Skeptics of community college baccalaureate (CCB) degrees have a long list of worries, but the claim that graduates won’t get good jobs is out of step with our research.
As Elizabeth Meza, a lead researcher of CCB degrees in the U.S. recently reported to CC Daily, CCB graduates are getting jobs with substantial economic pay-offs. Curious to know what these jobs are, we dug into labor market data compiled by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). What we found might surprise CCB critics.
Drawing on the national inventory of nearly 700 CCB degree programs, we studied 15 programs implemented by 25 or more community colleges that also have the largest number of CCB graduates in the country. We used the crosswalk of Classification for Instructional Program (CIP) to Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes to identify two or three occupations for each CCB program, and we used data from the BLS Employment Projections website to ascertain each occupation’s median annual wage, average number of projected annual openings through 2032, “growth rate” of projected annual job openings from 2022 to 2032, and “Fastest Growing Job” or ‘Most New Jobs.” Finally, we researched community college websites to confirm our results are consistent with the bachelor’s degrees for which these colleges are preparing CCB graduates. A DataPoints with more detail on our research methods is published by the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) here.
What we found is the median annual wage for jobs aligned closely with the most CCB graduates pay well; in fact, they pay very well. These jobs provide annual wages from nearly $170,000 for computer and information systems managers at the top end of the scale, to just under $64,000 for elementary school teaching, except special education and career-technical education, at the lower end of the scale. The median annual wages for all these occupations are well above the national median of $48,060. In fact, the annual wages of eight of these jobs are more than double the national median. Business, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and healthcare jobs are particularly well represented.
Moreover, our research shows all occupations aligned with CCB programs are projected to grow through 2032, with 10 occupations among the fastest-growing occupations in the country. As we show in Figure 2, these well-paying jobs rank among jobs with the highest openings over the next eight years. Again, business, STEM and healthcare are prominent on this list. In particular, well over 100,000 openings are projected in general and for roles like operations managers, registered nurses and software developers, all three among the top CCB programs in the U.S.
Also, while five occupations associated with CCB degrees dropped off the list of fastest-growing occupations, it is noteworthy that four of these five occupations are projected to exceed 38,000 in annual openings per year to 2032, which is more jobs than three of the fastest-growing occupations. Specifically, 100,000 elementary school teachers and 107,000 business operations specialists are needed to fill vacant positions. CCB programs preparing early childhood education and elementary school teachers have substantial openings as well, rising by nearly 25% from 2021 to 2023. Together, annual vacancies for these two occupations are projected at nearly 140,000 over the next eight years.
Looking at these results, we find the most popular CCB programs focus on jobs with annual salaries well above the average annual salary in the country, and we find strong projected growth in these occupations through 2032. These occupations make economic security a real possibility for students completing CCB programs, many of whom who never thought a bachelor’s degree was in their grasp. For these students, as well as their communities and regional economies, the future looks bright.
We understand these results may not quell the critics’ worries, but we feel confident these jobs will attract students and reward them with good jobs.
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Debra D. Bragg is president of Bragg & Associates, Inc., in Chicago, Illinois.
Cari Bishop leads Cari Bishop Data Consulting in Middletown, New York.
