Higher education and employment in Post-Islamic revolution University

The quantitative expansion of higher education in Iran as well as the rest of the world, often referred to as massification and globalization of higher education, has raised many questions. A serious issue worthy of examination is the rationale which justifies the rapid expansion of higher education in Iran compared to regional and global trends. This paper deals with this question. The data analyzed in this study with secondary analysis method is based on census statistics in post-revolution period. The data has been analyzed within the framework of human capital theory and the relevant theories, such as graduate employability and educational production functions. The findings show that the relationship between rising numbers of graduates and per capita graduate employment in post-revolution Iran do not follow a single trend. Our analysis shows that for the period between 1986-1996, human capital theory can explain the development of higher education in Iran. But for the years after 1996, this theory is not capable of providing a satisfactory answer to the question of higher education development, especially among women. Our analysis also shows that the rationale behind the irrelevancy between development of higher education and employment differs among males and females.