STUDENT COMPLETION AND WORKFORCE REPORT
The 2011 Nevada Legislature passed Senate Bill 449 (Chapter 397, Statutes of Nevada 2011), which requires the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) to compile a biennial report concerning completion of degree and certificate programs and employment within the field of study (codified under Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 396.531). Part I of the Student Completion and Workforce Report includes:
By institution within the System and by each academic program at the institution:
(a) The number of students who enter the academic program;
(b) The percentage of students who complete the academic program; and
(c) The average length of time for completion of the academic program to obtain a degree or certificate.
Part 1 – Completion and Time to Degree by Program of Study
The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) institutions offer a variety of programs based on the needs and diversity of the students and communities in which they are located. The data included in this section reports by institution and academic program the number of students who entered each academic program, the number who graduated, and the average time to completion of a degree or certificate.
Enrollment load often fluctuates by term. Therefore, in addition to the average time for completion of an academic program as required by the legislation, also included is the distribution of students who complete within specific time frames (100 percent of regular time, 150 percent, 200 percent) to provide insight into the length of time taken to earn a degree and how that data translates into enrollment load. In order to complete a degree in 100 percent of regular time (4 years for a bachelor's degree of two years for an associate's degree), a student would have to be enrolled full-time throughout their program of study. Completion of a degree in 150 or 200 percent of regular time means part-time enrollment occurred in some or all terms. It should be noted that part-time students may take longer to earn a degree than the time allotted in this report. This report includes all students who began a program of study regardless of their first-semester enrollment load.
For each program of study the table provides: 1) data on the percent of students who complete any degree, in any field (i.e., a business student who earns a degree in biology, and 2) for the four-year institutions, data on the percent of students who complete a degree in the program of study declared their first term of enrollment.