How Do Employers View Community College Bachelor’s Degrees?

A new white paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests employers value community college baccalaureate degrees in early childhood education similar to associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees earned at four-year institutions.

Researchers submitted 4,698 résumés, with comparable work histories across the three different types of degrees, to job listings in early childhood education, a popular field for community college baccalaureate degrees, in Texas and Washington State. (Community college baccalaureate degrees have become widespread in Washington, whereas they’re offered at fewer than a third of Texas community colleges, according to the paper.) Out of the positions researchers applied for, 13 percent required a bachelor’s degree.

Over all, employers treated applicants similarly, with no statistically significant differences across degree types, the pilot study found. Roughly 22 to 23 percent of applicants received an interview request, and about 10 to 13 percent received a request for more information across the board. An analysis of employer callback messages also showed similar levels of warmth toward different types of candidates, though Texas employers were “somewhat more likely” to ask community college baccalaureate degree holders for additional information about their credentials.

The study also included a survey of 70 employers and hiring managers who received the résumés. They rated work experience, degree type and field of study as their highest priorities—in that order—and put little importance on the higher education institution attended. In open-ended responses, they focused on experience, personality and reliability as hiring criteria. The paper acknowledges, however, that early childhood education is a tight labor market with high turnover and major shortages, so employers may “call back applicants who may be less than their first choice” or who they believe might accept a lower salary due to budget constraints, as some indicated in the survey.

Researchers are fielding a scaled-up study of employers’ perceptions of community college baccalaureate degrees this summer. The new study will include up to 50,000 job applications in additional fields of study and geographic areas, according to the paper.