2026-05-15T16:55:43-0400 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻（CBS News）
作者：艾梅·皮奇（Aimee Picchi）
艾梅·皮奇是CBS财经频道（CBS MoneyWatch）副执行主编，负责商业和个人财经领域报道。她曾供职于彭博新闻社，并为《今日美国》和《消费者报告》等全国性新闻 outlets 撰稿。
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艾梅·皮奇
2026年5月15日 / 美国东部时间下午4:55 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
随着大学学费持续攀升，公众对高等教育的质疑声也日益高涨，许多美国人都在质疑学士学位是否仍物有所值。
一项针对德克萨斯州公立大学生的最新分析显示，总体而言，大学毕业生的收入远高于无学位人士，即便就读文科专业也是如此。
这项由非营利教育组织高等教育委员会（Postsecondary Commission）开展的分析，追踪了约2.9万名在2008至2009学年注册攻读学士学位的学生。研究人员随后跟踪了毕业生在接下来15年里的“累计净增值收入”。
该指标将毕业生一段时间内的总收入与无学士学位劳动者的收入进行对比，同时还扣除了学费、食宿费以及就读期间损失的收入等教育相关开支。
平均而言，即便将大学成本计算在内，大学毕业生在这15年里的收入仍比高中毕业生高出近8.7万美元。
工程和建筑专业的投资回报率最高。但研究发现，即便收入水平往往较低的文科专业毕业生，其收入也比未获得学士学位的同龄人高出约3.5万美元。
“无论就读哪个专业，攻读学士学位的人都很可能做出了明智的投资，”高等教育咨询公司HEA集团总裁迈克尔·伊特科维茨（Michael Itzkowitz）在接受哥伦比亚广播公司新闻采访时谈到该研究结果时表示，“随着这些学习者在职业生涯中不断进步，这种经济收益未来还可能进一步增长。”
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伊特科维茨指出，该高等教育委员会的研究仅针对德克萨斯州学生，其他州因区域经济差异需要不同水平的职业培训，研究结果可能有所不同。但他表示，该分析表明，即便是收入较低的专业领域，大学毕业生也能获得经济收益。
“这项研究相当严谨，因为它考虑了机会成本，也就是说，它将那些直接从高中就开始工作的人所损失的大学就读时间成本纳入了考量，”他说道。
其他学位带来的收入提升
获得学士学位并非提升收入的唯一途径，该分析还评估了获得副学士学位和其他证书的学生长期收入提升情况。
大多数副学士学位都能带来正收益。建筑行业专业的回报最为丰厚，获得资质后15年的收益约为7.2万美元。
相比之下，一些两年制项目，包括餐饮服务和物流专业，最终分别造成约1.3万美元和1.5万美元的净损失。
证书项目的结果也喜忧参半。建筑行业证书的回报率最高，15年收益约为4.8万美元。但包括社会科学和信息技术在内的七个证书领域，在该时间段内出现了净亏损。
编辑：阿兰·谢尔特（Alain Sherter）
Which college majors offer the best long-term return on investment?
2026-05-15T16:55:43-0400 / CBS News
By Aimee Picchi
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
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Aimee Picchi
May 15, 2026 / 4:55 PM EDT / CBS News
As college costs climb and skepticism about higher education grows, many Americans are asking whether a bachelor’s degree is still worth the price.
A new analysis of Texas public college students shows graduates generally earn far more than non-degree holders, even in liberal arts.
The analysis, by the Postsecondary Commission, a nonprofit education group, tracked about 29,000 students who enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs in the 2008-09 academic year. Researchers then tracked the graduates’ “cumulative net value-added earnings” over the next 15 years.
That metric compares grads’ total earnings over a period of time with those of workers without bachelor’s degrees, while also subtracting educational expenses such as tuition, room and board and income lost while attending college.
On average, college graduates outearned high school graduates by almost $87,000 over that 15-year period, even after accounting for college costs.
Engineering and architecture majors enjoyed the highest returns. But even liberal arts majors, whose degrees can translate into lower earnings, outperformed their peers without bachelor’s degrees by about $35,000, the study found.
“Those pursuing a bachelor’s degree — regardless of field of study — are likely making a wise investment,” Michael Itzkowitz, president of higher education consulting firm HEA Group, told CBS News of the findings. “That’s a financial gain that will likely grow even more over time, as these learners and earners progress throughout their careers.”
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The Postsecondary Commission study is limited to Texas students, and results may vary in other states where regional economic differences can require different levels of employment training, Itzkowitz noted. But the analysis shows that even lower-paying fields of study tend to offer economic benefits for college grads, he said.
“This study is quite rigorous, as it takes opportunity costs into account, meaning it includes the foregone costs of spending time in college in comparison to those who begin working straight out of high school,” he said.
Boost from other degrees
Earning a bachelor’s degree isn’t the only way to boost earnings, with the analysis also assessing the long-term earnings boost for students who received associate’s degrees and other certificates.
Most associate’s degrees generated positive returns. The construction trades provided the strongest payoff at roughly $72,000 over 15 years after earning the credentials.
By contrast, some two-year programs, including culinary services and logistics, resulted in net losses of about $13,000 and $15,000, respectively.
Certificates also showed mixed results. Construction trade certificates generated the highest return, at roughly $48,000 over 15 years. But seven certificate fields, including social sciences and information technology, resulted in net losses during that period.
Edited by Alain Sherter
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