There is an ever-increasing pressure from the government for institutions of higher education to show accountability in regards to student outcomes. More specifically, it has been suggested there needs to be a standard of measure that allows for the direct comparison of colleges and universities in regards to student outcomes. Under No Child Left Behind, standardized testing has become the measurement used to determine student outcomes in K-12 public schools. This might work for Grades K-12 as one would likely expect all 8th-grade students, for example, to have a similar skill or knowledge set; however, when one tries to apply the same approach to higher education with in which there are literally hundreds of degree fields, this approach becomes problematic. Institutions of higher education take pride in their uniqueness and diversity. As such, each aspires to a unique set of student outcomes. It is this very set of unique student outcomes upon which institutions of higher education depend to set them apart from other colleges and universities. Institutions of higher education go to great lengths to show prospective students how their institution would better serve their needs over another college or university, which is only natural as institutions of higher education, just like businesses, compete with one another for customers, in this case, students. Unique student outcomes complicate any attempt to develop a standard of measure by which one might directly compare institutions of higher education. So if student outcomes are so unique and diverse that they do not lend themselves to a standard of measure at the university level, are there other data that might be better suited for this purpose? This is a question this study attempted to explore. More specifically, this study sought to reveal any links between one's college education and one's career. It also explored whether it is appropriate to use career data in developing a new accreditation model that honors the uniqueness and diversity of the individual college or university while providing a standard of measure for student outcomes--one that can be used to directly compare institutions of higher education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]