The Influence of Undergraduate University’s Prestige on Top Firm Executives
Session Number
Project ID: BHVSO 06
Advisor(s)
Carola Frydman, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Discipline
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Start Date
17-4-2024 9:40 AM
End Date
17-4-2024 9:55 AM
Abstract
In current times, attaining a college degree has become a required step for pursuing a wide array of career opportunities. However, beyond simply obtaining a diploma, the choice of university where a person pursues their higher education can influence their future path. Guided by Dr. Carola Frydman at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, this paper addresses the question of how the types of undergraduate universities attended by executives at top firms have changed from 1960 to 2005. The universities are specifically separated by prestige through the use of past university ranking lists. The list of executives of the top firms is formed from the amount of personnel employed, which together, employ 56% of the American workforce excluding the military and agriculture. Our study has implications which highlight trends regarding how the choice of university influences an individual’s trajectory toward becoming a top executive, offering insights into the evolving patterns of college education as a whole over time. The study also possesses the potential to determine what factors determine this influence, and what additional factors may influence the individual’s trajectory toward becoming a top executive.
The Influence of Undergraduate University’s Prestige on Top Firm Executives
In current times, attaining a college degree has become a required step for pursuing a wide array of career opportunities. However, beyond simply obtaining a diploma, the choice of university where a person pursues their higher education can influence their future path. Guided by Dr. Carola Frydman at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, this paper addresses the question of how the types of undergraduate universities attended by executives at top firms have changed from 1960 to 2005. The universities are specifically separated by prestige through the use of past university ranking lists. The list of executives of the top firms is formed from the amount of personnel employed, which together, employ 56% of the American workforce excluding the military and agriculture. Our study has implications which highlight trends regarding how the choice of university influences an individual’s trajectory toward becoming a top executive, offering insights into the evolving patterns of college education as a whole over time. The study also possesses the potential to determine what factors determine this influence, and what additional factors may influence the individual’s trajectory toward becoming a top executive.