When it comes to various forms of well-being—from financial to physical—associate’s degree holders trail behind holders of bachelor’s degrees across the board, according to a new report released Wednesday.
Be that as it may, associate’s degree holders are slightly more likely to say their education was worth the cost (46 versus 45 percent) and that they are “deeply interested” in the work they do or have the ideal job.
The findings—sometimes seemingly contradictory or counterintuitive—are among the many reported in the newly released “Gallup-USA Funds Associate Degree Graduates Report.”
The report represents one of the latest in a field that incessantly parses data on college degrees in order to produce a more nuanced picture of the various types of degrees and the divergent statuses to which they lead in life.
The new report from Gallup-USA Funds was light on income data and more heavily focused on other indicators, such as graduates’ sense of purpose, engagement and well-being on their jobs.
Carol D’Amico, executive vice president of national engagement and philanthropy at USA Funds, a nonprofit corporation that works on issues of college access and success, said it’s important to judge colleges on factors that transcend completion rates.
“Quality of life indicators are ways that we believe are a better way to start talking about the assessment and performance of colleges generally,” said D’Amico, former US Department of Education assistant secretary for adult and vocational education under George W. Bush and former chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.
