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Title: College Major Choice: For Love or a Living?
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2016
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Abstract: The percentage of CSU students enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields has grown decisively since the Great Recession, from 20.4 percent in 2007, to 26.9 percent in 2014. Those STEM disciplines include Agricultural Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, Health Professions, Information Sciences, Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Previous literature cites perceived probability of success, expected earnings, as well as gender and socioeconomic characteristics as the main driving factors for college major choice. However, the impact of expected earnings has been challenged citing selection bias. Arcidiacono (2004) shows that part of the ability sorting which takes place across majors is simply due to students gravitating toward subjects in which they have historically excelled. This paper will analyze STEM and Non-STEM enrollment, in tandem with STEM an Non-STEM unemployment and earnings, by testing Vector Autoregressive models for Granger causality, determining whether or not labor market forces can be used to help to predict college major enrollment. The presence or a lack of Granger causality will offer preliminary evidence for the question: Is college major choice really about love or about making a living?
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Authors: Smith, Jesse K
Institution: California State Polytechnic University
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Publisher Location: Pomona
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Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Education, Labor Force and Occupational Structure
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