Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
AEEE
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to compare the Net Present Value (NPV) and Return on Investment (ROI) of Engineering majors and non-Engineering majors undergraduate degrees for students who persist to graduation at a Research University-Very High Research (RU/VH) University in Southern region of the United States. The Department of Commerce - U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 2019 5-year Survey (2015-2019) dataset was used for the demographic, academic, and financial variables of participants. For this study, the selected participants were: 1) Born in the United States (not naturalized or born outside of country to U.S. parents), 2) Highest level of completed Education was a Bachelor’s Degree (all other levels were excluded except “High School diploma” which was used to create opportunity cost comparisons in NPV & ROI), 3) Ages included 18-64 based on U.S. Census defined “working age” (excluded was retirement age 65+), 4) Employment Status was “Civilian employed, at work” (all other levels were excluded). These participants were divided into two groups, those who graduated and obtained undergraduate degrees in: 1) Engineering majors and 2) non-Engineering majors.
The RU/VH institution offered 80 majors in 2019, of which 54 identical and equivalent majors were identified in the 2019 ACS 5-year dataset; 10 Engineering and 44 non-Engineering majors were used to calculate their individual NPVs and ROIs of each degree major, as well as a Three-Way ANOVA. Of the 837,972 participants in this study, 93,218 obtained degrees in Engineering majors (11.1%) and 744,754 in non-Engineering majors (89.9%).
The researcher recommends that NPV and ROI be presented to current and prospective undergraduate students before they make a final decision on their academic major selection and student loan acceptance. All Engineering majors reported high yielding NPVs, ROIs, and Lifetime Earnings. However, many non-Engineering business-related, STEM, and political science majors provide NPV and ROIs that competitively match the high yielding Engineering majors. In caution, obtaining degrees in undergraduate programs in Social Work, Music, and Early Childhood & Elementary Education majors, continue to provide some of the lowest NPVs, ROIs, and Lifetime Earnings for men, women, and minorities.
Date
10-31-2024
Recommended Citation
Laugand, Cy'Rus L., "The Comparison of The Net Present Value and Return On Investment of Engineering Majors and Non-Engineering Majors Undergraduate Degrees For Students Who Persist To Graduation At A Research University-Very High Research (RU/VH) University In Southern Region of The United States." (2024). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6640.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6640
Committee Chair
Richardson, William "Bill"
Included in
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