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ERIC Number: EJ1286807
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 47
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-5748
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Major Movement: Examining Meta-Major Switching at Community Colleges
Schudde, Lauren T.; Ryu, Wonsun; Brown, Raymond Stanley
Review of Higher Education, v44 n2 p189-235 Win 2020
Evidence of inefficient course-taking patterns at community colleges has spurred policy conversations about how to ensure effective course sequences. Structural reforms, like guided pathways, seek to reduce major switching as a means to streamline student course taking and eliminate unnecessary credits. By placing students into broad fields of study--called meta-majors--and encouraging persistence within that general field (where coursework narrows toward a specific program over time), community colleges may help students progress toward their desired degree. But how often do students leave that meta-major, and what predicts meta-major switching? We use national data to examine meta-major switching at community colleges. Our findings suggest that almost 40 percent of students switch between meta-majors (eight broad major fields, plus undecided) between their first and third years of college. We describe the varied destinations and predictors across origin meta-majors and consider implications for colleges as they seek to assess ongoing reforms.
Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/subscribe.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study
Grant or Contract Numbers: P2CHD042849
Author Affiliations: N/A