ILRLE 3445 - Inequality in U.S. Higher Education

(crosslisted) ECON 3770
(D-AG, SBA-AG)

Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: ILRLE 2400, ECON 3030 or equivalent.

E. Riehl.

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.