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ERIC Number: EJ1282569
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1557-3060
EISSN: N/A
Effects of a Double Major on Postbaccalaureate Outcomes
Zhu, Qiong; Zhang, Liang
Education Finance and Policy, v16 n1 p146-169 Win 2021
We use data from the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study and propensity score weighting methods to estimate the effect of a double major on bachelor's degree recipients' earnings within four years after college graduation. We classify each of a student's two majors in a double major combination as either "higher- or lower-paying," based on the rank order of the average earnings of each major among single major students. Our analyses yield three main findings. First, within one year after graduation, double major graduates earn significantly less relative to their single major peers with the same higher paying major; however, by four years after graduation, their earnings are similar to those with the single higher paying major and significantly higher relative to those with the single lower paying major. Second, we find that double major graduates are more likely to be employed, work longer hours, and pursue graduate education than their single major peers four years after graduation. Finally, transcript data suggest that double major graduates take fewer classes in the higher paying major, which may explain their initial earnings penalty relative to those with the higher paying single major.
MIT Press. 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. Tel: 617-253-2889; Fax: 617-253-1709; e-mail: journals-rights@mit.edu; Web site: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/edfp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (NCES)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A