A Matter of Timing? Differential Effects on Employment Outcomes for Pre- and Post-Transfer Associate's Degrees

• In Event: New Perspectives on the Labor Market Benefits of Nontraditional Community College Credentials

Abstract

Recent policy changes in Tennessee have prompted the expansion of reverse credit transfer (RCT) programs, whereby eligible students have the opportunity to receive an associate’s degree post-transfer. Given this policy change, students now have the option to complete the associate’s degree before transfer or after transfer. Using data from Tennessee’s statewide longitudinal data system, this study examines whether the timing of transfer students’ associate’s degree conferral (pre- or post-transfer) impacts students’ employment outcomes.

This study adds to the growing body of literature that examines the labor market outcomes of community college credentials, as much of the research focuses on the impact of completing a high school diploma or bachelor’s degree on employment outcomes. The unique contribution of this study is the focus on when the associate’s degree is conferred as reverse credit transfer policies proliferate among states and postsecondary institutions.

The data used for this study are drawn from Tennessee’s statewide longitudinal data system, and include postsecondary admissions, enrollment, and financial aid data, and Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage data. The primary sample for the study is a cross sectional sample of all transfer students enrolled at TN public 4-year institutions in Fall 2015. The study investigates two labor market outcomes of this sample of transfer students: 1) whether a student was employed any time after RCT implementation (Fall 2015) (1=yes, 0=no) and; 2) the student’s annualized earnings any time after RCT implementation (Fall 2015). The primary independent variable of interest is whether transfer students received an associate’s degree pre-transfer or post-transfer (0=pre, 1=post).

The models of labor market outcomes control for students’ demographic characteristics (race/ethnicity, gender, Pell eligibility), credits completed prior to transfer, pre-transfer GPA, whether students were required to complete developmental education courses (by subject), major declared the semester of transfer, and students’ pre-transfer employment experiences (number of quarters employed and total earnings), number of credits students’ accumulated after fall 2015, students’ post-transfer GPA, the highest level of credential students received, the major of students’ credential, students’ employment experiences (number of quarters employed and total earnings), and whether students were still enrolled in college during the period in which we observe their labor market outcomes. The models will also include community college and university fixed effects to account for differences between institutions in average persistence and attainment rates.

We are using three different regression and matching methods to estimate the relationship between receiving an associate’s degree via RCT and students’ labor market outcomes. These include regression methods (linear for continuous outcomes and logistic for dichotomous), propensity score matching (PSM) to match students who received the degree via RCT to a control group of students who earned an associate’s before transfer, and augmented inverse probability weighting (AIPW). Analyses are currently underway.

Authors

• Jason L. Taylor, University of Utah

• Sheena Kauppila, Coastal Carolina University