Almost half of U.S. adults with a college degree also hold a certificate in a nondegree education program, according to a Strada-Gallup Education Survey. Released in July of 2021, the poll of 14,000 adults looked at the prevalence, quality and value of nondegree credentials. Findings showed a positive outlook for many adults when it comes to nondegree courses combined with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
The interest by working adults for acquiring nondegree credentials and skills training increased significantly during COVID-19. The Strada poll revealed a surprisingly strong correlation between these nondegree credentials and a person’s view of self-value and career accomplishment.
For example, college graduates who combine degree with nondegree credentials give a higher rating of purpose to their education than those without nondegree credentials. In fact, 70% of people with an associate’s degree and nondegree credentials said that their education made them an attractive job candidate, versus 43% of those people with the degree but no nondegree credentials.
“Combos are the name of the game,” said Holly Zanville, Research Professor and Co-director of the new Program on Skills, Credentials and Workforce Policy at George Washington University, during a Strada webinar last week. “We also think there are some innovative projects underway to embed or couple 21st century skills with traditional degrees or associate and bachelor degrees. Employers are telling them that’s the kind of people we want and faculty trying to accommodate.” Moving forward, Zanville predicts that higher education will see more of these “combos” and therefore it is important to collect data so that “we can tell students and they won’t be surprised when they come in to get a degree or nondegree.”
Looking back at the survey, those who are pleased with their nondegree education seem about as satisfied as those who have completed an associate degree. According to the survey, 65% of those who have completed a nondegree program believe that their education was worth the cost and 49% said it helped them achieve their goals. By comparison, 59% of those with an associate degree said that their education was worth the cost and 43% said it helped them to achieve their goals.
Another conclusion made from the Strada study is that the length of the nondegree program did not necessarily affect a person’s satisfaction rate with the program. As many as 85% of people who spent between one week and a month to complete a certificate program were happy with the results, versus only 59% of people who took between six months and a year to complete a certificate. And when it comes to careers, those who complete longer certificate programs experience slightly higher rates of job satisfaction than those who complete very short programs.
Looking at types of institutions and the value of their nondegree courses, community colleges received the highest ratings, with 78% of students saying the classes were worst the cost. By comparison, only 54% of those taking a class from an individual business or company felt satisfied.
Breaking down the results by race, Black Americans were most likely to see the value of nondegree credentials than any other ethnic group, and white Americans rated the value of these nondegree credentials the lowest (71% versus 46%, comparatively).
In the U.S., 46% of people have completed a college degree and 40% have completed a nondegree program. In addition, 20% of adults cite a nondegree credential or program as their highest level of education compared to 10% who list an associate degree as their highest level. The number of U.S. adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher is around 35%.
In addition, two-in-five working-age adults have completed a nondegree credential education program. Similarly, three-in-five adults have some college credit but have completed a nondegree program., while one-in-five adults with a high school education have completed a nondegree credential or training.
When looking at these nondegree credentials, professional certifications are more common than educational certifications, 30% versus 19%. And as many as one-in-four people in the U.S. have both a professional and educational certification.
Among institutions that issue nondegree credentials, community colleges consistently received the highest alumni ratings across all three metrics: 78% of these alumni said it was worth the cost, 67% said it made them an attractive candidate for jobs, and 61 percent said it helped them achieve their goals.
According to alumni answering the survey, adults with associate degrees and non-credential education reported earning a salary around $50,000 a year, more than high school graduates ($32,000) but less than adults with a bachelor’s degree ($75,000). About 3-in-5 workers with nondegree credentials or associate degrees are satisfied with their jobs, compared to seven-in-10 adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Alumni who combine degree and nondegree experiences—especially those with Associates degrees—rate their education substantially higher than those who earned a degree in isolation.
Similarly, adults who combine a degree with a nondegree experience report a placing greater value in their career.
Finally, looking at the credentials through the lens of multiple generations, nondegree credential holders whose parents did not go to college rate nondegree programs similarly to those who are nondegree credential holders and have college-educated parents.