Source of statistics on rise in income commesurate with qualification level

Hi all,

Many degree mills have quoted a US source, citing the rise in income commesurate with degree and post graduate qualifcations obtained. Can anyone point me in the right direction to the source of this information?

Cheers,

George

 

Geroge I think this is what you are referring to:

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/Fall/oochart.pdf


US Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf

 

As DL-Luvr pointed out, the statistics supporting this contention that are cited most often are issued by U.S. government agencies, primarily the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics.

Another source that provides more specific information (not only on income, but also on such interesting topics such as enrollment, degrees conferred, etc.), is the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. The NCES issues the Digest of Education Statistics, which provides “a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school.”

The latest issue of the digest (2002) can be found here. Chapter 5: Outcomes of Education, contains Table 381, entitled, “Median annual income of year-round, full-time workers 25 years old and over, by level of education completed and sex: 1990 to 2000” be found on here, and Table 382, entitled, “Distribution of money income and median income of persons 25 years old and over, by educational attainment and sex: 2000” can be found here (you can also download the information as MS Excel or pdf files).

 

George and all - I've found this point to be an interesting lesson for my statistics students. It is true that on average folks with more education earn more than folks with less education. But can one conclude that education is the sole reason? If a person goes for more education is it a certainty that they'll earn more?

I'm not anti-education. To the contrary, I'm all in favor of people learning. But for education to translate into higher income one has to be educated in a field for which they are capable of learning and one in which there are job openings.

In particular, I'm concerned about some DL institutions that sell their programs to anyone - even students who are ill equiped to earn a college degree. It is foolishness to assume that a one or two year MBA program, for example, can take a person with a marginal undergraduate education and make them a sophisticated business person.

Also, I suspect there are a host of factors involved in this relationship beyond education. In many cases, for example, those with more education come from higher income families with parents that have more education. This may translate into more more connections in life.

When mills sell this point - I have to ask "Will a degree from your institution help me earn more?"

Regards - Andy

 

Re: Re: Source of statistics on rise in income commesurate with qualification level

Thank you all for a quick response, and the relevant links - most appreciated.

And you are right Andy, it cannot be the sole determinant for so called 'success' in life. The Bill Gates etc. of the world blow this theory out of the water. Indeed, recent studies conducted by Oxford University and the University of Warwick suggest that there is a downward trend, perhaps moving towards an inverse relationship between degrees earned and employment outcomes.

I am looking at the sociological phenomenon of credentialism as one of my chapters for my Ph.D. thesis, and it is proving to be fascinating stuff (to me, anyway!) There is a plethora of information out there regarding this issue, and I thought the US studies would complement the UK work well.

Cheers,

George