Though more students are enrolling in two-year community college programs, some Iowa State faculty members maintain that a four-year degree still has many benefits.

Dean of Students Kathleen MacKay said there is a certain leverage given to students with bachelor’s degrees.

“Our society is changing rapidly, and a broad-based education is essential,” she said. “Also, if you stay in school longer, your writing and communication skills will be enhanced.”

Beverly Madden, director of Career Planning and Placement at ISU, said that the specificity of two-year programs is beneficial. However, she added that ISU has an excellent job placement rate, which comes from the “currency of our academic programs and the quality of the student body.”

Madden also said employers seek the broad sort of education students receive when they enroll in a four-year program.

“A university program can teach you concepts beyond just your field,” she said. “It can also help you develop reasoning, understanding and an openness toward others.”

Upper-level administrators often are graduates of liberal arts and science programs, Madden said.

“This is because they are open to ideas and interaction,” she said. “The reason these people may have risen to the top may be the same set of personal characteristics that led them to pursue an LAS undergraduate degree.”

Madden also said the “incremental increase” in salaries for four-year graduates is advantageous. She said the total cost of a bachelor’s degree is often equal to the salary graduates earn in their first year of employment.

“The education you receive is well worth it,” she said.

However, Des Moines Area Community College placement officer Dorothy Thornton said community college graduates can offer employers current, specific training.

Computer programs, computer-aided design and tool and dye programs are “very much in demand,” she said.

Thornton added that some DMACC instructors “work collaboratively” with local businesses to create courses geared toward specific industries.

The shorter period that two-year graduates need to complete their education has certain benefits, Thornton said.

“Programs run in cycles,” she said. “Right now, the fields of health, computers, food service and hospitality are hot. A two-year college can gear their [curriculum] toward what’s in demand.”