Many people question the value of a college degree. In recent years, the “sticker prices” for college tuition have soared, and recent graduates have struggled with unemployment due to the rough job market. However, research has shown that bachelor’s degree recipients did not lose nearly as much ground when the recession hit as compared to those who attained a high school diploma or associate’s degree.  The study, released by the Pew Charitable Trusts, examines the effect that the recession made on Americans ages 21 to 24 years old in terms of employment and income. In the graph below, the employment percentage of each group is being measured, and the dates in which they are being measured are defined as such: “Before recession” is 2005-November 2007, “During recession” is December 2007-June 2009 and “After recession” is July 2009-2011.

The results of the study show that Americans ages 21 to 24 years old who received bachelor’s degrees had far better outcomes in the job market than those with associate degrees or high school diplomas. Those who had recently received bachelor’s degrees not only had a higher employment rate before the recession, but they also only saw a 4% drop in employment as compared to 7% and 8% to those with associate degrees and high school diplomas.
The study also found that, as many could imagine, the wages of those who were employed in all three groups fell, but those with bachelor’s degrees only saw a 5% drop is wages. Associate degree and high school diploma recipients saw drop of 12% and 15%, respectively.
Another study by the Pew Research Center has found that people ages 25 to 32 years old with bachelor’s degrees have a median annual income of $45,000 and an unemployment rate of 3.8% as compared to those with high school diplomas who have a median annual income of $28,000 and an unemployment rate of 12.2%. The researchers were also able to conclude that college graduates were more likely to be married, less likely to live with their parents and more likely to be satisfied with their jobs.
In short, not only were those with bachelor’s degrees better off in terms of employment and income, but they also weathered the downturn of the economy the best.

Did you know that the most commonly listed skill on LinkedIn the past two years has been “Creativity”, and for good reason, too. “The reality is that to survive in a fast-changing world you need to be creative,” says Gerard J. Puccio, chairman of the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College. “That is why you are seeing more attention to creativity at universities. The marketplace is demanding it.” In fact, an I.B.M. survey of 1,500 chief executives in over 30 industries listed creativity as the most crucial factor of success. Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional thought and formulate meaningful new ideas. It has long been regarded as an essential skill for achievement, which is why Buffalo State College has had the creative studies program since 1967.
Creativity, once seen as divine inspiration or a quality possessed only by the highly intelligent, is now seen as a skill capable of being taught. Although conventional academic disciplines are still relevant, educators and employers are becoming more and more interested in “process skills”, or strategies to reevaluate challenges and adapting to overcome such.
Creative Studies programs are starting to arise at numerous universities across the United States. Buffalo State University already offers a master’s degree and an undergraduate minor, but they are also planning on implementing a Ph.D. program. Saybrook University in San Francisco has a master’s program and certificate, and the university added a specialization to its psychology Ph.D. in 2011. Other notable programs include Drexel University in Philadelphia, St. Andrew’s University in North Carolina and Eastern Kentucky University.
Jack V. Matson, an environmental engineer and instructor at Pennsylvania State University, teaches a class that he calls “Failure 101” because “the frequency and intensity of failures is an implicit principle of the course. Getting into a creative mind-set involves a lot of trial and error.” All assignments in the class, which include constructing résumés based on what did not work and constructing the tallest structure possible with twenty popsicle sticks, are designed to elicit inventiveness through the process of failing.
If your university offered Creative Studies courses, would you register to take one?