ECON 3770

Inequality in U.S. Higher Education

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2024-2025 Catalog. Courses of Study 2024-2025 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

Is the U.S. college system a great equalizer or a cause of growing inequality? Improved access to higher education has brought millions of Americans into the middle class, and yet rising selectivity has meant that a disproportionate share of the economic elite come from a few top colleges. This course will explore the three big parts of the college experience --- (1) admissions and the college-going decision; (2) education while in college; and (3) college completion and labor market entry --- and ask how each part contributes to inequality in economic outcomes. Lectures and readings will focus on simple economic theories of higher education as well as the empirical methods used to test these theories.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: ILRLE 2400, ECON 3030 or equivalent.

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SP, 2024SP, 2023SP, 2020SP

Distribution Category (SCD-AS, SSC-AS) (D-AG, SBA-AG)

When Offered Spring.

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