Dr. Sophie McGuinness is an assistant professor of education leadership and policy studies at Florida State University. Her research uses tools in applied microeconomics to study education policy with a focus on career and technical education, community colleges, and workforce development. Her work has appeared in top journals including Education Finance and Policy, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, and Research in Higher Education. Her work has been supported by the ECMC Foundation and Bonsal Family Foundation. She has served as a Higher Education Research Fellow within the inaugural Office of the Chief Economist at U.S. Department of Education.
Prior to her work in academia, Sophie worked as a higher education consultant focused on helping universities serve adult and working learners. Sophie earned her PhD in Education Policy from Vanderbilt University and Ed.M. in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Applied Statistics from the University of California, Davis, after transferring through the California Community College System.
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Selected Publications
McGuinness, S. (2025). Can Public Investment in Community Colleges Draw Adult Learners Away from For-Profits?. Education Finance and Policy, 1-34. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp.a.2
McGuinness, S. (2025). Local Labor Market Alignment of Short-Term Certificate Programs. Research in Higher Education, 66(6), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-025-09852-8
McGuinness, S. & Darolia, R. (2025). AEFP Live Handbook: Workforce-Aligned Certificate Programs. Journal of Education Finance and Policy. https://livehandbook.org/higher-education/institutions-and-majors/cte-ed/-workforce-development-certificates-and-microcredentials/.
†Guzman, M., McGuinness, S., & Turner, L. J. (Accepted). The Influence of Mega Universities on College Competition and Outcomes. Economics of Education Review.