Where Are They Now? Spring 2014 Graduates: Six Months after Graduation

Nationally standardized career outcomes data on college graduates

Austin, TX USA – WEBWIRE – Monday, January 26, 2015

The National Standard for Career Outcomes Data

In spring 2014, 54 institutions in 22 states began gathering career outcomes data on their graduates using The Outcomes Survey® (TOS). Over thirty six thousand graduates were prompted to respond at graduation, at three months, and at six months.

Following are highlights of the responses collected on bachelor’s degree recipients by six months after graduation by the 36 institutions that followed The Outcomes Survey® “Gold Standard” research methodology in surveying their spring 2014 graduates. By following CSO’s research methodology, institutions adhere to the TOS best practice standards for institutional research and qualify their data to be included in TOS National Reports on Career Outcomes.

What We Know about the Career Outcomes of Spring 2014 Graduates

Occupational Status

Data on the spring Class of 2014 clearly indicate that many graduates pursue multiple occupations simultaneously as they navigate their careers upon completing their degrees.

When bachelor’s-level graduates were asked to provide information on all of their post-graduate activities: 51% reported full-time employment; 20% reported part-time employment; 20% indicated they were enrolled in additional education; 14.5% indicated they were still seeking additional education but were not yet enrolled; 5% indicated they were engaged in volunteer service; and 18% reported they were not employed but were seeking employment.

When that same group was asked to report a single primary occupation only, the numbers changed significantly: 48% reported full-time employment; 10% reported part-time employment; 17% indicated they were enrolled in additional education; 6% indicated they were still seeking additional education but were not yet enrolled; 1% indicated they were engaged in volunteer service; and 16% reported they were not employed but were seeking employment.

Reasons for Unemployment

Data on the spring Class of 2014 clearly indicate that there are many reasons why new graduates still seeking employment have not yet secured positions.

The graduates who reported they were unemployed cited a variety of reasons for their unemployment: 28% indicated they were unable to find employment related to goals or major; 13% indicated they were still seeking additional education; 11% indicated they were unable to find any employment; 9% indicated they were unable to find employment in their desired location(s); 8% cited family or personal reasons; 5% indicated they were unable to find employment with sufficient pay; and 20% cited other reasons for their unemployment.

Compensation

Bachelor’s-level graduates in Engineering, Computer Science, Accounting, Nursing and Finance reported the highest median incomes.

Across all majors at all institutions, the median income for bachelor’s degree recipients is $34,000.

The five undergraduate majors reporting the highest median income at the bachelor’s level are: Engineering ($57,900); Computer Science and Information Systems Technology ($50,000); Accounting ($47,000), Nursing ($48,250) and Finance ($45,000).

Employment Types

While the large majority of graduates describe their occupations as traditional “employment by an organization,” many students pursue other occupational paths including contract work, postgraduate internships, and self-employment/entrepreneurship.

Of those graduates reporting their status as employed: 68% describe their work as traditional employment by an organization; 7% describe their work as temporary/contract employment; 6% are pursuing postgraduate internships or fellowships; 4% are self-employed, working freelance or consider themselves entrepreneurs; and 1% are serving in the military.

Additional Insights on the Spring Class of 2014

In addition to the standard outcomes questions, spring 2014 graduates who responded to The Outcomes Survey® shared information on their priorities and motivations in seeking employment, the impact of experiential education (i.e., internships) on their job search; and their engagement in the process of seeking a post-graduation occupation.

The large majority of employed graduates found positions that are related to their career goals and their undergraduate major.

·        79% reported employment in a position related to their major area of study
·        82% reported employment in a position related to their career goals
·        80% reported satisfaction (satisfied or very satisfied) with their current occupation

Hometowns and alma maters influence where graduates seek occupations.

·        54.3% of undergraduates sought occupations near their hometowns
·        25% sought occupations near their alma mater
·        Only 6% sought occupations outside the U.S.

For Additional Information and Data: A full presentation of data on associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral/professional level degree recipients six months after graduation will be shared through CSO’s free webinars “Where Are They Now? National Report on the Career Outcomes of Spring 2014 College Graduates” on January 30th, February 3rd and February 5th. Questions can be directed to CSO’s Head of Research and Analysis – Max Wartel – at outcomes@csoresearch.com or 1-866-705-4201, x 134.

Data Disclaimer: Data on the spring Class of 2014 six months following graduation is now available. The Outcomes Survey® Six Month National Report includes sanitized aggregated data from 36 institutions that met The Outcomes Survey® “Gold Standard” for following data collection protocols and using standardized questions, resulting in an undergraduate population of 18,086 graduates. The undergraduate response rate for The Outcomes Survey® spring Class of 2014 was over 38%. With nearly 7,000 responses (6,898) from 36 institutions in 19 states from across the country using The Outcomes Survey®, this data represents perhaps the most comprehensive overview available of post-graduation outcomes collected in a standardized fashion for this class.

About The Outcomes Survey®: Since its launch in early 2014, 94 institutions in 34 states have selected The Outcomes Survey® (TOS) to collect nationally standardized career outcomes data on their graduates that exceed National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) standards and recommendations, meet reporting standards set forth by the MBA CSEA, US News & World Report, and Bloomberg/Business Week, as well as address the emerging federal reporting standards related to the White House College Scorecard.

About CSO Research, Inc.: CSO Research, Inc. helps launch the careers of the college-educated workforce through innovative technology solutions, research services and online content. For more information, visit http://www.csoresearch.com.