Economics ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-30-2024

Abstract

This paper revisits the questions posed by Arbeit and Warren in their 2013 study, "Labor market penalties for foreign degrees among college-educated immigrants," using updated data from the 2018 National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG). The original study, which analyzed data from 2003, focused on the economic and employment disadvantages faced by immigrants with degrees from foreign institutions in an increasingly globalized workforce. This updated analysis includes data on 21,071 college-educated immigrants to explore whether the geographic origin of an academic degree continues to influence access to high-quality employment opportunities and whether such impacts differ by gender. My findings reveal that both male and female college educated immigrants with foreign degrees are less likely to secure employment related to their highest college degree. Interestingly, while male immigrants do not experience significant wage penalties, female immigrants with foreign degrees earn approximately 25% less than their counterparts with U.S. degrees.

Degree Name

Economics

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Department of Economics

First Committee Member (Chair)

Melissa Binder

Second Committee Member

Richard Santos

Third Committee Member

Xiaoxue Li

Language

English

Keywords

College-educated Immigrants, U.S. Degrees, Penalties, human capital theory, credentialism/signaling

Document Type

Thesis

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Economics Commons

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