SOUTHFIELD –
A new study from the prestigious Brookings Institution ranks Lawrence
Technological University fifth in the country for providing the most
value-added in preparing its graduates for well-paying occupations. CBS
MoneyWatch has hailed the leaders identified in the study as the new college
superstars.
The goal of
the Brookings study was to go beyond the traditional rankings that reward
colleges that primarily admit rich, smart students who can be expected to do
better in their careers than most college graduates. Instead, the
Brookings researchers wanted to determine if colleges actually made a
difference in preparing their students for successful careers.
The new
report encompasses more data sources and covers many more of the over 6,100
two- and four-year colleges than the college rankings from U.S. News &
World Report. It seeks to take into account student profiles and their majors
when comparing the career outcomes of alumni from different colleges. The
yardstick becomes the value-added by a college in comparison to its peer
group.
The
Brookings study notes that the five quality factors strongly associated with
more successful economic outcomes for alumni are curriculum value, alumni
skills, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) orientation,
completion rates, and student aid.
“The college
value-added measures developed in this report more accurately predict alumni
economic outcomes for students with similar characteristics,” concluded the
authors of the Brookings Institution study.
The study
found that LTU added 18 percent more value – virtually the same as the California
Institute of Technology – with respect to occupational earnings power compared
to four-year institutions with similar characteristics and students. The study
found that alumni skills, the share of graduates majoring in STEM fields and
curriculum value strongly predict a college’s value added in preparing
its graduates for well-paying occupations.
“The
Brookings Institution study is further validation of the rigor and focus of
LTU’s academic programs, the dedication of our faculty, and the high motivation
and success of our alumni,” said Lawrence Tech President Virinder Moudgil.
The
Brookings study found that the mid-career median salary for all LTU alumni was
$98,400.
LTU’s high
ranking in the Brookings study is consistent with the university’s placement in
the top 100 colleges and universities nationwide in the 2015 PayScale College
Salary Report, which measures the earning power of college graduates.
The average
mid-career salary for recipients of bachelor’s degrees from LTU ranked 83rd
among more than 1,000 colleges in the Payscale survey. LTU ranked 90th for the
salaries of its graduates who received one or more additional degrees.
PayScale
also reached the conclusion that students with STEM majors get the best return
on their college investment. More than half of LTU graduates (55 percent)
included in the PayScale survey majored in STEM subjects.
