Presented By: Karl Jicha, North Carolina State University

The impact of a post-secondary education can manifest itself in a graduate's professional and personal spheres and affect financial standing, career trajectory, interpersonal skills, and the propensity for community engagement. An attempt to measure the comprehensive impact of a degree was made by the Agricultural Institute (AGI), an Associates of Applied Science Program at North Carolina State University. This presentation will highlight efforts to quantify the long-term personal and professional impacts of a degree in this specialized associate's degree program. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Mezirow's (1975) Transformative Learning Theory and Becker's (1964) Human Capital Theory. An exploratory sequential research design was utilized where a series of focus groups were conducted to aid in the development of a survey that was sent out to program alumni. This qualitative descriptive study consisted of 31 questions that were predominantly open-ended and Likert scale in nature investigating the personal and professional impacts of their AGI degree. Data were collected from 237 alumni who graduated between 1962-2022. Researchers found alumni developed a range of long-term personal and professional connections, practical knowledge and technical skills, the ability to network, an enhanced sense of confidence and self-reliance, and exposure to new career opportunities. Alumni also indicated they were better prepared for their first job, they had broader career options, and felt strong commitments to civic organization because of their education and experiences. The majority (over 80%) of alumni stayed in North Carolina and have continued their involvement in the state's agricultural industry largely due to the impact of their degree. The findings of this study provide invaluable information for key stakeholders, potential students, and peer institutions on the overall value of a degree.