You asked for information on (1) states that permit colleges and private occupational schools to award “applied” associate degrees, (2) the difference in earnings between an occupational diploma or certificate and an applied associate degree, and (3) Pennsylvania’s College of Technology.

SUMMARY

Twenty states grant “applied” associate degrees, such as the associate of occupational studies (AOS) or associate of applied sciences (AAS), according to Chris Lambert of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. These degrees differ from associate of arts or sciences degrees in that they require fewer credit hours of general education courses and, thus, focus more intensively on courses related to a specific occupation. We sampled five states that grant these degrees. Table 1 compares their requirements for course work, faculty, and library facilities.

Table 1: Applied Associate Degree Requirements

We found no data specifically comparing earnings of people who complete certificate programs with those who obtain applied associate degrees and none differentiating between community college and private occupational school students. Some data indicate that people obtaining associate degrees earn more than occupational certificate earners. Other data suggest that those completing associate degrees in occupational programs may earn more than those completing more academically oriented associate degrees.

The Pennsylvania College of Technology was founded in 1989. It is affiliated with Penn State University. The college offers BA, associate, applied associate, and certificate programs. As of spring 2005, 5,916 students were enrolled, 82% of them full-time. Most students (57%) are enrolled in associate and applied associate programs; just under 40% are in BA programs. The school offers associate and applied associate degrees in 58 programs including information technology, allied health, hospitality, natural resource management, communications, and transportation technology. Tuition and fees run about $ 10,000 per year.

APPLIED ASSOCIATE DEGREES

Chris Lambert of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology reports that 20 states grant associate of occupational studies, applied sciences, applied business, or applied arts

degrees. Applied associate degrees differ from traditional associate of arts or sciences degrees in that their primary purpose is to prepare a student to enter a particular occupation and are not intended as a transfer degree.

We sampled five states that offer such degrees (Colorado, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas) to learn their requirements for (1) the number of general, as opposed to technical, education course credits required; (2) faculty qualifications; and (3) facilities, particularly libraries.

Colorado

Private occupational schools can offer AOS and AAS, as well as associate of arts and associate of science, degrees. Schools and each of their degree programs must be approved by the state’s Private Occupational School Board, which is a division of the Department of Higher Education. They must also be accredited by a federally approved accrediting agency.

AOS and AAS programs must provide at least 60 semester hours of instruction (they may provide as much as 75 hours), at least 12 hours must be in general education. Board regulations specify differing ratios of instructional to credit hours for different types of AAS and AOS courses: 15 hours of lecture, 30 hours of lab, and 45 hours of internship or externship equal one credit hour.

Faculty teaching general education courses must hold at least a BA and be adequately prepared in the areas they are assigned to teach.

Missouri

Missouri’s two- and four-year public and private colleges and private occupational schools can offer AAS and associate of applied arts (AAA) degrees as well as associate of arts or sciences degrees. Different divisions of the state’s Department of Higher Education (MDHE) regulate colleges and occupational schools although the same policy guidelines apply to both.

Under the guidelines, any associate degree requires at least 60 credit hours or its equivalent. The guidelines do not specify a number or percentage of general education credits required for an AAS or AAA. But the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (Missouri’s counterpart to Connecticut’s Board of Governors of Higher Education), which must

approve institutions’ requests to offer AAS degrees, typically establishes a requirement during its approval process.

Recent requests for approval indicate that the number of total and general education credits required vary by program as do the faculty qualifications and other factors. For example, in October 2004, the board approved a proposal from Lincoln University (a four-year college) to award an AAS in computer information systems. The proposal contained options for accounting and networking specialties. The accounting option required 64 credits, 19 in seven general education areas including math, writing, humanities, and science, and 45 in computer science and accounting. The networking option required 67 credits, with 16 in six general education subjects and 51 in computer science and electronics. The criteria governing faculty (both regular and adjunct) for both options—advanced degrees, work experience, expertise in subject areas, professional involvement—were the same as for other undergraduate faculty.

A proposal for an AAS in medical laboratory technology by Moberly Area Community College called for students to obtain 65 total credits, 18 in general education. The general education requirement includes English, ethics, American government, biology, and algebra. The proposal requires the program director to be a nationally certified clinical laboratory scientist or medical technologist with a masters or doctoral degree and at least three years of clinical laboratory science experience. All general education course faculty must have an MA or at least 18 hours of master’s level courses. Neither proposal discusses libraries or other faculties.

Ohio

Two- and four-year colleges and occupational schools in Ohio can offer AAS degrees. Programs must be approved by the State Board of Career Colleges and Schools whose regulations prescribe standards for academics, staff, and library facilities.

AAS programs must offer between 60 and 73 semester hours of instruction. At least 14 semester hours must be in general education, another 14 must be in basic education (which provide fundamental principles or knowledge in a technical specialty), and at least 50% of the semester hours must be technical course instruction directly related to the program’s occupational objectives. The regulations define general education as oral and written communication, social studies, and the humanities, but they do not specify a distribution for coursework. Remedial coursework does not count toward a degree.

Before it can establish an associate degree program, a school must employ at least one person, trained or experienced in the field of instruction, to lead program development. That person must work with advisory committees of professionals in the field of study who are not affiliated with the school, recommend equipment, and monitor the program’s implementation and operation.

Academic administrators must hold either an MA or BA or have appropriate experience in the area of concentration. Full-time general education faculty must hold an MA either in the subject matter or in education (and be proficient in the subject matter). Other general studies faculty should hold an MA or BA in the subject and show evidence of professional development. Instructors in technical fields should have appropriate education (a BA or MA); at least five years experience in the field; or evidence of professional development in the field such as coursework, workshops, seminars, and association memberships.

Schools offering associate degrees must maintain a library supervised by a trained librarian. The library must provide students and faculty access to reference books, periodicals, and books consistent with the curriculum.

Pennsylvania

The State Board of Education permits community colleges and occupational schools to award associate in specialized business (ABS) and specialized technology (AST) degrees. In order to grant a degree, schools must maintain accreditation by a federally recognized accredited agency. And they must audit each degree-granting program at least every five years. As of January 2005, 91 occupational schools in the state awarded such degrees.

Board regulations require at least 60 semester hours, comprising at least 1,500 clock hours, for an ABS or AST degree. General education courses must comprise at least 20% of coursework.

Schools must retain enough faculty to meet instructional needs and advise students. A majority of the faculty must be full-time employees. Both full- and part-time faculty must be qualified to teach in their areas of specialization.

Schools must maintain library and learning resources that are adequate to achieve the school’s objectives. Laboratories must be equipped so that each student can work to the extent needed to meet the curriculum’s objectives.

Texas

Community colleges and occupational schools in Texas can offer AAS and AAA degrees (four institutions’ have been “grandfathered” to permit them to offer associate of occupational studies degrees). They must follow guidelines adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The guidelines specify that AAS and AAA programs must provide 60 to 72 semester credit hours of instruction. At least 15 of those hours must be general education courses, and the guidelines recommend that between 25% and 50% of the program’s hours should consist of general education and courses related to or supporting the technical specialty. Students must take at least one course each in humanities or fine arts, social or behavioral sciences, and math or natural sciences. Each program must contain math, computer, and communication competencies, which should be built into every course to the extent applicable. Math, computer science, and communication courses that are offered as part of the general education curriculum must be collegiate level and of a general nature, not geared to a specific occupation.

The guidelines contain requirements for administrators and faculty. Occupational schools offering AAS or AAA degree programs must have a director or dean who holds an MA and has at least three years of work-related or administrative experience (exceptions can be made for small or single purpose schools). Each AAS or AAA degree program must have at least one full-time faculty member whose primary teaching assignment is in that program. Faculty must hold at least an associate’s degree, although the guidelines recommend they hold a BA.

Occupational schools must have libraries or learning resource centers that provide sufficient resources to appropriately support both the school’s general and technical education components. The library must be accessible to students and faculty throughout the teaching day and before and after classes. The school must employ a learning resources administrator; the person does not need to be a professionally trained librarian. It must have a written plan for financially supporting the library and acquiring resources, which must be developed and reviewed annually by a professionally trained librarian.

EARNINGS DIFFERENTIAL

We found no data specifically comparing earnings of people who complete certificate programs with those who earn applied associates degrees. National data indicate that community college certificate and associate degree holders earn more than people who take community college courses without receiving either. Some data suggest that those completing associate degrees in occupational programs may earn more than those completing academically oriented associate degrees. Other data indicate that people obtaining associate degrees earn more than occupational certificate earners.

A 2004 review of the literature on the benefits of postsecondary occupational study indicates that people who earn an associate (AA or AS) degree earn 15% to 25% more than high school graduates. People who complete one year of coursework at a community college earn about 5% to 8% more than high school graduates. Those who complete fewer than 30 credits gain little or no economic benefit.

The review authors found that among community college students, those in occupational programs reported slightly higher earnings than those in academic programs. They also found that people with associate degrees earned about $ 5,000 more per year in 1999 than those who earned certificates ($ 27,225 versus $ 22,426) (Bailey, Kienzi, Marcotte, Who Benefits from Postsecondary Occupational Education? August 2004, Community College Research Center Brief 23).

A 1999 literature review indicated that earnings patterns varied within certificate and associate programs. Men earned higher returns for engineering, computer, and health-related certificates than they did for business and miscellaneous vocational subjects. Women gained significantly from health-related certificates, but not from business and miscellaneous programs. The author theorized that at this level business programs prepared secretaries and data entry clerks, which accounted for the low earnings. Among associate degree recipients, Grubb found men gained the highest return from engineering and computer programs; women from health and business. Fields like cosmetology and education (i. e. , child care) showed insignificant returns for women (Grubb, The Economic Benefits of Sub-Baccalaureate Education, June 1999, Community College Research Center Brief 2).

In 1999, Grubb also examined education earnings benefits at the state level. The most relevant finding was from California where a 1993 study had found that three years after leaving college, those with associate degrees earned 20% more than certificate holders, who in turn earned 5% more than those who left school with at least 12 credits but no credential. Latter data confirmed this pattern: compared to those who earned 12 credits, degree holders earned more three years after college than certificate holders (54% to 29%). Technical (drafting, electronics, computers) and health fields (nursing, radiology) showed the highest returns, while restaurant management, graphic arts, and business had the lowest returns (Grubb, The Economic Benefits of Sub-Baccalaureate Education: Results from the States, September 1999, Community College Research Center Brief 3).

PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

The Pennsylvania College of Technology was founded in 1989 through the Williamsport Area Community College’s affiliation with Penn State University. The college offers BA, associate, applied associate, and certificate programs. As of spring 2005, 5,916 students were enrolled, 82% of them full-time. Most (92%) are from Pennsylvania and half of these students are from the north central part of the state where the school is located. The school employs 285 full-time and 80 part-time faculty. Tuition and fees run just under $ 10,000 per year.

Most students (57%) are enrolled in associate or applied associate programs; just under 40% are in BA programs. The school offers associate degrees in 58 programs including information technology, allied health, hospitality, natural resource management, communications, and transportation technology. Half of the school’s most popular majors are in AAS programs: nursing, building construction and automotive technologies, heavy construction equipment, and business management. In recent years, the school reports, more than 90% of its graduates have been employed or continued their education after graduation.

The school provides a wide range of services to local workers and businesses. It offers noncredit courses for the public in technical and management fields. And it provides training and strategic needs assessments for business.

More details about the college’s programs and operations can be found on its website: http: //www. pct. edu/

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