Major Decision: The Impact of Major Switching on Academic Outcomes in Community Colleges
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Major Decision: The Impact of Major Switching on Academic Outcomes in Community Colleges Vivian Liu1 · Soumya Mishra1 · Elizabeth M. Kopko1 Received: 2 August 2019 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract A third of the 2- and 4-year undergraduates beginning college in 2011–2012 changed their major in the first 3 years of enrollment. Yet, few studies have examined the effects of major switching on student outcomes, particularly in community colleges. Major switching can delay or impede college completion through excess credit accumulation, or it can increase the probability of completion due to a better academic match. Using state administrative data and propensity score matching, we find that major switching increases certificate completion rates but moderately decreases the probability of bachelor’s degree completion in community colleges for students who started with a declared major. We suggest that instead of discouraging major switching, institutions should integrate switching into program planning. Policies like common course-sequencing, cross-discipline introductory courses and flexible application of credits can allow students to revise their interests and goals without losing much time, credits, or tuition dollars. Keywords Major switching · Academic outcomes · Community colleges · Major choice
Introduction Major declaration is a near universal and pivotal moment of the postsecondary experience for 4-year college students, and it is becoming increasingly integrated into the community college experience with the introduction of guided pathways reforms.1 Students’ major choices not only dictate, among other things, their available assortment of potential courses and the network of peers and instructors they will interact with in the short term, but also influence their future career options. The process of selecting a major should therefore include a thorough understanding of one’s own values, passions, interests, and talents, as well as an informed expectation about major requirements and related career possibilities. Yet many students, and particularly those at community colleges, do not have the tools 1 As part of state or national initiatives, about 300 colleges are using the guided pathways model to implement whole-college redesign that emphasizes, among other things, early long-term academic planning among students (Jenkins et al. 2019).
* Soumya Mishra [email protected] 1
Community College Research Center, Teachers College Columbia University, New York, USA
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to evaluate the large number of choices, expectations, and outcomes involved in choosing a major (Scott-Clayton 2011; Van Noy et al. 2016). Selecting a major can be especially difficult for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are more likely to attend community colleges and may lack the resources and social capital necessary to make informed decisions (Terenzini et al. 1996). Ideally, college experiences allow students to test previously held assumptions, reve
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