Increasingly Popular Short-Term Community College Certificate Programs Offer Limited Labor-Market Returns, Study Finds

http://www.aera.net/Newsroom/NewsReleasesandStatements/IncreasinglyPopularShort-TermCommunityCollegeCertificateProgramsOfferLimitedLabor-MarketReturns,StudyFinds/tabid/15705/Default.aspx

Tony Pals, Bridget Jameson
Nov. 6, 2014

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Short-term certificate programs at community colleges offer limited labor-market returns, on average, in most fields of study, according to new research published today in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA), a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association. The results of the study, which focused on community college programs in Washington State, are in line with recent research in other states (Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia) that found only small economic returns from short-term programs.

Between 2000 and 2010, the number of students receiving short-term certificates—which are designed to be completed in less than one year—grew by 151 percent nationally, increasing the share of sub-baccalaureate credentials that are short-term certificates from 16 percent to 24 percent.

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“While we find that earning associate degrees or long-term certificates is associated with increased wages, an increased likelihood of being employed, and increased hours worked, we find minimal or no positive effects for short-term certificates,” wrote the authors. Long-term certificates are designed to be completed in one year or longer.

“The bulk of the evidence suggests that short-term certificates lead to lower returns, on average, than longer-term credentials,” said Trimble. “Even in those states where their returns are positive, the average increase in earnings is unlikely to be greater than $300 per quarter.”

“That’s not necessarily a problem if short-term certificates are transferable or stackable, meaning that students can earn the credential on their way to earning an associate degree,” said Dadgar. “However, substituting short-term credentials for longer-term credentials may have unintended consequences.”

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