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 iii 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 vii 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. 8 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. 9 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." 10 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 11 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. 12 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. 13 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%. 14 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 15 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. 16 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/. 17 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%. 18 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%. 19 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