Career Survey Report- Class of 2011

Survey and Responses

The Career Services Office conducts an annual survey of the previous year’s graduating class to determine the career and employment status of the new graduates. The 2011 survey was electronically sent out in November to 1,723 alumni representing bachelor degree graduates from January, May, and August 2011.  A mailing was sent in December and a second electronic mailing was sent out in January with follow-up phone calls conducted from February through May.  We also utilized an on-line survey located on our web site that allowed graduates to send their results to us electronically.

Through these combined efforts we yielded a total of 606 replies, a response rate of approximately 35 percent. For more than ten years Career Services had achieved a response rate of 48-50 percent.  Since the economic downturn we have experienced a significant drop in responses. A comprehensive listing of the majors included in each field of study and the number of respondents from each major is provided in Appendix A.  The chart below offers a short summary of the respondents.
 

Fields of Study

# of Respondents

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

329

College of Education and Allied Studies

120

College of Business

107

College of Science and Mathematics

  50

Total

606
 

In this report information is provided about graduates’ employment status, the fields and location of employment, the techniques used to secure employment, and respondents’ opinions about how well Bridgewater prepared them for their current position.  Information highlighting graduate school enrollment and internship statistics are also included in this report.  Results are reported for the entire group, and, when appropriate, for individual fields of study.

Employment Status

Six months to a year after graduating, 83 percent of the 606 respondents were employed. Of those, 79 percent were employed on a full-time basis and 21 percent were employed part-time.

One hundred and six respondents indicated that they were not currently employed. These respondents fell into one of the following categories: they were in graduate school (34), they could not find employment in their field or location (56), or they were not looking for employment at this time (12).  Four respondents did not indicate the reason for unemployment

Graduates Reason for Not Being Employed
 Numbers are represented as frequency, not percentages

 

 Despite the economic downturn in late 2009 and early 2010, the job market for new college graduates remains fairly steady for entry level positions. The unemployment rate of BSU graduates for the Class of 2011 respondents was 5.3 percent which is well below the national average of 8.2 percent and the state average of 6.0 percent.  (Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
 

 The graph below illustrates the BSU unemployment rate for survey respondents over the past five years and
includes only those graduates who indicated they could not find a job in their field or location.

 

Location of Employment

The majority of Bridgewater graduates continue to find employment in the Commonwealth and reside in Massachusetts. In 2010 some graduates left MA to seek employment in other states. In 2011 there was a 6.6 percent increase in graduates remaining in MA for employment. The break out of this survey question is as follows: Massachusetts= 87 percent, Other New England States= 3 percent, Other= 5 percent, which includes a variety of states (NY, CA, VA, CO), International locations= 1 percent and 3 percent did not indicate their location of employment.

 

Fields of Employment

The Class of 2010 graduates are employed in a variety of fields.  Forty percent indicated that they were employed in Business, either manufacturing or non-manufacturing. Thirty percent reported employment in Education (including Elementary, Early Childhood, Physical Education and Special Education), ten percent in Human Services and Non-Profits and eight 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 Bridgewater State. Traditionally graduates seek employment in the fields of business, education, health and human services. The number of graduates in government positions was reported as five percent.

Three percent of the Class of 2011 indicated that they were self-employed while two percent indicated they were employed in Science / Technology. One percent indicated they were in the military and less than one percent indicated they had entered full-time volunteer service i.e., Peace Corps 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.   Sixty-nine percent felt that their current position was either directly or somewhat related to their academic program. The majority of the graduates in the Class of 2010 were able to secure positions closely related to their major.

This has dropped slightly from previous years.  It is clear that the job market limited the choices of employment for some graduates that were forced to select positions outside of their field in order to avoid unemployment.

Bridgewater State Preparation

Graduates were also asked how well they thought Bridgewater had prepared them for their position by responding to the statement, “The academic program at Bridgewater State prepared me for my current position”. Graduates used a scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Overall 85 percent of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. The response to this question has stayed consistent over time with responses ranging from 81 to 88 percent over the past ten years.

 “The academic program at Bridgewater State prepared me for my current position”

  

 Salary Data

Bridgewater State Class of 2011 Salary Data - Employed Full-time

Annual Salary  $

Humanities & Social Sciences

Science & Mathematics

Education

Business

< 15,000

13%

7%

9%

4%

15,000-19,999

8%

3%

15%

7%

20,000-24,999

14%

13%

13%

11%

25,000-29,999

12%

7%

10%

10%

30,000-34,999

18%

33%

15%

16%

35,000-39,999

15%

7%

16%

10%

40,000-44,999

8%

13%

11%

11%

45,000-49,999

2%

7%

3%

11%

50,000-54,999

3%

0%

1%

6%

55,000-59,999

0%

3%

0%

4%

60,000-64,999

.5%

3%

1%

2%

65,000 and above

2%

0%

0%

1%

No Answer

3%

3%

6%

7%


Less than 15,000 – 19,999 - In the lowest end of the scale from less than $15,000 – 19,,999 Education majors represent 37 percent, Humanities and Social Science majors represent 35 percent, Science majors 23 percent and Business majors 22 percent.

$ 20,000-39,999 - In this range the Science majors led with approximately 47 percent followed by Humanities and Social Sciences with 45 percent, Education at 41 percent, and Business majors at 36 percent.

$40,000-54,999 - In this range Business represented 28 percent of the Graduates.  In the same range Science represented 20 percent and Education represented 15 percent followed by Humanities and Social Science majors at 13 percent.

$55,000 and above - On the upper end of the salary range Business majors represent 7 percents; Humanities and Social Science majors also represent 7 percent.  Science majors represent 6 percent and Education majors represent 1 percent. 

 

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 results are highlighted below:

Top 3 Methods Used for Landing First Position

1.    Networking with others - 37%
2.    Internet job postings - 25%
3.    Prior employment - 22%

BSU students use a variety of ways for finding positions after graduation.  The top three methods used by our students include:  networking, internet job postings and prior employment.  Networking programs and events continue to play a central role in Career Services whether it is internships, the Job Shadow Program or participation in our internship and job fairs held annually.

Graduate School

One hundred and three students were enrolled in graduate school at the time of the survey, which represents about 17 percent of respondents. Of the 103 students 66 were enrolled full-time, 36 were enrolled part-time and one did not declare their status.  The percentage of University graduates going on to graduate school dropped from 20 percent for the Class of 2010 to 17 percent for the Class of 2011, yet the numbers historically are still within the range of 15 to 18 percent of our graduates go directly on to graduate school either full or part-time. 

Of those enrolled in graduate school 76 are in masters programs, 10 in post baccalaureate programs, 6 in law degree programs, 3 in medical degree programs and 4 in a doctoral program.  Four respondents did not indicate their program.  Of the 103 graduates who were enrolled in graduate study 40 are enrolled at Bridgewater State. A list of all the colleges and universities where the Class of 2011 graduates are enrolled can be found in Appendix B.

 

 Internships and Undergraduate Research

Thirty percent of the surveyed respondents (up 10 percent from last year) participated in some form of experiential learning.  As our internship numbers continue to rise we realize that practical experience has a direct correlation to securing job interviews and hiring.  The University is continuing to explore ways to provide scholarships or stipends to students for experiential learning opportunities.  Students, once again, are seeking internships to obtain new skills, build their resume’ or to network with alumni and professionals in their field of interest.

Graduates were also asked five additional questions related to their internship. The vast majority of respondents received academic credit for the experience, and most agreed the internship (94 percent) was related to their field of study. Although there has been a growing trend by some industries and organizations to pay interns, most respondents (84 percent) did not get paid.  It is important to note that (68 percent) felt that their internship helped prepare them for their current position.

For comparisons purposes we have included the responses for the last three years.
This data does not include graduates who were enrolled in student teaching.

 

Students involved in undergraduate research were asked if the experience helped prepare them for their current position and if it assisted them in obtaining their current position. The responses are illustrated in the charts below.

 

Notes/Acknowledgements:

  • Appendix C is a summary sheet of the responses to survey items for all employed respondents. For any major with more than 10 responses we can provide a break out report. Please contact Career Services at (508) 531-1328 for details.

Last Modified: November 6, 2012