A report published by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, titled “What Will They Learn?” suggested ASU graduates may be better prepared for the workforce than graduates from other universities across the country.

The report and its accompanying Web site — which launched in August —graded the education students receive from different universities based on the institution’s core classes.

 “We have found in surveys of employers that they are dissatisfied with the general knowledge of recently graduated college students,” said David Azerrad, program officer of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. “We have been finding that universities are not preparing students to compete in the global workforce.”

The report was intended to compare the quality of education at different colleges and publish it all in one place, where potential students could see what they are getting into, he said.

The two main areas employers said new hires are lacking are in composition and quantitative reasoning, both courses that ASU requires, Azerrad said.

In fact, ASU requires all undergraduates to take classes in most of the categories included in the report — composition, foreign language, mathematics and science, earning it a “B” on ACTA’s scale.

The remaining categories are literature, U.S. government or history, and economics, all of which most students take to satisfy ASU’s general studies requirement, said Nancy Kiernan, program manager for academic advising and programs in ASU’s Provost’s Office.

Only seven institutions were given an “A” grade on the ACTA scale of “A” to “F,” including Texas A&M University and the United States Military Academy at West Point, and only several more schools received “Bs.”

The majority of schools listed received grades of C or below.

According to the report, universities should require “a comprehensive literature survey” and not just a “narrow, single-author or esoteric course.” ASU did not receive credit in this category despite its requirement of at least two literacy courses.

“Courses that award a literacy credit are intended to be reading and writing intensive,” Kiernan said. “Students are supposed to be able to read and write about a subject of their interest, so they are usually specific to the major.”

In regard to economics, more than 25 majors require at least one course and many require several, Kiernan said.

“Students not required to take an economics course for their major could still take one to fulfill the social and behavioral science requirement,” she said. “However, most choose not to.”

ASU is not alone in omitting economics from its core curriculum. Of the 100 universities cited in the report, only two require a full course on the subject.

“The fact that only two of the 20 leading universities in the nation require courses in economics is astonishing,” Azerrad said. “Economics has never been more important, and it’s hard to make sense of the modern world without it and the other curricula outlined in the report.”

However, Azerrad said ASU is doing a fine job, calling it “commendable” that the University ranks above not only other similar state schools but several Ivy League institutions as well.

Despite the fact ASU ranks higher than most schools on ACTA’s scale, ASU Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Capaldi does not necessarily agree with the score.

“This is an unusual ranking that wants universities to teach general education in a certain way with little choice,” she said. “We cover all the subjects mentioned, plus more, allowing our students some flexibility. This combination allows students the opportunity to select courses that are most appropriate for preparation in their field of study and future career goals.”

Julianne Hill, a sociology and political science sophomore, said she thinks ASU’s system is working fairly well overall.

“It’s set up so every student gets a taste of science, math, language and humanities, no matter what their specific focus of study is,” she said. “Although I wish I had more time to explore subjects outside my majors, I do believe I will be prepared for the workforce.”

Reach the reporter at kathleen.shoultz@asu.edu.