Dr. Mark Schneider, a vice president at AIR, discusses his work on the earning power of first-year graduates from colleges and universities. In general, the findings show that students' schools and majors can make a big difference in what they earn.

He is working with six states to examine the average first-year earnings of recent graduates in each state. The findings compare not only the average earnings of graduates from two-year and four-year institutions, but identify earnings by degree program at each institution.

Dr. Schneider serves as president of College Measures, a nonpartisan organization that provides data and analysis on higher education. It is a joint venture of AIR and the Matrix Knowledge Group.

For more information, visit AIR’s website or follow @AIRInforms.