Certificate

USG

A

Associate

Associate's

USG

B

Bachelors

Bachelor's

USG

C

One-year Vocational - Related Certificate

Certificate

USG

D

Doctorate

PhD

USG

F

Advanced Certificate

Dropped (category too heterogeneous to classify)

USG

M

Masters

Master's

USG

P

First Professional A

Professional

USG

S

Education Specialist

Ed. Specialist

USG

V

Career Associate

Associate's

USG

Z

Less than 1 Year Certificate

Certificate

*Degree descriptions appear as they are reported to GAAWARDS, except for code 8 for the Georgia Independent Colleges Association (GICA), which has been changed slightly.

54

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Appendix B: Race/Ethnicity Data Overall, white students obtain the most awards (see Figure 63 below). Black
students hold the next largest amount of awards, followed by students in the Asian, Hispanic, and Multiple/Other categories, respectively.
Figure 63: Award Totals by Race/Ethnicity
The figures on the following pages display the total number of awards by race/ethnicity and degree category. There are several notable trends over time and by category. Note that these trends do not account for the race/ethnicity percentages in the statewide population. The graphs below show that white students obtain more awards in every degree category, but the gap between white and black students closes slightly in the certificate and associate's categories. The number of Asian, Hispanic, and multiple/other races/ethnicities is near the bottom of the graph for all degree categories, with the exception of PhDs. Asian students obtain the second highest number of degrees in this category.
55

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Figure 64: Certificates Awarded by Race/Ethnicity
Figure 65: Associate's Awarded by Race/Ethnicity
56

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Figure 66: Bachelor's Awarded by Race/Ethnicity
Figure 67: Master's Awarded by Race/Ethnicity
57

Education Specialist

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Figure 68: Education Specialist Degrees Awarded by Race/Ethnicity

Number of Education Specialists Awarded by Race/Ethnicity
1,000

800

600

400

200

0 2007

2008

2009

2010 Year

2011

2012

Asian Hispanic Multiple/Other

Black White

Note: Prior to 2010, the Asian, Hispanic, and Multiple/Other category had fewer than 10 observations.

2013

Figure 69: PhDs Awarded by Race/Ethnicity

58

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings
Figure 70: Professional Degrees Awarded by Race/Ethnicity
59

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Appendix C: Effects of the Great Recession

Percentage

Category

Percentile Change from

2008-2009

Certificate

25th

-7%

Certificate

50th

-2%

Certificate

75th

-1%

Associate's

25th

-7%

Associate's

50th

-1%

Associate's

75th

1%

Bachelor's

25th

-16%

Bachelor's

50th

-6%

Bachelor's

75th

-3%

Master's

25th

0%

Master's

50th

1%

Master's

75th

1%

Education Specialist

25th

0%

Education Specialist

50th

-1%

Education Specialist

75th

-1%

PhD

25th

-5%

PhD

50th

-2%

PhD

75th

-2%

Professional

25th

2%

Professional

50th

0%

Professional

75th

1%

*Negative changes are highlighted above.

Percentage Change from
2009-2010 -2% -6% -4% -6% -6% -6% -15% -14% -9% -7% -5% -3%
-5%
-2%
-3%
-3% -5% -2% -5% -5% -9%

Percentage Change from
2010-2011 -4% -2% -3% -4% -3% -3% 1% -1% 0% -6% -5% -5%
-5%
-5%
-5%
4% 4% -6% -3% -6% -13%

Percentage Change from
2011-2012 -1% -2% -3% -7% -4% -4% -3% 1% 2% -5% -3% -2%
-6%
-5%
-5%
-1% 0% 2% -5% -5% -3%

Percentage Change from
2012-2013 1% 1% 3% 0% -1% 1% 3% 2% 1% 0% -1% 3%
-4%
-2%
-3%
-5% -4% -7% 0% 2% 6%

Percentage Change from
2013-2014 2% 2% 0% 2% 4% 1% 2% 2% 3% -1% 3% 6%
10%
6%
9%
8% 7% 8% -3% -5% 2%

Net Total
-11% -9% -8% -21% -10% -9% -27% -15% -6% -19% -10% 0%
-9%
-10%
-7%
-3% 0% -8% -13% -19% -15%

60

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Appendix D: Abbreviated Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Titles
Original Four-Digit CIP Title Accounting and Related Services Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Business Administration, Management and Operations Business Operations Support and Assistant Services Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications Criminal Justice and Corrections Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
Biology, General Finance and Financial Management Services
Marketing Psychology, General Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services Ground Transportation Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Precision Metal Working Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology Curriculum and Instruction Education, General

Abbreviated CIP Title Accounting
Allied Health Diagnostic Allied Health and Medical Business Administration
Business Operations Computer Systems Criminal Justice and Corrections Liberal Arts and Sciences Registered Nursing Teacher Education (Levels and Methods) Biology, General Finance and Financial Management
Marketing Psychology, General Teacher Education (Subject Areas)
Cosmetology Ground Transportation
HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR
Practical Nursing Precision Metal Working Vehicle Maintenance and Repair
Applied Psychology Curriculum and Instruction
Education, General

61

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Original Four-Digit CIP Title Education, Other
Educational Administration and Supervision
Educational/Instructional Media Design Special Education and Teaching
Student Counseling and Personnel Services Business/Commerce, General
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering Public Administration
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Biomedical/Medical Engineering Chemistry
Computer and Information Sciences, General Mechanical Engineering
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions Dentistry Education Law Medicine
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration Veterinary Medicine

Abbreviated CIP Title Education, Other
Educational Administration
Educational/Instructional Media Design Special Education and Teaching
Student Counseling and Personnel Services Business/Commerce, General Electrical Engineering Public Administration Aerospace Engineering
Biomedical/Medical Engineering Chemistry
Computer and Information Sciences Mechanical Engineering
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions Dentistry Education Law Medicine Pharmacy
Veterinary Medicine

62

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Appendix E: Percentage of Graduates Matched in Wage Data

Table 5: Percent Matched in Wage Data by Degree Category

Category

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

Certificate

73%

65%

Associate's

77%

69%

Bachelor's

68%

58%

Education Specialist

93%

88%

Master's

64%

55%

PhD

31%

23%

Professional

61%

59%

Table 6: Percent Matched in Wage Data by Gender89

Gender

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

Female

72%

63%

Male

66%

59%

Table 7: Percent Matched in Wage Data by Race/Ethnicity

Race/Ethnicity

One Year after Graduation

Five Years after Graduation

Unknown

59%

49%

Asian

47%

38%

Black

73%

66%

Hispanic

64%

51%

Multiple/Other

68%

57%

White

71%

62%

89 "Unknown" gender not reported here due to small sample size.
63

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Table 8: Percent Matched with Wage Data by Degree Type and Year

Year

First Year

Fifth Year

(Earnings)

Degree Type

Earnings

Earnings

2008

Certificate

77%

66%

2009

Certificate

72%

65%

2010

Certificate

72%

65%

2011

Certificate

73%

2012

Certificate

73%

2013

Certificate

73%

2014

Certificate

74%

2008

Associate's

81%

71%

2009

Associate's

79%

69%

2010

Associate's

78%

68%

2011

Associate's

76%

2012

Associate's

76%

2013

Associate's

75%

2014

Associate's

74%

2008

Bachelor's

74%

61%

2009

Bachelor's

71%

60%

2010

Bachelor's

69%

54%

2011

Bachelor's

69%

2012

Bachelor's

67%

2013

Bachelor's

67%

2014

Bachelor's

66%

2008

Master's

69%

59%

2009

Master's

67%

58%

2010

Master's

65%

51%

2011

Master's

65%

2012

Master's

65%

2013

Master's

63%

2014

Master's

55%

2008

Education Specialist

95%

85%

2009

Education Specialist

96%

90%

2010

Education Specialist

98%

89%

2011

Education Specialist

96%

2012

Education Specialist

95%

2013

Education Specialist

93%

2014

Education Specialist

79%

2008

Professional

64%

59%

2009

Professional

63%

58%

2010

Professional

61%

58%

2011

Professional

62%

2012

Professional

61%

2013

Professional

60%

2014

Professional

60%

64

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Table 9: Percent Matched within Wage Data by Most Popular Programs and Category:

First Year

Five Years

after

after

Degree Type

Program

Graduation Graduation

Certificate

Accounting

76%

68%

Certificate

Allied Health Diagnostic

88%

78%

Certificate

Allied Health and Medical

83%

72%

Certificate

Business Operations

57%

53%

Certificate

Cosmetology

64%

54%

Certificate

Ground Transportation

71%

62%

Certificate

HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR

73%

67%

Certificate

Practical Nursing

83%

73%

Certificate

Precision Metal Working

73%

67%

Certificate

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair

73%

65%

Associate's

Accounting

77%

69%

Associate's

Allied Health Diagnostic

85%

76%

Associate's

Allied Health and Medical

80%

71%

Associate's

Business Administration

77%

69%

Associate's

Business Operations

78%

70%

Associate's

Computer Systems

76%

69%

Associate's

Criminal Justice and Corrections

78%

72%

Associate's

Liberal Arts and Sciences

67%

62%

Associate's

Registered Nursing

90%

80%

Associate's

Teacher Ed. (Levels & Methods)

77%

71%

Bachelor's

Accounting

79%

70%

Bachelor's

Biology, General

61%

48%

Bachelor's

Business Administration

72%

64%

Bachelor's

Criminal Justice and Corrections

73%

64%

Bachelor's

Finance and Financial Mgmt

71%

62%

Bachelor's

Marketing

76%

67%

Bachelor's

Psychology, General

67%

54%

Bachelor's

Registered Nursing

86%

73%

Bachelor's

Teacher Ed. (Levels & Methods)

86%

64%

Bachelor's

Teacher Ed. (Subject Areas)

80%

58%

Master's

Accounting

81%

70%

Master's

Business Administration

67%

61%

Master's

Business/Commerce, General

72%

67%

Master's

Educational Administration

81%

78%

Master's

Electrical Engineering

17%

13%

Master's

Public Administration

60%

48%

Master's

Registered Nursing

89%

83%

Master's

Special Education and Teaching

83%

76%

65

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Degree Type Master's
Master's Professional Professional Professional Professional Professional Professional Professional Professional

Program Teacher Education (Levels & Methods) Teacher Education (Subject Areas) Dentistry EdD Law Medicine Nursing Pharmacy Physical Therapy Veterinary Medicine

First Year after
Graduation 82%
79% 58% 89% 70% 16% 83% 73% 73% 41%

Five Years after
Graduation 74%
67% 64% 82% 65% 32% 80% 64% 63% 36%

66

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Degree Category Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Bachelor's Bachelor's

Table 10: Percentage of Graduates Matched in Wage Data: Highest Earning Programs

Percent of Graduates Percent of Graduates

Matched in Wage Data: Matched in Wage

One Year after

Data: Five Years

Program

Graduation

after Graduation

Allied Health Diagnostic

88%

78%

Business Administration

75%

68%

Computer Systems

70%

60%

Drafting/Design Engineering

69%

64%

Electrical and Power Transmission Installers

78%

70%

Fire Protection

91%

82%

Ground Transportation

71%

62%

HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR

73%

67%

Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance

78%

69%

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair

73%

65%

Accounting

77%

69%

Allied Health Diagnostic

85%

76%

Allied Health and Medical

80%

71%

Business Administration

77%

69%

Computer Systems

76%

69%

Criminal Justice and Corrections

78%

72%

Dental Support Services

89%

83%

Liberal Arts and Sciences

67%

62%

Registered Nursing

90%

80%

Sales, Merchandising, and Marketing

74%

67%

Business/Managerial Economics

65%

55%

Civil Engineering

55%

49%

67

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Degree Category Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Professional Professional Professional

Program Computer Science Computer and Information Sciences Industrial Engineering Information Science/Studies Insurance Management Information Systems and Services Mechanical Engineering Registered Nursing Accounting Business Administration Business/Commerce, General Education/Instructional Media Design Educational Administration Registered Nursing Social Sciences, Other Special Education and Teaching Teacher Education (Levels & Methods) Teacher Education (Subject Areas) EdD Law Pharmacy

Percent of Graduates Matched in Wage Data:
One Year after Graduation 67% 69% 57% 78% 72% 76% 49% 86% 81% 67% 72% 85% 81% 89% 85% 83% 82% 79% 89% 70% 73%

Percent of Graduates Matched in Wage Data: Five Years after Graduation 65% 58% 50% 72% 68% 70% 40% 73% 70% 61% 67% 75% 78% 83% 77% 76% 74% 67% 82% 65% 64%

68

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG

Table 11: Percent Matched within Wage Data by College and Category

One Year after

College Name

Degree Category

Graduation

Albany Technical College

Certificate

72%

Altamaha Technical College

Certificate

62%

Appalachian Technical College

Certificate

80%

Athens Technical College

Certificate

81%

Atlanta Technical College

Certificate

74%

Augusta Technical College

Certificate

74%

Central Georgia Tech College - Macon Certificate

74%

Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta Certificate

76%

Columbus Technical College

Certificate

74%

Coosa Valley Technical College

Certificate

80%

East Central Technical College

Certificate

76%

Flint River Technical College

Certificate

73%

Georgia Aviation Technical College Certificate

72%

Georgia Piedmont Technical College Certificate

77%

Griffin Technical College

Certificate

78%

Gwinnett Technical College

Certificate

81%

Heart of Georgia Technical College Certificate

75%

Lanier Technical College

Certificate

83%

Middle Georgia Technical College

Certificate

51%

Moultrie Technical College

Certificate

74%

North Georgia Technical College

Certificate

77%

North Metro Technical College

Certificate

78%

Northwestern Technical College

Certificate

61%

Ogeechee Technical College

Certificate

81%

Five Years after Graduation 63% 56% 71% 70% 69% 64% 67% 66% 63% 73% 64% 69% 44% 68% 74% 70% 64% 74% 42% 68% 64% 67% 54% 73%

69

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG

College Name Okefenokee Technical College Sandersville Technical College Savannah Technical College South Georgia Technical College Southeastern Tech College - Vidalia Southwest Georgia Technical College Swainsboro Technical College Valdosta Technical College West Central Technical College West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange Albany Technical College Appalachian Technical College Athens Technical College Atlanta Technical College Augusta Technical College Central Georgia Tech College - Macon Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta Columbus Technical College Coosa Valley Technical College Flint River Technical College Georgia Piedmont Technical College Griffin Technical College Gwinnett Technical College Heart of Georgia Technical College Lanier Technical College

Degree Category Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's

One Year after Graduation 74% 73% 72% 71% 78% 74% 81% 74% 77% 80% 73% 84% 86% 78% 75% 79% 77% 77% 82% 94% 76% 83% 82% 88% 83%

Five Years after Graduation 64% 70% 63% 66% 70% 65% 76% 60% 71% 71% 69% 77% 80% 71% 67% 74% 68% 65% 76% 70% 68% 75% 70% 74% 76%

70

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG TCSG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG

College Name Middle Georgia Technical College Moultrie Technical College North Georgia Technical College North Metro Technical College Northwestern Technical College Ogeechee Technical College Okefenokee Technical College Sandersville Technical College Savannah Technical College South Georgia Technical College Southeastern Tech College - Vidalia Southwest Georgia Technical College Swainsboro Technical College Valdosta Technical College West Central Technical College West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange Armstrong Atlantic State University Bainbridge State College Clayton State University College of Coastal Georgia Columbus State University Dalton State College Darton State College Gainesville State College Georgia Regents University

Degree Category Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate

One Year after Graduation 67% 78% 77% 84% 56% 81% 86% 83% 70% 64% 90% 81% 81% 78% 88% 85% 90% 65% 79% 70% 97% 82% 74% 71% 43%

Five Years after Graduation 68% 68% 72% 70% 50% 75% 81% 80% 59% 55% 73% 67% 87% 66% 82% 80% 84% 59% 71% 58% 84% 67% 62% 57% 37%

71

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG

College Name Macon State College Middle Georgia State College Southern Polytechnic State University Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Armstrong Atlantic State University Atlanta Metropolitan State College Augusta State University Bainbridge State College Clayton State University College of Coastal Georgia Columbus State University Dalton State College Darton State College East Georgia State College Gainesville State College Georgia Highlands College Georgia Perimeter College Gordon State College Macon State College Middle Georgia State College South Georgia State College University of North Georgia Valdosta State University Waycross College Albany State University

Degree Category Certificate Certificate Certificate Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Associate's Bachelor's

One Year after Graduation 31% 53% 83% 81% 65% 71% 86% 71% 81% 75% 65% 72% 82% 82% 76% 86% 71% 84% 80% 79% 85% 94% 65% 72% 80%

Five Years after Graduation 30% 35% 76% 75% 57% 67% 79% 66% 72% 63% 56% 62% 71% 76% 68% 78% 65% 74% 68% 70% 76% 85% 56% 73% 66%

72

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG

College Name Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Clayton State University Columbus State University Dalton State College Fort Valley State University Gainesville State College Georgia College & State University Georgia Gwinnett College Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Regents University Georgia Southern University Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia State University Gordon State College Kennesaw State University Macon State College Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University University of Georgia University of North Georgia University of West Georgia Valdosta State University Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University

Degree Category Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Master's Master's

One Year after Graduation 70% 70% 80% 73% 78% 74% 88% 78% 81% 52% 81% 74% 81% 76% 92% 81% 77% 74% 75% 63% 74% 82% 73% 86% 75%

Five Years after Graduation 55% 54% 71% 58% 64% 64% 72% 66% 73% 43% 69% 65% 65% 62% 44% 67% 63% 64% 69% 50% 64% 69% 59% 74% 66%

73

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG

College Name Augusta State University Clayton State University Columbus State University Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Regents University Georgia Southern University Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia State University Kennesaw State University Savannah State University Southern Polytechnic State University University of Georgia University of North Georgia University of West Georgia Valdosta State University Albany State University Augusta State University Columbus State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southern University Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia State University University of Georgia

Degree Category Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Master's Education Specialist Education Specialist Education Specialist Education Specialist Education Specialist Education Specialist Education Specialist Education Specialist

One Year after Graduation 70% 80% 73% 73% 66% 31% 72% 69% 71% 69% 81% 80% 54% 61% 89% 82% 73% 97% 89% 94% 93% 90% 96% 87% 93%

Five Years after Graduation 53% 73% 66% 68% 58% 24% 55% 62% 62% 59% 75% 71% 48% 49% 81% 74% 63% 97% 82% 95% 92% 88% 92% 76% 84%

74

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG

College Name University of North Georgia University of West Georgia Valdosta State University Georgia Regents University Georgia Southern University Georgia State University University of Georgia University of West Georgia Valdosta State University

Degree Category Education Specialist Education Specialist Education Specialist Professional Professional Professional Professional Professional Professional

One Year after Graduation 98% 95% 91% 37% 91% 77% 64% 95% 90%

Five Years after Graduation 94% 90% 92% 46% 86% 71% 57% 77% 88%

75

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Table 12: Percent of Graduates Matched within Wage Data by College, Degree Category,

and Popular Programs: Accounting and Related Services

One Year Five Years

Degree

after

after

System

College Name

Category Graduation Graduation

TCSG Albany Technical College

Certificate

78%

72%

TCSG Altamaha Technical College

Certificate

71%

77%

TCSG Appalachian Technical College

Certificate

79%

78%

TCSG Athens Technical College

Certificate

85%

76%

TCSG Atlanta Technical College

Certificate

75%

66%

TCSG Augusta Technical College

Certificate

83%

70%

TCSG Central Georgia Tech College - Macon Certificate

72%

54%

TCSG Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta Certificate

72%

56%

TCSG Coosa Valley Technical College

Certificate

82%

85%

TCSG Georgia Piedmont Technical College

Certificate

79%

74%

TCSG Griffin Technical College

Certificate

60%

86%

TCSG Gwinnett Technical College

Certificate

80%

68%

TCSG Lanier Technical College

Certificate

73%

55%

TCSG Middle Georgia Technical College

Certificate

67%

60%

TCSG Moultrie Technical College

Certificate

81%

78%

TCSG North Metro Technical College

Certificate

89%

68%

TCSG Northwestern Technical College

Certificate

50%

44%

TCSG Ogeechee Technical College

Certificate

90%

91%

TCSG Okefenokee Technical College

Certificate

65%

74%

TCSG South Georgia Technical College

Certificate

76%

67%

TCSG Swainsboro Technical College

Certificate

77%

75%

TCSG Valdosta Technical College

Certificate

69%

56%

TCSG West Central Technical College

Certificate

82%

68%

TCSG West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange Certificate

88%

70%

TCSG Athens Technical College

Associate's 82%

77%

TCSG Augusta Technical College

Associate's 76%

64%

TCSG Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta Associate's 75%

59%

TCSG Columbus Technical College

Associate's 73%

64%

TCSG Georgia Piedmont Technical College

Associate's 77%

70%

TCSG Griffin Technical College

Associate's 76%

75%

TCSG Gwinnett Technical College

Associate's 81%

73%

TCSG Lanier Technical College

Associate's 79%

71%

TCSG North Georgia Technical College

Associate's 76%

69%

TCSG Northwestern Technical College

Associate's 53%

52%

TCSG Ogeechee Technical College

Associate's 96%

93%

TCSG Savannah Technical College

Associate's 68%

60%

TCSG West Central Technical College

Associate's 79%

76%

USG Albany State University

Bachelor's

79%

62%

USG Augusta State University

Bachelor's

74%

56%

76

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG USG

College Name Clayton State University Columbus State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Southern University Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia State University Kennesaw State University Savannah State University University of Georgia University of North Georgia University of West Georgia Valdosta State University

Degree Category Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's Bachelor's

One Year after
Graduation 80% 77% 83% 79% 78% 81% 83% 78% 80% 83% 81% 74%

Five Years after
Graduation 67% 65% 79% 77% 77% 71% 72% 63% 73% 79% 75% 62%

77

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Table 13: Percent of Graduates Matched within Wage Data by College and Degree,

Category, and Popular Programs: Business Administration, Management, and Operations

One Year Five Years

Degree

after

after

System

College Name

Category Graduation Graduation

TCSG Albany Technical College

Certificate

57%

44%

TCSG Augusta Technical College

Certificate

86%

86%

TCSG Central Georgia Tech College - Macon Certificate

70%

67%

TCSG Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta Certificate

76%

69%

TCSG Columbus Technical College

Certificate

89%

75%

TCSG Georgia Piedmont Technical College Certificate

81%

84%

TCSG Griffin Technical College

Certificate

79%

75%

TCSG Gwinnett Technical College

Certificate

80%

70%

TCSG Lanier Technical College

Certificate

82%

70%

TCSG North Georgia Technical College

Certificate

78%

64%

TCSG Northwestern Technical College

Certificate

64%

60%

TCSG Savannah Technical College

Certificate

89%

81%

TCSG South Georgia Technical College

Certificate

93%

82%

TCSG Southwest Georgia Technical College Certificate

81%

76%

TCSG Valdosta Technical College

Certificate

91%

79%

TCSG Augusta Technical College

Associate's 77%

72%

TCSG Central Georgia Tech College - Macon Associate's 78%

69%

TCSG Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta Associate's 74%

67%

TCSG Columbus Technical College

Associate's 80%

69%

TCSG Griffin Technical College

Associate's 81%

78%

TCSG Gwinnett Technical College

Associate's 80%

72%

TCSG Lanier Technical College

Associate's 88%

67%

TCSG Northwestern Technical College

Associate's 67%

62%

USG Albany State University

Bachelor's

79%

71%

USG Augusta State University

Bachelor's

72%

61%

USG Clayton State University

Bachelor's

81%

75%

USG Columbus State University

Bachelor's

79%

66%

USG Dalton State College

Bachelor's

73%

62%

USG Fort Valley State University

Bachelor's

75%

75%

USG Georgia College & State University

Bachelor's

79%

72%

USG Georgia Institute of Technology

Bachelor's

68%

59%

USG Georgia Southern University

Bachelor's

76%

66%

USG Georgia Southwestern State University Bachelor's

79%

69%

USG Georgia State University

Bachelor's

79%

67%

USG Kennesaw State University

Bachelor's

81%

71%

USG Macon State College

Bachelor's

66%

52%

USG Savannah State University

Bachelor's

78%

65%

USG University of Georgia

Bachelor's

70%

59%

USG University of North Georgia

Bachelor's

75%

73%

USG University of West Georgia

Bachelor's

83%

75%

78

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System

College Name

USG Valdosta State University

Degree Category Bachelor's

One Year after
Graduation 71%

Five Years after
Graduation 65%

79

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Table 14: Percent of Graduates Matched within Wage Data by College and Degree,

Category, and Popular Programs: Teacher Education and Professional Development,

Specific Levels and Methods

One Year

Degree

after

System

College Name

Category Graduation

TCSG

Albany Technical College

Certificate

75%

TCSG

Atlanta Technical College

Certificate

74%

TCSG

Augusta Technical College

Certificate

71%

TCSG

Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta Certificate

78%

TCSG

Coosa Valley Technical College

Certificate

81%

TCSG

East Central Technical College

Certificate

74%

TCSG

Flint River Technical College

Certificate

78%

TCSG

Lanier Technical College

Certificate

86%

TCSG

Middle Georgia Technical College

Certificate

71%

TCSG

Moultrie Technical College

Certificate

76%

TCSG

Northwestern Technical College

Certificate

82%

TCSG

Ogeechee Technical College

Certificate

67%

TCSG

South Georgia Technical College

Certificate

72%

TCSG

Southwest Georgia Technical College

Certificate

82%

TCSG

Athens Technical College

Associate's

79%

TCSG

Atlanta Technical College

Associate's

81%

TCSG

Augusta Technical College

Associate's

77%

TCSG

Central Georgia Tech College - Macon Associate's

80%

TCSG

Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta Associate's

85%

TCSG

Georgia Piedmont Technical College

Associate's

77%

TCSG

Griffin Technical College

Associate's

80%

TCSG

Lanier Technical College

Associate's

87%

TCSG

Northwestern Technical College

Associate's

79%

TCSG

Savannah Technical College

Associate's

63%

USG

Albany State University

Bachelor's

91%

USG

Armstrong Atlantic State University

Bachelor's

85%

USG

Augusta State University

Bachelor's

82%

USG

Clayton State University

Bachelor's

89%

USG

Columbus State University

Bachelor's

82%

USG

Dalton State College

Bachelor's

87%

USG

Gainesville State College

Bachelor's

91%

USG

Georgia College & State University

Bachelor's

90%

USG

Georgia Southern University

Bachelor's

88%

USG

Georgia Southwestern State University Bachelor's

93%

USG

Georgia State University

Bachelor's

87%

USG

Kennesaw State University

Bachelor's

88%

USG

Macon State College

Bachelor's

92%

USG

University of Georgia

Bachelor's

83%

USG

University of North Georgia

Bachelor's

91%

Five Years after
Graduation 70% 87% 68% 67% 66% 74% 74% 80% 60% 68% 67% 73% 69% 71% 83% 76% 72% 84% 75% 68% 72% 82% 67% 53% 67% 58% 53% 66% 53% 68% 71% 75% 69% 66% 63% 67% 63% 56% 68%

80

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

System USG USG

College Name University of West Georgia Valdosta State University

Degree Category Bachelor's Bachelor's

One Year after
Graduation 90% 89%

Five Years after
Graduation 69% 67%

Table 15: Percent Matched within Wage Data by HOPE Status

Hope

Graduate One Year after

Category

Status

Graduation

Certificate

No

81%

Associate's

No

78%

Bachelor's

No

76%

Certificate

Yes

80%

Associate's

Yes

81%

Bachelor's

Yes

72%

81

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Appendix F: College Mergers and Consolidations

Table 16: TCSG Mergers

Original College Name

Merged College Name

Georgia Aviation Technical College Middle Georgia State University

Middle Georgia State University

Appalachian Technical College Chattahoochee Tech College - Marietta

Chattahoochee Technical College

North Metro Technical College

Coosa Valley Technical College Northwestern Technical College

Georgia Northwestern Technical College

West Central Technical College West Georgia Tech College - LaGrange

West Georgia Technical College

Valdosta Technical College East Central Technical College

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College

Griffin Technical College Flint River Technical College

Southern Crescent Technical College

Sandersville Technical College Heart of Georgia Technical College

Oconee Fall Line Technical College

Central Georgia Tech College - Macon Middle Georgia Technical College

Central Georgia Technical College

Altamaha Technical College Okefenokee Technical College

Coastal Pines Technical College

Moultrie Technical College Southwest Georgia Technical College

Southern Regional Technical College

Source: https://tcsg.edu/college_campuses.php * This merger does not affect this report because this report examines graduates through 2013.

Effective Year of Merger
2007
2010
2010 2010 2011 2011 2012 2013 2014* 2015*

82

Georgia Higher Learning and Earnings

Table 17: USG Consolidations

Original College Name

Merged College Name

Effective Year of Merger

Georgia Aviation Technical College Middle Georgia State University

Middle Georgia State University

2007

Waycross College South Georgia College*

South Georgia State College

2014

Macon State College Middle Georgia College*

Middle Georgia State College

2014

Gainesville State College North Georgia College & State University*

University of North Georgia

2014

Augusta State University Georgia Health Sciences University*

Georgia Regents University

2014

Kennesaw State University Southern Polytechnic State University

Kennesaw State University

2016^

Georgia State University Georgia Perimeter College

Georgia State University

2017^

Albany State University Darton State University

Albany State University

2018^

Source: http://www.usg.edu/consolidation/ * In GAAWARDS, these colleges are listed under the merged college name as submitted to GAAWARDS. Middle Georgia State College is now called Middle Georgia State University and Georgia Regents University is now called Augusta University.

^ This merger does not affect this report because this report examines graduates through 2013.

83