North Carolina State
University
2003 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey:
Highlights
- Alumni who received a bachelor's degree from NC
State between Summer 1997 and Spring 2000 (N=10,401) were asked to participate
in a Web survey in the Spring of 2003. Alumni for whom the Office of Alumni
Relations did not have accurate address information were excluded from the
final survey sample.??? A total of
2,963 surveys were completed, resulting in a response rate of 32 percent
(2,963 of 9,254) and a margin of error of +1.2 at the 95 percent
confidence level.
- On average, respondents gave the highest ratings
of importance to their current profession to preparing for a career,
ability to think critically, viewing learning as a lifelong process,
and understanding my own abilities and interests. Respondents gave
the highest average satisfaction ratings to NC State's contribution
to their acquiring a broad education and ability to think critically.???
In general, goals ranked relatively high in importance were also
ranked relatively high in satisfaction, and goals ranked relatively low
in importance were ranked relatively low in satisfaction. Two important
exceptions to this pattern are preparing for a career and understanding
my own abilities and interests, which were ranked much higher in importance
than in satisfaction
- Over 80 percent of respondents agreed that their
NC State education prepared them to be competitive, they know
how to access and use information, they read newspapers and magazines
frequently, and that their NC State courses encouraged creative thinking.
- About 30 percent of respondents have either completed
or are currently enrolled in graduate or professional school. About one-third
of them received or plan to receive a graduate degree from NC State ??? the
most commonly reported institution for further education.???
Alumni most frequently reported continuing their education in the
fields of management (19.4%), engineering (18.4%), and the humanities and
social sciences (14.2%).??? About two-thirds of those continuing their
education have received or plan to receive a master's degree, 11 percent
a doctoral degree, 7 percent a medical degree, and 7 percent a law degree.
About 40 percent of those going on to graduate/professional school reported
that they received "excellent" preparation from NC State for their
further education.???
- While more than half of all respondents had a permanent
full-time position before or upon graduation, this was more likely for men
(59.9%), whites (53.8%), and non-African American minority students (54.3%)
than for women (44.3%) and African Americans (39.0%). About half of respondents
said that their first job was "directly related" to the degree
they received from NC State. Of the 16 percent of respondents whose first
job was ???not related??? to their degree, about two-thirds said that they chose
to be employed outside their field of study.???
About three-fourths of respondents reported either "excellent"
or "good" preparation by NC State for their first job.
- About 70 percent of respondents had work-related
experience, such as through a cooperative education program, internship,
or research, while at NC State. About 80 percent of them reported that this
experience helped them secure their current position of employment. Alumni
who participated in a work-related experience at NC State were more likely
than those without such experience to be both initially employed and currently
employed within their field of study.
- Almost 90 percent of respondents are currently
employed. Three-fourths of currently employed respondents reported "excellent"
or "good"??? preparation
by NC State for their current positions.
- About half of currently employed respondents reported
that their job is "directly related" to the degree they received
from NC State.??? Of the 18 percent
of respondents whose current job is "not related" to their degree,
80 percent report that they chose to be employed outside their field of
study. However, as with their first job after graduation, African Americans
are slightly more likely than whites to be currently employed outside their
major field, and much less likely to be in that situation by choice. Alumni
from Design (74.7%) are the most likely, and those from CHASS (30.2%) least
likely, to currently hold jobs that are "directly related" to
their degree. However, with the exception of Design graduates, the large
majority of those from each college that are not currently employed in their
field of study, choose to be employed outside their field of study. Interestingly,
while about 72 percent of alumni from CED held first jobs that were "directly
related" to their degree, that figure dropped to 56 percent for their
current job.
- Respondents were asked to rate the importance of
36 professional skills and how well NC State prepared them for each
skill.??? In general, skills ranked
high in importance were also ranked relatively high in preparation. Skills
ranked relatively high in importance but relatively low in preparation
include:
- Overall communication skills
- Ability to grow on the job
- Confidence in performance
- Listening skills
- Leadership and management skills
- Ability to adjust to new job demands
For more information on the
2003 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey contact:
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu
Posted: April, 2003
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