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Who goes to graduate/professional school? The importance of economic fluctuations, undergraduate field, and ability

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Listed author(s):
  • Bedard, Kelly
  • Herman, Douglas A.

Abstract

This study examines the impact of fluctuations in entry-level labor market conditions on the graduate school enrollment decisions of newly minted undergraduate degree holders. Using repeated cross-section data for recently graduated science and engineering undergraduates from the National Survey of Recent College Graduates, and state-level unemployment rates to measure entry-level labor market conditions, we find that advanced degree enrollment patterns vary across the business cycle by undergraduate major, GPA, gender, and advanced degree type.

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File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272-7757(07)00011-8
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Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Economics of Education Review.

Volume (Year): 27 (2008)
Issue (Month): 2 (April)
Pages: 197-210

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Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:27:y:2008:i:2:p:197-210
Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/econedurev

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  1. Sakellaris, Plutarchos & Spilimbergo, Antonio, 2000. "Business cycles and investment in human capital: international evidence on higher education," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 221-256, June.
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  7. Eide, Eric & Waehrer, Geetha, 1998. "The Role of the Option Value of College Attendance in College Major Choice," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 73-82, February.
  8. Montgomery, Mark, 2002. "A nested logit model of the choice of a graduate business school," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(5), pages 471-480, October.
  9. Dellas, Harris & Koubi, Vally, 2003. "Business cycles and schooling," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 843-859, November.
  10. Sandra E. Black & Amir Sufi, 2002. "Who Goes to College? Differential Enrollment by Race and Family Background," NBER Working Papers 9310, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  11. Ehrenberg, Ronald G, 1992. "The Flow of New Doctorates," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 30(2), pages 830-875, June.
  12. Rice, Patricia G, 1987. "The Demand for Post-compulsory Education in the UK and the Effects of Educational Maintenance Allowances," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 54(216), pages 465-475, November.
  13. Julian R. Betts & Laurel L. McFarland, 1995. "Safe Port in a Storm: The Impact of Labor Market Conditions on Community College Enrollments," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 30(4), pages 741-765.
  14. Kane, Thomas J, 1994. "College Entry by Blacks since 1970: The Role of College Costs, Family Background, and the Returns to Education," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 102(5), pages 878-911, October.
  15. Gustman, Alan L & Steinmeier, Thomas L, 1981. "The Impact of Wages and Unemployment on Youth Enrollment and Labor Supply," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 63(4), pages 553-560, November.
  16. Pissarides, Christopher A, 1982. "From School to University: The Demand for Post-Compulsory Education in Britain," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 92(367), pages 654-667, September.
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  18. Light, Audrey, 1995. "Hazard model estimates of the decision to reenroll in school," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(4), pages 381-406, December.
  19. Hope Corman, 1983. "Postsecondary Education Enrollment Responses by Recent High School Graduates and Older Adults," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 18(2), pages 247-267.
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Cited by:

  1. Joseph G. Altonji & Lisa B. Kahn & Jamin D. Speer, 2016. "Cashier or Consultant? Entry Labor Market Conditions, Field of Study, and Career Success," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(S1), pages 361-401.
  2. Boehm, Michael J. & Watzinger, Martin, 2010. "The Allocation of Talent: Evidence from the Market of Economists," MPRA Paper 27463, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  3. Fethke, Gary, 2011. "A low-subsidy problem in public higher education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 617-626, August.
  4. John P. Conley & Ali Sina Önder & Benno Torgler, 2016. "Are all economics graduate cohorts created equal? Gender, job openings, and research productivity," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 108(2), pages 937-958, August.
  5. Megalokonomou, Rigissa & Goulas, Sofoklis, 2016. "Which degrees do students prefer during recessions?," MPRA Paper 75355, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  6. John P. Conley & Ali Sina Onder & Benno Torgler, 2012. "Are all High-Skilled Coherts Created Equal? Unemployment, Gender, and Research Productivity," School of Economics and Finance Discussion Papers and Working Papers Series 293, School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology.
  7. Dimitrios Varvarigos, 2013. "Endogenous Cycles and Human Capital," Discussion Papers in Economics 13/18, Department of Economics, University of Leicester.
  8. Dimitrios Varvarigos, 2017. "Endogenous cycles and human capital," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 120(1), pages 31-45, January.
  9. Sievertsen, Hans Henrik, 2016. "Local unemployment and the timing of post-secondary schooling," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 17-28.
  10. Annika C. Froehlich, 2016. "Does the curricular structure affect doctoral enrolment?," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 86(9), pages 1067-1089, December.
  11. Stevenson, Adam, 2013. "The male–female gap in post-baccalaureate school quality," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 153-165.
  12. Bednar, Steven & Gicheva, Dora, 2013. "Tax benefits for graduate education: Incentives for whom?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 181-197.
  13. Javier García-Estévez & Néstor Duch-Brown, 2012. "Student graduation: to what extent does university expenditure matter?," Working Papers 2012/4, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
  14. Boehm, Michael J. & Watzinger, Martin, 2010. "The Selection of Skills into Sectors: Evidence from the Market for Economists," MPRA Paper 23315, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  15. Jan Marcus & Vaishali Zambre, 2016. "The Effect of Increasing Education Efficiency on University Enrollment: Evidence from Administrative Data and an Unusual Schooling Reform in Germany," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1613, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
  16. Johnson, Matthew T., 2013. "The impact of business cycle fluctuations on graduate school enrollment," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 122-134.

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