Utilizing data from the Department of Education and compiled by The HEA Group and College Scorecard, four years after graduating with one of these 25 bachelor’s degree programs students earn less than $38,000 on average, or just about what an employee with a high school diploma makes, according to Indeed. Almost 900 non-profit institutions offer one of these bachelor’s degrees.*

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Low-earning degrees

All in all, 867 institutions offer such bachelor’s degree programs.* Programs in drama and stagecraft, the fine arts and music were the most prevalent degrees in this category. Seven of the 25 degrees on the list are related to theological study, accounting for 62 institutions in total.

* Note: Some institutions offer more than one of these academic programs listed. For example, Adelphi University offers “Fine and Studio Arts,” “Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft” and “Dance.” This overlap reduces the number of non-profit institutions offering such bachelor’s programs.

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Bachelor’s degree holders in computer science from Harvard University have the highest mean earnings four years after graduation at $256,539. Computer science and those related make up eight of the top 10 most lucrative in the nation. The only three outside of this industry to make the ranking are finance and financial management services from the University of Pennsylvania and electrical, electronics and communications engineering from the University of California-Berkeley.

When averaging median income earnings across programs offered to at least 50 institutions, seven out of 10 of the highest earners are in engineering unrelated to computer technology. Still, computer engineering came in first at $97,302, followed by computer science at $94,192. University Business only considered degrees that serve more than 50 institutions to negate any niche credentials offered at a select group of institutions. For example, only five schools offer nuclear engineering, but that major brought the second-highest average median earnings at $116,531.

The HEA Group and scorecard considered over 36,000 academic programs from 22,404 bachelor’s, 8,071 associate’s and 5,621 certificate programs. Additionally, the data are limited to federal financial aid-receiving students, and some small programs’ earnings data are excluded to protect student privacy.

Earning a credential in one of these computer-tech-related programs seems reserved chiefly for bachelor’s degree earners. Associate degree earners are better off, earning $140,386 with a nuclear engineering degree, and certificate earners are best off as an electrical and power transmission installer certificate, making $109,483. However, a bachelor’s degree is still the most reliable undergraduate credential students can earn to ensure they make a livable salary. Almost half (48.48%) of all bachelor’s programs make at least $50,249 four years out of college. Less than 30% of associate degree earners make a livable salary, and only 13% of certificate earners are this well off.

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Earnings are great, but are students interested?

The number of students graduating with a bachelor’s in any specific computer science-related program doesn’t compare well with its earning potential. For example, among academic programs offered to at least 50 institutions, the number of institutions providing computer science credentials ranked 25 out of 87. Similarly, the number of students in these graduating cohorts ranked at 27.

However, combining all programs—computer science, computer engineering, and computer and information sciences—paints a more promising picture. Institutions offer them at the fourth-highest rate, and they have the eighth-greatest number of students in graduating cohorts when combined.

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According to Burning Glass’ data published by The Wall Street Journal, a degree in data science earns a student a $100,323 median salary over the first ten years. However, a Princeton graduate can be taking home over $138,000. As far as private institutions go, four other Ivy League schools can land you at least a $20,000 premium.

California schools own the public college top 10 list of data science graduate earnings, earning the first nine spots. The University of California system alone took up six.

Data science has exploded in the last decade and it’s nowhere near its ceiling. The amount of job postings alone has increased from 172 in 2010 to 64,428 in 2023, according to Burning Glass President Matt Sigelman. Moreover, the average percentage of students at each school graduating with a data science degree is less than 2%.

Burning Glass used the company-ratings website Glassdoor to calculate the average salary employees earn 10 years removed from graduating, and they analyzed data on experience and pay from Lightcast, a labor-market data firm as well.

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Top 10 Private Colleges

The average percentage of data science graduates per school is 1.9%. The average net price of a degree in data science is $23,766.80.

Top 10 Public Colleges

The average percentage of data science graduates per school is 0.84%. The average net price of a degree in data science is $16,837.20.

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States across the country are ringing the alarm on their current and forecasted nursing shortages. Ohio features Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the list of its top 10 most critical jobs. Arizona is among the top five states with the worst medical staffing shortages. Moreover, the nursing shortage in New York is projected to hit 40,000 by 2030 and 60,000 by 2035 in Florida.

As a result, state legislatures and medical centers are now leaning on strategic partnerships between universities and community colleges to pump out skilled, accredited nurses and bridge the gap.

Here are recent nursing programs leveraging the support of medical centers, school partnerships and state legislation to attract a new cohort of students.

More from UB: Cybersecurity programs are set to launch across higher ed this fall

State legislation and funding

• Maricopa County Community College District (Ariz.):  The passage of Arizona’s House Bill 2691 last year appropriated “$42.5 million a year starting in fiscal year 2023 through fiscal year 2025 to the Department of Health Services and is divided between nurse education, nurse clinical rotations, licensed nurse training, and a preceptor grant program,” according to AZ Big Media. The Nurse Education Investment Pilot Program has allowed Maricopa to hire 26 new faculty and support staff, innovative retention and student support and obtain additional supplies and lab equipment. By 2026, AZ Central predicts Maricopa’s system will produce 5,464 nursing graduates at all levels.
• Tallahassee Community College (Fla.): In January, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $79 million in PIPELINE and LINE Fund awards to high-performing nursing education programs at public institutions in Florida, according to Florida Daily. The $1 million allotted to Tallahassee Community College has allowed the school to hire 10 additional faculty so far.

Accelerated Nursing Programs

• Kirtland Community College (Mich.): Kirtland students pursuing an associate degree in nursing will also be concurrently earning a bachelor’s in nursing from Saginaw Valley State University.
• Washington State Community College (Ohio): Thanks to the passing of Senate Bill 135, Washington State will now be able to achieve a BSN directly from the community college, satisfying students who are interested in a program that is “local, flexible, and affordable,” according to WTAP. Associate degree earners from Washington State have long been a nursing pipeline for the Marietta region’s Memorial Health System and WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center.
• Hawkeye Community College (Iowa): Hawkeye and Upper Iowa University have partnered to allow students to pursue a BSN before graduating from Hawkeye. This pipeline will allow Hawkeye students to complete their BSN degree from UIU in approximately eight months or less post-graduation, according to River Cities’ Reader.

Medical Center Partnerships

• Berkshire Community College (Mass.): Berkshire has created the Career Pathways Talent Pipeline with Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) to help cover tuition and fees for enrolled students. Career Pathways will also provide health insurance and pay students working only 8 or 16 hours a week the equivalent of a 40-hour work week, according to iBerkshires.
• Hutchinson Community College (Kan.): Hutchinson Regional Medical Center will be providing offering its staff and facility to Hutchinson Community College to expand the school’s available clinical hours to students, according to The Hutchinson News.

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Jobs in cybersecurity are projected to grow 35% over the next 10 years, far exceeding the nation’s average job growth rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s around 19,500 job openings each year until 2031. The median salary of an information security analyst is $102,600, which is a handsome incentive to draw a new generation of students.

The Biden administration, however, believes students should pursue the field as a means to protect national security. Last month, one community college in Michigan was forced to close down for a day due to a data breach—all the more reason the Biden-Harris administration released a national cybersecurity strategy last month to curb such threats.

The country’s leaders made it clear at a panel this past Tuesday that there are federal dollars available to bolster the country’s cyber community and to meet its booming workforce demands. States have already begun to respond by either creating new programs for this upcoming academic year at their colleges and universities or strengthening their existing ones.

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Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee announced last week he is filing a $4 million budget amendment to fund the “Institute of Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies” at Rhode Island College, which will provide bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field beginning this fall. Former U.S. congressman Jim Langevin will be running the initiative, creating a home base for the institute and finding talented professors.

Lincoln University is building a pipeline of high school students eager to pursue a postsecondary education and future career in cybersecurity through their Project Reach initiative, funded by the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. Beginning this fall, high school students at Jefferson City and Capital City High schools in Missouri will work their way toward a certificate from the Computing Technology and Industry Association while simultaneously exposing them to Lincoln University’s computer science program, and hopefully, incentivizing them to enroll. Lincoln, an HBCU, aims to close the diversity gap in cybersecurity with Project Reach.

To strengthen the existing workforce’s skills in healthcare-related cybersecurity, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is granting the University of Louisville’s Cybersecurity Workforce Certificate program a $20 million boost in federal funding. This muscle-up is on top of a $6.2 million grant the NSA had already recently provided.

Miami University (Ohio) and St. Michael’s College (Vt.) will also begin offering a bachelor’s degree in the emerging field this fall. One school neighboring St. Michael’s that implemented a similar program in 2015 has seen its number of graduates more than triple.

A pair of community colleges are also getting on board. Williston State College will be offering an associate degree in the fall, while Tulsa Community College now offers a free six-month cybersecurity apprenticeship for its students. One student has claimed the Tulsa program already helped her land a job.

“For me, it’s exciting just because so far in my work history, I haven’t done anything technical,” the student said, according to News on 6. “This is totally new and I’m just excited to get to use these skills I’ve learned.”

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College enrollment rates have been on a precipitous decline, dropping more than 7% in the past five years. The pandemic gave students the chance to evaluate the importance of a college degree and many of them have decided to turn their backs on it, pursuing workforce opportunities straight out of high school. Their hunch on the value of a college degree might be correct: A recent survey found that two-thirds of companies were finding talent shortages and receiving applicants with a lack of specific skill sets.

The decline in enrollment may be due to a declining faith in college degrees translating to student skill sets. The Purpose of Education Index by Populace Insights found that the American public doesn’t believe a K12 education should highly prioritize preparing students for a college degree as they once did: In 2019, the survey found preparing students for a college degree as the 10th-highest priority; in 2021, it ranked 47th. Practical, tangible skills ranked number one.

For high schoolers who are still eager to enroll in college, both parents and students are more motivated to apply for a college or university whose programs best align with students’ career interests, not the academic reputation of the school.

“There’s a certain credibility that comes from a degree that’s associated with a major research institution. That’s not enough,” says Dr. Marc Austin, Dean for Augusta University Online. “Oftentimes more valuable for a student is to know that there is a job or advancement directly related to the degree they’re working on.”

Augusta Online’s available programs for students represent a quality-over-quantity approach, tailoring the curriculum around input from industry professionals. For example, Austin spent the first day on the job with leaders from Fort Gordon. The local military base’s Cyber Center of Excellence poises itself to protect the nation’s national interests through cyber security, and Austin was curious about what the “cyber warriors” of the future need to be equipped for the job. These conversations helped iron out Augusta Online’s Master of Science in Information Security Management. Augusta Online only offers two other Master programs, but they were built out with detailed intention, according to Austin, examining labor market needs at the state and regional level, to maximize a student’s return on investment.

Austin’s positive experience with older cohorts of students has helped him realize “the untapped opportunity” for all universities to work collaboratively with employers to design programs and curricula that support economic growth.

“We have to build students’ practical, relevant experiences that inform the theoretical and academic work we do so that they have both rigor and practice. That’s the most desired combination of benefits, ” says Austin. “The only way we get there is by understanding what those skills are that employers are looking for.”

Dakota State University is another school that is tightly partnered with cybersecurity employers at the federal, state and local levels to tailor a curriculum that focuses on building skills, not just a students’ theoretical lens. Students and faculty collaborate with employers, such as the NSA, on real problems affecting them, and student solutions have real-world implications.

Similarly, Villanova University’s close connections with local employers have helped keep a steady stream of entry-level positions available for newly graduated students, which is why more than 70% of Villanova’s 2022 graduates gained employment at an average salary of $71,363, according to the school’s undergraduate career outcomes website.

“The last thing I want to do is educate someone through a degree and not have them find a job or advancement on the other side,” says Austin, “It’s a low return impact on the student. It’s a low return impact on the university, and obviously for the employer.”

More from UB: Big universities are flooded with applicants, forced to turn more away

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How will Language Modelers like ChatGPT Affect Occupations and Industries? found that of the 20 occupations most exposed to AI language modeling capabilities, 14 of them were postsecondary teachers.

The authors—Ed Felten, Manav Raj and Robert Seamans—specified that their definition of “exposure” does not delve into the specific effects of AI on an occupation, which leaves the question of whether these jobs will be augmented—or, as you may fear, substituted—undefined.

“Everyone’s focusing on how students are going to use AI, but there’s not a lot of focus on how it’s going to impact educators, the teachers themselves,” says Joseph Wison, co-founder of Studicata, an online bar exam preparation service. For context, law teachers were the fifth-most exposed occupation to AI.

To create the formula for this study, the authors drew from one of Felten’s earlier models that studied overall occupational exposure to AI. The AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) model linked 10 AI applications – such as reading comprehension, speech recognition and language modeling – to 52 human capabilities defined by a U.S. Department of Labor database. As advances in language modeling capabilities like ChatGPT surged (there’s already a better version), the new formula used in this current study updated the AIOE to only account for AI’s language modeling application.

While only two postsecondary occupations featured in the top 20 on Felten’s original AIOE calculation, postsecondary faculty and staff make up almost 75% of the list when adjusted for language modeling. This doesn’t seem to be a coincidence either. Felten et al. found a 98% correlation with original AIOE scores.

Top 20 occupations after language modeling adjustment, of 774 different occupations

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As axiomatic this study proves the impending prevalence of AI in higher education, professors are reluctant to take the leap forward. According to a report from BestColleges, more than half of all college students surveyed reported that “their instructors have not openly discussed the use of AI tools like ChatGPT” (54%) and “that their instructors or schools haven’t specified how to use AI tools ethically or responsibly” (60%). A considerable amount of faculty and staff are actively working against the wave of AI language modeling: 31% reported course materials and honor codes explicitly prohibiting AI tools. This does not bode well with the 9% of school assignments and college essays that Copyleaks flagged for containing AI-generated content across the tens of thousands of U.S. public research universities it looked into in January and February.

Wilson believes it would be a “disservice” to students to resist updating the way we teach the new generation of students if we only focus on the fear of cheating with A.I. tools. He believes Studicata’s online contact with students via Youtube directly contributes to his team “being on the pulse” of strategies to effectively engage students.

“The first step is to communicate with students what is acceptable use and then from there, it’s time to start building a framework. Are we allowing it? What’s okay? What’s not?” he says. “We have to mitigate cheating, but at the same time we have to teach familiarity of these tools because the future is going to be tech-enhanced lawyers.”

Wilson specifies recent development in AI-assisted legal brief drafting software and research platforms as tools many first-year lawyers will encounter.

He also notes how Microsoft and Google’s recent decision to integrate AI tools into Office and Google Suite will make student—and teacher— use of AI inevitable. “If that’s the way your technology is going, you would have to adapt,” says Wilson. “They have to build and articulate these guidelines.”

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Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit focused on the American workforce and education systems, recently identified a skill and career gap among Black learners and job seekers. In its recent action plan, the organization makes clear its belief that peer mentoring, paid work-based learning, and partnership development are keys to strengthening student success.

“Many education and workplace strategies for Black learners and workers only focus on credential attainment, but this is not enough to solve education and economic disparities,” said JFF Vice President Michael Collins, leader of JFF’s Center for Racial Economic Equity, in a press release. “Black Americans continue to have less systemic access to build and maintain professional social capital.”

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AAMU answered the call. Deloitte, Apple, IBM and Google are some of the big-name companies to partner with the school’s STEM field, offering career and skill development training, research opportunities and program funding. As a result, students are leading cutting-edge research and getting hired.

“AAMU is known for pumping out the largest number of diverse minority STEM students, and these companies are recognizing the great work we’re doing and they want to get involved,” said AAMU computer science assistant professor Dr. Ed Pearson.

Google has installed Google residence instructors on campus who are vetted software engineers to help shape school curricula and lead workshops to develop technical skills. The results are positive: Student Taniece Ricketts recently landed a full-time position at Google on their software development side.

In addition to technical workshops, Deloitte leads the way providing students with interview and résumé preparation, guiding them on their journeys into the workforce—not to mention the company’s scholarship and student organization funding, which has helped support AAMU’s computer science club and others.

Apple and IBM are providing AAMU students with hands-on, invaluable research opportunities boosting the hiring value and accessibility of their students. Students in AAMU’s college of engineering are working with Apple to develop computer chip prototypes with guidance from Apple representatives who frequent the campus. IBM’s master’s and doctoral fellowships fund students’ cutting-edge research in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data science, to name a few. IBM has granted four AAMU students so far. One student is working on a master’s thesis on virtual reality and its implementation in student education; another is working on digital signatures and strengthening password authentication.

Speaking of education, beginning this semester the Alabama Commission on Higher Education is pumping $2 million into the AAMUTeach program, which aims to boost the development of teachers in STEM-related fields in an effort to diversify the workforce. Students pursuing this will receive scholarships and assistance with job placement.

“We’re thankful for all of our partnerships because they are enabling us to continue our mission here where we like to say, ‘Service is sovereignty,'” said Pearson. “We want to serve our community and make a difference and inspire change in academia through research and get our students into the workforce.”

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Nearly every job requires its employees to have a considerable range of digital skills, according to a report from the National Skills Coalition, an organization that seeks inclusive and high-quality skills training for all. Most students meet this expectation on their own, considering many students have access to the internet and a mobile device or computer. Schools can further prepare students for a successful future in tech through a multitude of career prep programs. How about a career in one of the most dominant industries in tech: app development?

Appy Pie, a no-code development platform, recently announced a free app development workshop designed for K12 and college students. The program aims to provide students with hands-on professional experience and introduce them to the world of app development. By removing coding from the creation process, teachers can utilize the workshop in their classrooms without any barriers to entry.

“We started back in 2015,” says Joel Perez, senior relationship development manager at Appy Pie. “Around that time, everything was program-based or code-based, so if you wanted to do anything you needed to know some kind of advanced coding. To jump this hurdle, we came up with a solution so now it’s a drag-and-click kind of process where you’re just building it and designing it.”

It does require some degree of configuration, he says, in order to set up the app. But it’s “really minimal.”

Since its inception, according to Perez, they’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students and professors.

“They love it,” he says. “They love that we’re starting these courses showing people how to build apps. It’s a great place to start and get that hands-on experience. With the app builder, you can create an app within five minutes and test it on your Apple or Android device. That’s how quickly you can have something done.”

Notable colleges and school districts around the world are utilizing the program, such as Reed Union School District, Fresno Unified, Montecito Union, Coleg Cambria (UK), Texas Southern University, and Westminster & Emirates College of Advance Education (University of Westminster).

Professors and students can participate in a pre-recorded curriculum where students can learn at their own pace with live sessions tailored for that particular course throughout. Perez says students have access to a variety of other opportunities beyond app development.

“We do automation, we have a website builder, a chatbot builder and other different products,” he says. In addition, for college students or more advanced users, they’re able to remove the “no coding” feature to obtain those real-world skills.

“We do have a code page that they can add to the app and they can develop apps themselves,” he explains.

Perhaps one of the most valuable features of the program is that students can tangibly see the value in their product. According to Perez, schools can implement students’ apps into their daily operations.

“Maybe you need a school directory app, for example,” he says. “Or an app that’s going to display school programs, events, maybe newsletters. We have schools using the actual apps in the real-life school environment.”

More from UB: How a college’s mobile app connects students when they can’t connect

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More than 70% of respondents agreed that job applicants with non-degree or alternative credentials have increased the past two years and those hires helped their organization fill an existing skill gap (74%) and improved the quality of their workforce (73%). It’s no wonder, then, that 71% affirmed that their organization is becoming more accepting of non-degree or alternative credentials in lieu of traditional four-year degrees.

A résumé containing micro-credentials is increasingly advantageous. A whopping 95% of employers said a résumé listing micro-credentials benefited the candidate because it demonstrates a willingness for skill development (76%), and most employers were not concerned about non-degree credentials having an adverse effect on the workforce.

With alternative and non-degree credentials becoming increasingly more appealing to employers, colleges and universities are in the perfect position to corner the market. However, schools may be bungling this opportunity. Less than half of employers were approached by schools to build micro-credential programs.

“Micro-credentials can play a critical role in the new economy. However, similar to how online degrees were perceived two decades ago, some are critical about the quality of non-degree programs, despite a lack of evidence to support a systematic problem,” said Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer at UPCEA.

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How schools can benefit from a joint-developed micro-credential curriculum

Sixty-eight percent of employers would like to be approached by a college or university to develop micro-credentials, and there are multiple reasons this would be beneficial to both parties.

As students struggle with staying engaged in classes and feeling disconnected from the real world, the majority of employers agreed micro-credentials’ greatest benefit is that they give people practical, real-world experience. Schools can motivate a student base lacking purpose by exposing them to opportunities built with direct input from the industries they aspire to join after graduating.

Most organizations work with four-year colleges or universities (49%) and community colleges (45%) to provide training or learning opportunities to their employees, so while collaborating on micro-credentials may be unfamiliar territory, the connection is well established.

Executives, supervisors and HR staff still more highly value a traditional degree over non-degree credentials. They are more of a supplement than a replacement.

University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and edtech company Collegis partnered for this study, which reflects the opinions of 514 employers from different organizations. Each individual surveyed oversees or directly works in employee development and hiring, operates at an organization with more than 100 employees, is above an entry-level position and is deemed qualified to speak about their respective company’s needs in training and professional development. The majority worked in finance (14%), followed by healthcare (13%) and manufacturing (12%).

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