Christopher Shupert

Research Proposal, Outline, and Timeline

Are the benefits of a college education worth the investment?

An extremely sensitive topic in politics and culture right now is student debt. Is this debt

or investment in education worth the benefits anymore? The median salary for a recent college

graduate is just over $50,000 but the median debt is $30,000 for seven out of ten graduating

seniors from public universities and $37,000 for non-profit private universities like Ottawa

University. The national debt held by student loans has increased to over $1.3 trillion but

eighteen-year-old kids are still going into debt every semester because they are told that to

succeed you must have a bachelors degree from a four-year university.

The goal of this research paper is to help people decide if going after a traditional four-

year degree from a university is worth the debt or if other alternative means are more beneficial

for their careers and financial abilities to repay loans associated with a college education. Are

there better alternatives for students to take to keep themselves out of debt while still obtaining

the education they need to succeed in life? In recent surveys over the last two years the results

are shocking, with only about 38 percent of recent graduates saying the time and money spent

was worth getting the degree.

So, is the time and debt worth a traditional degree? Most will agree that education and

knowledge and how to apply that knowledge is priceless. There will always be a place for

traditional education but we no longer live in a traditional society. There is no doubt that a

traditional degree is the best route for certain degrees and job fields but with the way the world is

shaping and changing is it the best route for everyone to take? Can you become an expert in a

field without a bachelors degree and without the debt?

Christopher Shupert
Research Proposal, Outline, and Timeline

Outline

Are the benefits of a college education worth the investment?

I. Introduction
A. Benefits of a college degree
B. Debt crisis surrounded by student loans
II. When the college degree became the standard in the business world
A. When did companies start demanding degrees?
B. Why did/do companies require degrees?
III. Alternatives to college degrees
A. Trade schools
B. Community college programs
C. Certification programs
IV. Comparison of a college degree and alternatives
A. Does one offer advantages over the other
B. Do you have the same opportunities taking alternative routes to education?
C. Median salaries of graduates of all routes, traditional or alternative
V. Conclusion
A. Is the traditional route right for everyone?
B. Is the financial investment worth a college degree?
C. Does the modern day workforce demand degrees still?

Timeline

Date Completed
February 06 Topic Proposal
February 10 Establish and research first 3 sources:
February 20 Establish and research next 3 sources:
March 08 Complete research for sources, complete

annotated bibliography
March 10 Complete introduction
March Complete first 2 subheadings:
March Complete next subheadings:
March Complete conclusion and abstract
March Turn in 1st draft
March 22 Write peer review and receiver own peer
Christopher Shupert
Research Proposal, Outline, and Timeline

review
April Write final draft
April Turn in final paper