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The signals we send: math placement and business major persistence among male and female college students

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  • Marissa Eckrote-Nordland
  • Mary K. Hamman
  • Maggie McDermott
  • Natalie Solverson
  • Cody N. Vaughn

Abstract

We investigate large sex-based differences in persistence among business majors at a four-year institution. We follow students from admission through up to 10 semesters and examine the role of initial maths placement using a regression discontinuity design. For female students, we find placement in remedial maths coursework reduces the likelihood of graduating with a business degree by about 28% points. For males, we estimate the same placement either improves or has no effect on graduation rates. The mechanism for this difference appears to be differential selection by sex out of majors with higher maths requirements.

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  • Marissa Eckrote-Nordland & Mary K. Hamman & Maggie McDermott & Natalie Solverson & Cody N. Vaughn, 2025. "The signals we send: math placement and business major persistence among male and female college students," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(10), pages 1448-1454, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apeclt:v:32:y:2025:i:10:p:1448-1454
    DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2024.2306181
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