by Luke Greiner and Mark Schultz
September 2017
Nearly 6,000 students successfully graduate from higher education institutions in Southwest Minnesota every year. Each fresh new wave of students embarking on the higher education pathway can learn what to expect from their investment by looking at the employment outcomes of students who have graduated before them.
Data from DEED’s Graduate Employment Outcomes (GEO) tool show how many recent Minnesota graduates found jobs at employers in the state after graduation, and also shows the median wages earned and the top industries where graduates found jobs. The GEO tool allows users to search by year, location, award type, institution type, and instructional program.
These employment outcomes for previous graduates can provide clues and telltale signs that will likely predict the futures of each new graduating class at the colleges, universities, and trade schools in Southwest Minnesota. The data also help local businesses and workforce development agencies see what types of occupations local students are being prepared for.
Although more data are available for other educational programs at each of the 11 higher education institutions in the region, this article focuses solely on the programs with the largest number of graduates in 2014 – the most recent year with available data. Also because of a lack of GEO data availability, Rasmussen College in Mankato, Avalon School of Cosmetology in Worthington, and Martin Luther College in New Ulm are not included in the analysis for this article.
For all award types from all higher education institutions in the region, the most popular program was Registered Nursing (RN), graduating 429 students in 2014. Of those, 311 completed a Bachelor’s version while 118 opted for the two-year Associate degree.
The second largest program in Southwest Minnesota was Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Humanities. With 365 graduates, this two-year Associate degree program has become increasingly prominent in the region, with 61 percent more graduates in 2014 than in 2010. Not necessarily aligned with any specific career, the Liberal Arts and General Studies program is often thought of as a stepping stone for students to work towards a Bachelor’s degree in the future.
Although the Liberal Arts and General Studies program was very popular, the path from completion to a degree or a career was less consistent than expected. GEO data show that by the third year after graduating from this program, the largest share end up working in the Health Care industry, possibly while continuing their education. However, according to a recent DEED article focusing on the employment outcomes of graduates who “stack credentials,” most graduates in Liberal Arts and General Studies do not actually go on to complete a four-year degree.1 Looking back at Southwestern Minnesota graduates from the Class of 2011, by the sixth year after graduating – which would have provided ample time to complete a subsequent Bachelor’s degree – most graduates had not yet found jobs earning more than $18 per hour.
Finally with more than 350 graduates in 2014, Business Administration, Management, and Operations programs continued to play an important role in supplying the region with managers and business operations candidates. Other popular business-related programs include Communications and Media Studies, Accounting and Related Services, Marketing, and Finance and Financial Management Services.
| Name | Location | Number of Students |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota State University, Mankato | Mankato | 15,165 |
| Southwest Minnesota State University | Marshall | 7,495 |
| Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Granite Falls (Canby, Jackson, Pipestone, Worthington) | 3,050 |
| South Central College | North Mankato | 2,807 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | St. Peter | 2,250 |
| Martin Luther College | New Ulm | 937 |
| Bethany Lutheran College | Mankato | 587 |
| Avalon School of Cosmetology | Worthington | 25 |
| Presentation College | Fairmont | N/A |
| Rasmussen College | Mankato | N/A |
| Nova Academy of Cosmetology | Mankato | N/A |
| Source: National Center for Educational Statistics, College Navigator | ||
| Instructional Program | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Admin., Research, and Clinical Nursing | 429 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Humanities | 365 |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | 355 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness | 220 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 197 |
| Psychology, General | 181 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 179 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 179 |
| Biology, General | 176 |
| Education, General | 165 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels | 153 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing, and Nursing Assistants | 130 |
| Social Work | 121 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Subject Areas | 119 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 112 |
| Marketing | 101 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 88 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 86 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 85 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 71 |
| Source: DEED, Graduate Employment Outcomes | |
Closer examination of the most popular program at each educational institution in Southwest Minnesota illustrates the differences in outcomes after completion. This type of analysis could be done for many more programs to learn what happens to graduates when they apply their new skills to the labor market. Although the economy is constantly changing, students looking to plan their education, determine the best way to finance it, and figure out what to expect after graduating should take advantage of GEO data to inform their decision making.
Results from the Class of 2011 provide insight on how graduates have fared in the labor market over six years. As shown in Figure 1, median hourly wages earned by graduates are plotted by lines that indicate the leading industry of employment for graduates in their third year after graduating. Figure 1 includes only the lead employing industry, but the full version of the GEO tool provides the top seven employing industries and the median hourly wage earned by graduates in each industry. The top employment and wages earned in each region is available as well.
Although Manufacturing is the largest industry in Southwest Minnesota, the leading industry of employment for graduates of four of the largest programs in the region is Health Care. Unlike many other programs, Registered Nursing prepares graduates for a single occupation. Graduates from the Registered Nursing program at both Minnesota State University, Mankato and Presentation College in Fairmont are clearly finding employment in the nursing field, since Health Care is the top employing industry. Just two years after graduating from either school, most graduates are earning over $30 per hour, although many end up working in the Twin Cities. In contrast, graduates from two-year Registered Nursing programs were more likely to remain in the region and saw lower wages. Where they are employed is a major factor, including hospitals and ambulatory health care services versus nursing home care.
The largest graduating program at Gustavus Adolphus College was General Biology, with 52 graduates in 2014. While the leading employing industry for this program was also Health Care, graduates earn far less than those coming out of the Registered Nursing program. The median hourly wage for graduates from the Class of 2011 started at less than $14 per hour two years after graduating, but thanks to a steep wage trajectory, climbed to $23.63 by their sixth year at work.
Over 120 graduates successfully completed a Master's degree in Education at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) in 2014, making it the largest program in terms of graduates. However, it's likely that many of these graduates are mid-career teachers with experience to bolster their education, leading to median hourly wages of $41.33 by their fifth year after completion.
The largest program for undergraduate degrees at SMSU was Business Administration, Management, and Operations, with 78 students graduating in 2014. Wages for graduates of this program from SMSU topped $26 per hour as recently as their second year after completion.
Bethany Lutheran College graduated 21 from their Business Administration, Management, and Operations Bachelor's degree program in 2014, making it their largest program. Since full data were not available for the Class of 2011, data from 2010 were used instead. These graduates were largely employed in the Finance and Insurance industry and by their fifth year after college were earning over $20 per hour at the median.
Much like Registered Nursing programs, the Nova Academy of Cosmetology prepares students for a specific set of personal care and service occupations. Although cosmetologists and hairdressers are in high demand in the region, wages for new graduates are low, and growth is somewhat stagnant. Of the 41 graduates from the academy in 2011, the median hourly wage by the sixth year after graduation had not topped $13 per hour, including tips unless they are not claimed. One factor some people try to use to explain the low wages is that self-employment is not included in the data. However, GEO data show that 87.8 percent of graduates from the Class of 2011 at this school were working for someone other than themselves by their second year after graduating. The lead employing industry and median wages accurately align with the typical wage shown for this occupation in other datasets, suggesting that most graduates are working in the field for which they are trained.
Although they also have a wide range of career programs, Liberal Arts and General Studies produced the largest number of graduates from both Minnesota West Community and Technical College and South Central College, with 122 and 168 respectively for the Class of 2014. This wasn't always the case – just four years earlier, the largest graduating program at South Central College was Registered Nursing, while Electrical and Power Transmission Installation led the way at Minnesota West.
The Liberal Arts and General Studies program is designed to help students earn an Associate's degree and then transition to a university to complete a Bachelor's degree. Unfortunately, most students do not successfully complete the transition or at least not in a timely manner. For example, if the plan is to earn a Bachelor's degree using a "2+2 method" (two years at a technical college + two years at a university), graduates with Associate's degree should have been able to complete a Bachelor's degree and find suitable employment within six years. But as indicated in Figure 1, median wages for graduates from the Liberal Arts and General Studies programs at both colleges remained low, and the leading employing industries were Retail Trade and Health Care for South Central and Minnesota West, respectively.
Outside of Liberal Arts and General Studies, most of the top graduating programs at institutions of higher learning in the region have specific occupations related to the program completed by graduated students. The National Center for Education Statistics publishes a crosswalk that matches educational programs with the most likely occupational outcomes for graduates.2
Many of the jobs that students in these programs are being trained for are in high demand, with just over half ranking near the top of DEED's Occupations in Demand list for Southwest Minnesota, having demand indicators of four and five stars. However, that also means that many other jobs related to the top programs of study are showing moderate to low demand in the region.
In addition to current demand, students also need to look at future employment projections. While having a high demand indicator is typically related to job growth, as with Operations Research Analysts, Fundraisers, and Natural Sciences Managers just to name a few, having a high demand indicator does not necessarily equate to job growth. For example, Sales Managers and Elementary, Middle School, and Secondary School Teachers all have a five-star demand indicator, yet are expected to see employment losses from 2014 to 2024.
Even for those occupations that have relatively low demand or projected employment declines, there is often still a need for trained replacements to fill existing jobs left vacant by individuals leaving the occupation for some reason, such as retiring or finding a new job. Students going into these programs can still find opportunities in the region, but may have to look at related occupations (see Table 3).
| Educational Institution, Program, and Award | Current Demand Indicator | Median Hourly Wage | Growth Rate, 2014-2024 | Projected Openings, 2014-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany Lutheran - Business Administration, Management and Operations - Bachelor's Degree | |||||
| 11-2022 | Sales Managers | ★★★★★ | $45.74 | -0.9% | 100 |
| 11-3021 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | ★★★★★ | $47.23 | 3% | 30 |
| 11-9021 | Construction Managers | ★★★★★ | $40.24 | 2.4% | 40 |
| 13-1051 | Cost Estimators | ★★★★★ | $24.83 | 2.2% | 80 |
| 13-1151 | Training and Development Specialists | ★★★★★ | $25.41 | -2.6% | 30 |
| 13-1161 | Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | ★★★★★ | $24.88 | 8.1% | 70 |
| 49-1011 | First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics/Installers/Repairers | ★★★★ | $30.14 | 0.2% | 120 |
| 11-3051 | Industrial Production Managers | ★★★★ | $39.49 | 1.6% | 110 |
| 13-1111 | Management Analysts | ★★★★ | $36.20 | 4.6% | 60 |
| 11-3061 | Purchasing Managers | ★★★★ | $48.73 | -3.2% | 20 |
| 15-2031 | Operations Research Analysts | ★★★★ | $48.68 | 15.0% | N/A |
| 13-1081 | Logisticians | ★★★★ | $30.68 | -10.2% | NA |
| 13-1141 | Compensation, Benefits and Job Analysis Specialists | ★★★ | $31.80 | -4.1% | 10 |
| 11-3011 | Administrative Services Managers | ★★ | $37.21 | 0.8% | 50 |
| 11-9151 | Social and Community Service Managers | ★★ | $32.58 | 8.3% | 80 |
| 11-3071 | Transportation, Storage and Distribution Managers | ★★ | $36.90 | 4.7% | 20 |
| Gustavus Adolphus - General Biology - Bachelor's Degree | |||||
| 25-2031 | Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | ★★★★★ | $53,928 | -4.1% | 370 |
| 11-9121 | Natural Sciences Managers | ★★★★ | $54.58 | 13.2% | 10 |
| 19-4021 | Biological Technicians | ★★★★ | $19.55 | -4.4% | 10 |
| 19-1011 | Animal Scientists | ★★★ | $49.57 | -8.3% | 0 |
| 19-1012 | Food Scientists and Technologists | ★★ | $31.33 | -3.7% | 10 |
| 19-2022 | Microbiologists | ★★ | N/A | -14.3% | 0 |
| 19-1021 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | ★ | N/A | 0.0% | 0 |
| 19-1023 | Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | ★ | $29.97 | -6.2% | 10 |
| 19-1013 | Soil and Plant Scientists | ★ | $28.63 | 14.0% | 20 |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato and Presentation College - Registered Nursing - Bachelor's Degree | |||||
| 29-1141 | Registered Nurses | ★★★★★ | $27.92 | 5.0% | 960 |
| Southwest Minnesota State University - General Education - Graduate Degree | |||||
| 25-2021 | Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | ★★★★★ | $51,552 | -4.4% | 450 |
| 25-2031 | Secondary School Teachers, Except Special Education | ★★★★★ | $53,928 | -4.1% | 370 |
| 25-2022 | Middle School Teachers, Except Special Education | ★★★★★ | $52,382 | -4.6% | 100 |
| 25-2032 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | ★★★ | $56,021 | -4.3% | 10 |
| 25-2023 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School | ★★ | $39,503 | 0.0% | 0 |
| 25-2012 | Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | ★ | $45,511 | -4.8% | 60 |
| Nova School of Cosmetology, Mankato - Cosmetology and Professional Grooming Services - Certificate | |||||
| 39-5012 | Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists | ★★★★ | $11.70 | 2.6% | 250 |
| 39-5092 | Manicurists and Pedicurists | ★★ | N/A | 3.4% | N/A |
| Source: DEED Occupations in Demand, Occupational Employment Statistics; Employment Outlook | |||||
1Leibert, Alessia. "Stackable Credentials: Myths and Reality." Trends, March 2017.
2Classification of Instructional Programs. National Center for Educational Statistics.
