Community College Programs Can Lead To Big Payoffs — In The Right Fields

When it comes to higher education, we've all heard the talking points: More people than ever are pursuing four-year degrees — despite skyrocketing tuition costs — because they don't have many other choices if they want to be competitive in the workforce.

But new research suggests that some community college degrees, which are much less expensive, can significantly increase a student's potential income.

Analyzing seven years of post-graduation data from more than 20,000 students who attended Washington state's 34 community and technical colleges, researchers from Columbia University and the Career Ladders Project in Oakland, Calif., found that programs that take more than a year to complete lead to better employment odds and higher wages — sometimes even more so than a bachelor's degree.

There has been scarce research on community colleges, says Mina Dadgar, one of the study's lead authors and director of research at the Career Ladders Project, leading to the assumption that the schools are less valuable than they really are. The fact that many associate's degrees, particularly in humanities, are meant only to get students in the door at four-year colleges, and thus aren't useful by standard measures, also undermines community colleges' reputations.

In more practical fields, though — including health care, technology and skilled labor — students with community college credentials can make their way into the workforce and immediately start making salaries above $50,000 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

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