Postsecondary Certificates and Faculty Composition

Short-term and vocational certificate programs have proliferated in the United States, spurred by prominent policy initiatives and student demand. Nationally, postsecondary institutions distribute about one million short-term certificates annually, constituting approximately about 25% of postsecondary credentials awarded. Certificate programs are distinct from degree programs in a variety of ways, including often having a more applied focus on discrete vocational skills. These features of certificate programs may mean that as these programs grow, so too will the value of having a greater proportion of faculty with applied experience, changing the composition of faculty bodies’ educational backgrounds and job titles. We examine whether the growing popularity of certificates in the two-year sector corresponds to changes in faculty composition. A focal state is Kentucky, which is a national leader in certificate granting and where certificate and applied training is a prominent policy emphasis. Our results indicate that in two-year public institutions where certificates are a larger share of credentials conferred, faculty were less likely to have graduate degrees, be in non-tenure-track role, or have a professorial title