Jessica Hill decided to go to college not just for higher education, but because she thought a degree would help her pursue a career.
"I think it's important to have a college degree," said Hill, a journalism and mass communications junior. "You can earn more, but it's also important to gain internships and get to know more people."
Statistics show she was right.
According to a recent report by the College Board, college graduates now more than ever have lower unemployment rates and a higher earning power than those with only a high school diploma.
And the income gap between college graduates and those that didn't pursue education past high school has steadily increased, according to the report.
ASU released a report in October with similar findings at the national level. It also included local figures.
The ASU report showed that, among Arizona residents, the average full-time, year-round worker with a college degree earned $12,000 more in 1999 than the average high school graduate.
The College Board report showed college graduates earn 73 percent more than high school graduates over the course of their working lives. In 2003, the average full-time worker with a bachelor's degree earned nearly $50,000, while a worker with only a high school diploma earned about $30,000.
The earning power for someone with a master's degree is 93 percent higher than someone with a high school education, with the average person earning nearly $60,000.
Tom Rex, associate director at the Center for Business Research and one of the authors of the ASU report, said the earnings relationship has always been prevalent, but it's growing stronger.
Having a college degree also opens the door to a wider selection of jobs.
"There's a lot of jobs out there that have a college degree as a requisite," Rex said. "There's rarely any now that don't require that. An employer knows that someone that has made it through college is in the top quarter of the population."
The type of degree can also become a factor in insuring a larger income.
Among some of the highest earning degrees were those in technology and applied science, engineering, architecture and environmental design and business.
These degrees had average salaries ranging from $25,000 to $78,000.
Graduates of arts and sciences have average salaries that range from $28,000 to $55,000, while education salaries are in the $30,000 range.
Public programs and fine arts were among some of the lowest, ranging from $18,000 to $35,000.
"Wages are like prices are, it's supply and demand," Rex said. "You don't have that many people who are able to complete an engineering degree."
Reach the reporter at beth.cochran@asu.edu.
