Friday, January 13, 2012

A confusion of degrees

Over on the Economix blog Catherine Rampell has been looking at the graduate premium in America.

Could some – even the majority - of the continuing benefit to lifetime earnings of a mere bachelor degree in fact be put down to the even greater rewards of higher degrees or professional qualifications for which a first degree is a prerequisite?

Well yes, maybe but a first degree is still worthwhile.

This does not quite seem to fit with the pessimism about the value of a PhD which was in The [British-based but internationally read] Economist just before Christmas.

I wonder if anyone has ever looked at UK figures in this way.