Bridgewater graduates continue to work in the Commonwealth and contribute to the vitality of the Massachusetts economy; approximately 92 percent of this year's respondents are employed in the state. For the Class of 2004 graduates, only three percent indicated that they were employed in other New England states, and another five percent were employed outside the region.  

Fields of Employment

The Class of 2004 graduates are employed in a variety of fields.  Thirty-six percent indicated that they were employed in Business, either manufacturing or non-manufacturing. Thirty-two percent reported employment in Education (including Elementary, Early Childhood, Physical Education and Special Education), 14 percent in Human Services and Non-Profits and 9 percent in Health-related fields. 
The percentages have stayed consistent over the past few years. The survey data closely reflects the academic programs students have chosen to pursue while at BSC. Traditionally, graduates seek employment in the fields of business, education, health and human service. The number of graduates in government positions was reported as 5 percent.

Three percent of the Class of 2004 indicated that they were self employed.  Less than one percent of graduates indicated that they were in the Military and/or had entered full-time volunteer service i.e., Peace Corp and VISTA .

Relation of Position to Academic Major

Graduates were asked to identify the degree to which their position was related to their academic major.   Seventy-nine percent felt that their current position was either directly or somewhat related to their major with almost half indicating a direct relationship. The majority of the graduates in the Class of 2004 were able to secure positions closely related to their major.

BSC Preparation

Graduates were also asked how well they thought BSC had prepared them for their position by responding to the statement, "The academic program at BSC prepared me for my current position". Graduates used a scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Overall, 83 percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. The response to this question has stayed consistent over time with responses ranging from 81 to 85 percent over the past ten years.

 "The academic program at BSC prepared me for my current position"

Salary Data

  BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE
Class of 2004 Salary Data - Employed Full-time

Data is represented in percentages.

           For comparison purposes a list of regional salaries and national salaries is included on page 9.

Less than 12,000 to 20,999

On the lowest end of the scale from less than $12,000 - 20,999 Education majors represent 23 percent, Humanities 17 percent, Social Sciences 13 percent; Management Science graduates represented 3 percent and Sciences two percent in this category.

$ 21,000-32,999

In this range the Humanities majors led with approximately 61 percent followed closely by Social Science at 56 percent, Management majors at 45 percent, Education majors at 40 percent and Science at 37 percent.

$33,000-44,999

In this range Science represented 42 percent of the graduates.  In this same range Management majors represented 32 percent followed by Education majors at 29 percent, Social Science at 16 percent and Humanities at 14 percent.

$45,000-54,000 and over

On the upper end of the salary range Management majors represented the majority at 16 percent in this range. Closely behind were Science majors at 14 percent and then it trailed off with Social Sciences at 9 percent, Education at 4 percent and Humanities students representing only 2 percent in this salary range.

Methods of Obtaining Current Position

Graduates were asked to reveal what they considered to be the primary source used to obtain their current position.  The top three ways graduates landed their first job are highlighted below:

 Job Search Strategies:

• Networking with others - 40 %

• Hired from internship or part-time employment - 19%

• Internet job postings - 16%

The National Association of Colleges and Employer Job Outlook Report over the last several years has consistently detailed the top three ways in which employers seek new hires: on-campus recruiting, internships programs and employee referral programs; all three hiring methods are forms of networking. Students who focus on networking and gaining relevant work experience while in college enhance their marketability significantly.

Other methods in which students obtained employment included BSC recruiting programs such as on-campus interviews, resume referrals, and job fairs.   

Graduate School

One hundred students were enrolled in graduate school at the time of the survey, which represents about 17 percent of respondents. Of the one hundred, 59 were enrolled full-time and 41 were enrolled part-time. Over the last several years between 15 to 18 percent of our graduates go directly on to graduate school. Many graduate programs encourage applicants to have at least one to three years of professional work experience before enrolling.  

Of those enrolled in graduate school, 79 are in masters programs, 14 in post baccalaureate programs, 5 in professional degrees and 2 in doctoral programs.  Of the one hundred graduates who were enrolled in graduate study, 42 are enrolled at BSC. A list of all the colleges and universities where Class of 2004 graduates are enrolled can be found in Appendix B.

Internships & Undergraduate Research

Graduates were asked about their involvement with internships. The vast majority of respondents (86%) received academic credit for the experience, and most agreed the internship (95%) was related to their field of study. Although there has been a growing trend by some industries and organizations to pay interns, most students (71%) did not get paid. 

The chart to the right answers the question "Did you complete an internship?" This does not include student teaching. For comparisons purposes we have included the responses for the last two years.

Average Starting Salary Offers
For Entry Level Graduates 2004 Data

Reprinted from the NACE Salary Survey and EACE Regional Salary Survey, September 2004 with permission of the National Association of Col leges and Employers, copyright holder.

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Last Modified: July 19, 2005