Depth or Diversity? Examining the Longer Run Impacts of College Curriculum Breadth

Kelvin Seah (), Jessica Pan () and Poh Lin Tan ()
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Kelvin Seah: National University of Singapore
Jessica Pan: National University of Singapore
Poh Lin Tan: National University of Singapore

No 18067, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Existing research suggests that broad versus specialized university curricula does not significantly lead to differences in earnings and unemployment outcomes shortly after graduation. This paper builds on previous work by examining the impact of curriculum breadth on medium-term labor market outcomes, up to six years after students have graduated. Exploiting a unique episode in the history of the National University of Singapore, in which a university-wide revision in graduation requirements in 2007 prompted students in a large faculty to unexpectedly read a more specialized curriculum, we find, using a difference-in-differences approach, that while taking a more specialized curriculum does not initially affect labor earnings shortly after graduation, its effect becomes negative and increases with work experience. We find no evidence that lower earnings are due to a lower propensity to switch jobs, suggesting weaker within-firm earnings trajectories among more specialized graduates.

Keywords: difference-in-differences; curriculum breadth; university curriculum; earnings; employment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lma
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