Extra Time to Degree

The analysis also finds that one faculty characteristic is slightly associated with higher dropout rates: the share of faculty working in industry. Anecdotal evidence suggests that faculty working in industry sometimes invite their students to work with them on specific industry projects while still enrolled in the program. Although this can increase their employability in the long term, it also restricts the time they can devote to the program, increasing their dropout probability.25

In sum, the analysis suggests that a fixed curriculum and having a governing body beyond the provost are associated with the largest dropout rate reductions. Having a fixed curriculum is the practice associated with the greatest reduction in the dropout rate (2.7 percentage points). Considering that the average program’s dropout rate is 14.1 percent, having a fixed curriculum is associated with a 19.1 percent reduction in the average dropout rate. Although the analysis cannot establish that a fixed curriculum will lead to a reduction in the dropout rate, the association is nonetheless informative.

Dropout rates do not differ by administration type (public or private) according to WBSCPS data. After accounting for all the quality determinants and other HEI and program characteristics, there are no statistically significant differences in average dropout rates between public and private HEIs.

Extra Time to Graduate

Figure 4.5 shows that three determinants are associated with lower extra time to graduate (ETG). First, SCPs that have a higher share of faculty with industry experience have a (slightly) lower ETG. As these faculty may translate their know-how and expertise into more practical training, students may be more

Figure 4.5 Associations between SCP Quality Determinants and Extra Time to Graduate

Thesis or research project is a graduation requirement

Percent of faculty with 5 years + industry experience

Percent of female faculty

General or specific knowledge test is an admission requirement

−5 0 5

Percentage points Curriculum and training Faculty Other practices

Source: Dinarte et al. (2021). Note: The figure shows the change in the extra time to graduate relative to the official duration of the program that is associated with the quality determinants (in percentage points). The estimation was done using only programs for which data were available on program duration, average time to degree for the last cohort of graduates, and all the quality determinants. Average extra time to graduate for this set of programs is 18.6 percent. All variables are dummies except when noted. A positive change denotes worsening; a negative change indicates improvement in the outcome. SCP = short-cycle program.

motivated to learn and complete the program on time. Indeed, programs with a higher share of faculty with industry experience tend to be those whose students view training quality as the most important program feature, suggesting that those faculty enhance training quality.26

A second faculty characteristic associated with lower ETG is the share of female faculty. SCPs with a higher share of female faculty are (slightly) more likely to have cohorts that graduate on time. Existing evidence in the literature shows that the presence of female faculty can positively affect academic outcomes for female students.27 Indeed, in the WBSCPS, programs with a higher share of female faculty also have a higher share of female students.

Requiring an admission test of general or specific knowledge is the third determinant associated with lower ETG. This association is driven by public HEIs (see figure 4B.2, in annex 4B), which are more likely than private HEIs to apply admission requirements. Among all the determinants, this practice has the largest association with ETG (4.8 percentage points). Choosing whom to admit presumably allows the program to choose the students best suited to the program and who will thus finish sooner. This finding is in line with evidence that students in SCPs taught by more “selective” institutions have better outcomes than those in less selective institutions (although, as discussed in chapter 1, SCPs are usually not selective in a conventional sense).28

On the flip side, SCPs that require a thesis as a graduation requirement have a higher ETG. On average, requiring a thesis for graduation is associated with an increase of 4.8 percentage points in ETG. Considering an average ETG of 18.6 percent, this determinant can increase the ETG by 26 percent. In the survey, this practice is more common in public HEIs and for the education, humanities, and social science fields. This finding calls into question the suitability of a thesis as a graduation requirement for higher education programs with a stronger practical focus, like SCPs.

Overall, the results of the associations between the quality determinants and ETG indicate that an entry exam is associated with a substantially lower ETG, while requiring a thesis for graduation is associated with substantially higher ETG.

Labor Market Outcomes and Determinants of SCP Quality

Employment in the Formal Sector

Figure 4.6 summarizes the estimated associations between the quality determinants and the probability of having almost all graduates employed in the formal sector. For simplicity, this outcome is called “formal employment.”

Formal employment is associated with determinants in all the categories. First, two determinants of infrastructure for practical training are associated with formal employment. The results suggest that graduates from programs with internet available for faculty and students and those that provide enough equipment and materials for practice have higher formal employment. As these inputs complement practical training, students may be better prepared for the labor market.