2012 Alumni Survey
All Respondents

This report presents findings from the 2012 Alumni Survey. Tables include the overall results for each survey question. For a full discussion of the survey's methodology, see 2012 Alumni Survey: Introduction, Methods, and Student Demographic Profile. Responses broken down by gender, race/ethnicity, college, and academic year of graduation, as well as a copy of the survey instrument with exact question wording, are available online through the 2012 Alumni Survey: Table of Contents.

Table of Contents:

Overall Satisfaction	Undergraduate Education Goals:	Undergraduate Experiences:	Current Behaviors:
Connection to NC State	Communication Skills	Impact of	Volunteer Activities
Post-Graduation Activities	Critical and Creative Thinking	International Experiences	Physical Exercise
Post-Graduation Employment:	Professionalism	Work-Related Experiences	Participation in the Arts
First Full-Time Position	General Education	Student Organizations	Current Events
Current Position	Diversity and Global Awareness		Leisure Reading
Further Education

Overall Satisfaction

Respondents to the 2012 Alumni Survey are overwhelmingly satisfied with their educational experience at NC State, and would recommend the University to others. Over 90 percent rate their overall undergraduate education as "very strong" (52%) or "strong" (42%), and a similar number believe that NC State prepared them "a great deal" (57%) or "some" (33%) to be competitive with graduates from other institutions. Over 90 percent also say they would recommend NC State to a friend (94%), and 86% say they themselves would definitely choose to attend NC State again if they were starting over. Respondents are somewhat less certain that they would choose to study the same academic major, with just over half saying they would definitely do so (56%). The remainder are evenly divided between saying they would not choose the same major (22%) and that they are " not sure" if they would (23%).

Table 1: Overall Evaluation of Education

	Mean	4: Very strong	3: Strong	2: Weak	1: Very weak	Total (N)
Overall evaluation of undergraduate education at NC State	3.46	52.3%	41.9%	5.0%	0.7%	2,689

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Table 2: Prepared to be Competitive with Graduates from Other Institutions

	Mean Rating	4: A great deal	3: Some	2: A little	1: Not at all	Total (N)
NC State education prepared me to be competitive with grads from other institutions	3.45	57.0%	33.3%	7.2%	2.6%	2,695

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The extent to which one's job relates to their academic major appears to be related to whether or not they would choose the same major again. Two-thirds of alumni who say their first full-time permanent position was "directly" related to their major field of study say they would choose the same major again (68%), compared to 51 percent of those whose first full-time job was "somewhat" related and 30 percent of those who first full-time job was unrelated to their major. Almost half of those in a first job unrelated to their academic major say they would not choose the same field of study again (46%). Similarly, almost three-fourths of those whose current full-time job is "directly related" to their academic major say they would choose the same major again (73%), compared to 53 percent of those in jobs "somewhat" related and 29 percent of those in jobs that are not related to their major. Finally, alumni who went on to graduate/professional school are somewhat more likely than those who did not to say they would definitely choose the same field of study again. Alumni who had enrolled in graduate/professional school but left before completing a degree were more likely than others to say they would not choose the same major.

Table 3: Still Choose Same Major, by Relationship of First Full-Time Job to Major

If starting again, still choose same major field of study	Relationship of first full-time permanent position to academic major
	Directly related	Somewhat related	Not related
Yes	68.3%	51.4%	29.6%
No	11.0%	22.1%	46.4%
Not sure	20.7%	26.6%	24.0%
Total (N)	1,160	625	530

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Table 4: Still Choose Same Major, by Relationship of Current Job to Major

If starting again, still choose same major field of study	Relationship of current position to academic major
	Directly related	Somewhat related	Not related
Yes	73.1%	52.7%	28.7%
No	8.5%	20.3%	47.2%
Not sure	18.4%	27.0%	24.1%
Total (N)	1,083	710	523

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Table 5: Still Choose Same Major by Graduate/Professional School Status

If starting again, still choose same major field of study	Further education
	Completed degree, not currently enrolled	Currently enrolled, already have degree	Currently enrolled, no degree yet	Enrolled, but no degree	No further education
Yes	62.0%	66.3%	63.5%	55.3%	51.1%
No	15.4%	11.9%	16.2%	30.6%	25.1%
Not sure	22.6%	21.8%	20.3%	14.1%	23.8%
Total (N)	455	101	463	85	1,578

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Connection to NC State

Alumni were asked the extent to which they have felt a connection to NC State since receiving their undergraduate degree, and how important such a connection is to them. Over 40 percent of alumni reported feeling either "very connected" (15%) or "moderately connected" (28%) to NC State. In contrast, 42 percent of alumni overall say it is "very important" for them to feel a connection to NC State, and another 30 percent say it is "moderately important." Alumni for whom it is important to feel connected are more likely to say they have such a connection. For example, 29 percent of those who say it is "very important" to feel connected to NC State say they actually feel "very connected" to the institution. In comparison, two-thirds of those relatively few alumni who say it is "not at all important" to feel connected to NC State say they are "not at all connected." There are, however, some notable disconnects between perceptions of the importance of remaining connected to NC State and actually feeling connected. Over 10 percent of those who say it is "very important" to them to feel connected say they feel either "not very connected" (9%) or "not at all connected" (2%) to NC State.

Table 6: Continued Connection to NC State

Connection to NC State since graduating	Importance of feeling connection to NC State
	5: Very important	4: Moderately important	3: Somewhat important	2: Not very important	1: Not at all important	Total (N)
5: Very connected	28.7%	7.3%	3.3%	1.9%	3.0%	15.1%
4: Moderately connected	36.2%	35.1%	10.2%	4.7%	1.5%	28.2%
3: Somewhat connected	24.1%	35.3%	47.3%	21.1%	11.9%	30.8%
2: Not very connected	9.4%	19.7%	34.7%	54.9%	17.9%	20.6%
1: Not at all connected	1.6%	2.6%	4.4%	17.4%	65.7%	5.2%
Total (N)	42.3%	30.4%	16.9%	7.9%	2.5%	2,688

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Post-Graduation Activities

Two-thirds of alumni respondents indicated that their primary activity during the first year after they graduated was full-time employment (65%), and another 15 percent say they were working part-time. One-fourth of the alumni say they attended graduate/professional school either full- (22%) or part-time (3%) the year after they graduated. One percent of graduates were serving in the military immediately after graduating, and another one percent said they were a homemaker that first year. Three percent took the opportunity to spend their time in that first year traveling.

Table 7: Primary Activity During the Year After Completing Undergraduate Degree

Activity	%
Worked full-time	64.7%
Worked part-time	14.7%
Military service	0.8%
Homemaker	1.3%
Attended graduate/professional school full-time	22.3%
Attended graduate/professional school part-time	2.9%
Travel	3.3%
Other	5.6%
Total (N)	2,855

Note: Respondents could provide more than one response.
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Post-Graduation Employment

Less than half of all alumni respondents had a full-time permanent position to start immediately after graduation. About 30 percent of respondents said they had accepted an offer for a full-time permanent position by commencement day (31%), and another 11 percent said they continued in a full-time permanent position that they had begun prior to graduation. While 25 percent said they had secured a position within 6 months of graduating, 12 percent said it was over one year after graduation that they began their first full-time permanent job. Finally, 4 percent say they have looked for but been unsuccessful in finding a full-time permanent position, and 9 percent say they have not yet looked for a full-time permanent position.

Table 8: Time to First Full-Time Permanent Job

Time to get first full-time permanent job after completing undergrad degree	All respondents
	%	N
Continued in job had before completing degree	10.6%	300
Accepted position prior to or upon graduation	30.9%	876
1-6 months	25.2%	716
7-12 months	7.6%	216
Over 1 year	12.1%	343
Have looked for but not yet obtained a full-time permanent job	4.4%	125
Have not looked for a full-time permanent job	9.2%	260
Total	100.0%	2,836

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Excluding those alumni who indicated that as of the time of the survey they had not yet looked for full-time employment provides a slightly different picture. Among those who have sought employment, 46 percent had a job immediately after graduation and 28 percent started within six months of graduation. Thirteen percent said it took over one year to find a job, and five percent of those seeking employment have not yet found a job. (As indicated below, it is likely that many of those who have thus far been unsuccessful in finding a job have recently finished a graduate/professional degree and therefore just begun their job search.)

First Permanent Full-Time Position After Graduation

This section of the report focuses on the first full-time permanent position in which NC State alumni worked after receiving their undergraduate degree. The majority of these alumni were working in jobs related to their academic major, and report having felt well-prepared by NC State for that job. The average starting salary for first-time permanent positions was about $40,500. Alumni report having used a variety of resources to obtain their first full-time position.

Relationship of Job to Major

The majority of alumni reported that their first full-time permanent position was either "directly" (50%) or "somewhat" related (27%) to their academic major. Those in jobs unrelated to their major were equally divided between doing so "by choice" (12%) and not by choice (11%).

Table 9: Relationship of First Full-Time Permanent Position to Academic Major

	%	N
Directly related	49.9%	1,230
Somewhat related	27.2%	671
Not related (by choice)	11.5%	283
Not related (not by choice)	11.3%	279
Total	100.0%	2,463

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Preparation

Overall, alumni report feeling well prepared by NC State for their first post-graduation position. One-third say they had "excellent" preparation by NC State, and 45 percent rate their preparation as "good." Just 5 percent say their preparation for their first full-time permanent position was either only "fair" (4%) or "poor" (1%).

Table 10: Preparation by NC State for First Full-Time Permanent Position

	Mean Rating	5: Excellent	4: Good	3: Average	2: Fair	1: Poor	Total (N)
Preparation by NC State for first full-time permanent position	4.06	33.7%	45.0%	15.8%	4.0%	1.4%	2,460

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Salary

While starting salaries varied widely by the college from which one graduated, overall these alumni respondents report earning an average starting salary of $40,501 in their first full-time permanent position. Ten percent say they started off earning $60,000 or more, and 27 percent under $30,000.

Resources

Alumni used a variety of resources in their efforts to get their first full-time permanent position. Most likely to have been helpful in getting their first job were an "internship/externship" (22%), networking with "family, friends, classmates and/or co-workers" (22%), or a "personal connection within the company" (20%). Also cited by notable numbers of alumni as being helpful was "previous experience with the company" (15%), the NC State University Career Center" (14%), and "the Internet" (12%). Among those resources least likely to have been helpful in getting a job were "social networking sites," "newspapers," "employment agencies," and "search firms."

Table 11: Resources Used to Help Locate/Acquire First Full-Time Position

	%
Internship/externship	22.4%
Family/friends/classmates/co-workers	22.1%
Personal connection(s) within the company	20.5%
Previous experience with company	15.3%
NC State University Career Center	14.2%
Internet	12.4%
On-campus interviewing or Career Fair	9.5%
Applied for job via an NC State University career services job listing	8.6%
Faculty member or job listing found in an NC State department	7.4%
NC State co-op experience	4.4%
Professional society	3.6%
Employer found your resume via an NC State University career services database	3.5%
NC State Alumni Association Career Services	3.1%
Employment agency	3.0%
Third party recruiter or executive search firm	2.7%
Local, city, or national newspaper	2.7%
Study Abroad or Internship/Research/Student Teaching in an international setting	1.7%
Social networking site	1.1%
Technician or other NC State publication	0.5%
Other	9.2%
Total (N)	2,855

Note: Respondents could provide more than one response.
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Current Position

This section of the report examines the current employment of alumni. As a reminder, it was between about two and one-half and five and one-half years after graduating that these alumni (who graduated in Summer 2006 through May 2009) participated in the survey and provided information about their current employment. Most of the currently employed alumni in this group are working full-time in the private sector, in a position related to their academic major, and earning an average annual salary of about $47,000. While the large majority are working in North Carolina, they are doing so in a wide range of industries. Regardless of their occupation, the majority say they were well prepared by NC State for their current position.

Employment Status

The majority of these alumni are currently employed full-time, with 78 percent working 35 hours per week or more. Another 8 percent are working part-time. At the time they responded to the survey 5 percent of alumni said they were unemployed and looking for work. The remaining 8 percent were not employed and not looking for work.

Current employment status, however, varies markedly by whether or not the alumus is currently enrolled in graduate/professional school, with non-students being twice as likely as those who are currently enrolled to be employed full-time (87% vs 45%, respectively). Just 2 percent of those who are not currently enrolled in graduate/professional school say they are "not employed and not seeking employment," compared to 29 percent of those who are currently enrolled.

Table 12: Current Employment Status, Overall and by Graduate/Professional School Status

	All Alumni	Currently Enrolled in Graduate/Professional School
		Yes	No
Employed full-time (35+ hours per week)	78.3%	44.7%	87.1%
Employed part-time (34 hours per week or less)	8.4%	19.0%	5.6%
Not employed, but seeking employment	5.4%	7.0%	5.0%
Not employed, not seeking employment	7.9%	29.3%	2.3%
Total (N)	2,840	588	2,240

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Tenure in Current Position

At the time of the survey almost half of those currently employed alumni in full-time positions said they had been in their job less than two years (45%), with 26 percent saying they started their current position within the past year. Length of time in current position, of course, varies by when the alumus received his/her bachelor's degree from NC State. About one-fourth of those who graduated in the calendar year of 2006, 2007, or 2008 have been in their current position less than one year, compared to 31 percent of those who graduated in 2009. About 40 percent of those graduating in 2006, and 32 percent of those graduating in 2007 have been in their current position four or more years.

Table 13: Tenure in Current Position, Overall and by Graduation Year

Tenure in current position	All Currently Employed Alumni	Graduation Year
		2006	2007	2008	2009
Less than 12 months	26.4%	23.6%	25.4%	25.5%	31.3%
1 year to less than 2 years	18.6%	12.8%	15.6%	22.4%	21.8%
2 years to less than 3 years	18.4%	10.1%	12.2%	16.7%	36.9%
3 years to less than 4 years	16.9%	9.8%	15.2%	29.5%	5.0%
4 years to less than 5 years	12.6%	19.9%	25.0%	2.8%	1.0%
5 years or more	7.1%	23.9%	6.6%	3.2%	4.0%
Total (N)	2,454	297	896	760	501

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Salary

Overall, alumni report earning an average salary of $47,319 in their current full-time position. Twenty percent of alumni earn less than $30,000 in their current position, and 16 percent are earning $70,000 or more.

Employment Sector and Industry

The majority of currently employed alumni are working in the private sector (61%). Sixteen percent work in academia, 12 percent for the federal, state, or local government, and 8 percent for a private non-profit. Relatively few alumni (3%) say they are self-employed. From a list of industries identified by the U.S. Census Bureau, alumni were most likely to select "professional, scientific, and technical services" as the industry in which they currently work (21%). That was followed by "educational services" (12%), manufacturing (9%), and "health care and social assistance" (8%). A significant number of alumni, however, seem unsure which of the industries on the list to choose, with 12 percent selecting the "other" option.

Table 14: Employment Sector of Current Position

	%	N
Private, for profit business or organization	61.0%	1,500
Academic	15.9%	392
Federal, state, or local government	12.4%	304
Private, not for profit business or organization	7.6%	188
Self-employed	3.1%	76
Total	100.0%	2,460

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Table 15: Industry of Current Position

	%	N
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	20.7%	506
Educational Services	11.5%	280
Manufacturing	9.2%	224
Health Care and Social Assistance	8.1%	197
Finance and Insurance	7.5%	182
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting	4.5%	110
Construction	3.8%	92
Retail Trade	3.6%	89
Information	3.2%	78
Utilities	2.7%	66
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	2.5%	62
Public Administration	1.6%	38
Accommodation and Food Services	1.4%	35
Transportation and Warehousing	1.2%	30
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	1.1%	28
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	0.9%	22
Wholesale Trade	0.9%	21
Management of Companies and Enterprises	0.7%	18
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	0.5%	12
Other Services (except Public Administration)	1.8%	45
Other	12.5%	306
Total	100.0%	2,441

Note: Table excludes "not sure" response option.
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Relationship of Current Job to Academic Major

Three-fourths of currently employed alumni are working in jobs either "directly" (46%) or "somewhat" related (31%) to their academic major at NC State. Unlike their first full-time permanent job, those in currently working in a position unrelated to their major are slightly more likely to be doing so "by choice" (14%) than not by choice (9%).

Table 16: Relationship of Current Job to Academic Major

	%	N
Directly related	46.3%	1,137
Somewhat related	31.1%	763
Not related (by choice)	14.0%	343
Not related (not by choice)	8.7%	214
Total	100.0%	2,457

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Preparation

Alumni give positive ratings to how well NC State prepared them for their current position, with 31 percent rating their preparation as "excellent," and 46 percent rating it as "good."

Table 17: Preparation by NC State for Current Position

	Mean Rating	5: Excellent	4: Good	3: Average	2: Fair	1: Poor	Total (N)
Preparation by NC State for current position	3.99	30.8%	45.6%	17.5%	4.1%	2.0%	2,452

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Location

NC State alumni tend to remain in the region after graduating, with almost half of those currently employed saying they are working in the Research Triangle area (47%). Another 23 percent are working in North Carolina, but outside of the Triangle. Almost 30 percent are working out of state (29%), and one percent outside of the U.S.. One's primary residence when they first started at NC State is related to their current work location, with those from North Carolina being more likely than those from out of state to have stayed in North Carolina after graduating. About three-fourths of those currently employed alumni who were in-state residents are now working in North Carolina (71%) compared to less than half of the relatively small group of out-of-state students (44%).

Table 18: Location of Current Position, Overall and by Resident Status as an NCSU Undergraduate

Current work location	All respondents	First semester residence
		North Carolina	Outside North Carolina
Inside Triangle	46.7%	47.8%	35.0%
Other NC	22.7%	23.6%	9.1%
Other US	29.4%	27.3%	54.5%
Outside US	1.3%	1.2%	1.4%
Total (N)	2,316	2,015	143

Current work locations outside the U.S.
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Further Education

Over 40 percent of the Alumni Survey respondents have attended graduate/professional school since receiving their bachelor's degree from NC State. Seventeen percent have already completed an advanced degree. Another 4 percent already completed one advanced degree and are currently pursuing another, and 17 percent are currently seeking their first graduate/professional degree. Three percent of alumni also reported that they had been enrolled in graduate/professional school at one time, but withdrew before completing a degree.

Notable numbes of those who have never enrolled in graduate/professional school express interest in pursuing an advanced degree. Almost 30 percent of this group say they have either "high" (7%) or "moderate" (21%) interest in attending graduate/professional school. On the other hand, 32 percent of this group say they are "not at all interested" in graduate/professional school.

Table 19: Interest in Graduate/Professional School (among those who have never enrolled)

	Mean Rating	4: High interest	3: Moderate interest	2: Low interest	1: Not interested at all	Total (N)
Interest in continuing education in graduate/professional school	2.04	7.4%	21.4%	39.0%	32.3%	1,755

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Graduate/Professional School Experience

This section of the report provides information about those alumni who have already obtained an advanced degree or are currently enrolled and seeking a degree. Given the timing of the survey relative to when these alumni graduated (Summer 2006 through May 2009) it is not surprising that the large majority have completed a Master's degree, and a plurality of those currently enrolled seeking a Doctoral or Professional degree. The majority of those going to graduate school were/are attending a school in North Carolina, with a plurality at NC State. Most of those going on to graduate/professional school received some type of funding, and the large majority felt well prepared by their program of study at NC State for their advanced studies.

Degree Seeking/Completed

As noted above, over 20 percent of those responding to the Alumni Survey have already completed an advanced degree (21%). The majority of these alumni earned a Master's degree (88%), while 12 percent earned a Professional degree, and 1 percent a Doctoral degree. Among the 21 percent of alumni who are currently enrolled in graduate/profession school either full- (77%) or part-time (23%), almost half are seeking a Master's degree (48%), 29% a Doctoral degree, and 24 percent a Professional degree.

Table 20: Type of Degree Completed/Seeking

	Completed	Seeking
Master's	87.5%	48.5%
Doctoral	0.8%	29.4%
Professional	11.8%	24.0%
Total (N)	594	596

Note: Respondents could provide more than one response.
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Alumni having already received or currently seeking an advanced degree were asked to indicate the specific degree program in which they were/are enrolled, and the institution(s) they attended and/or are attending. Among those already having obtained a Master's degree the most common degrees obtained include an Master of Science (38%), Master of Accounting/Accountancy (11%), Master of Arts (8%), and Master of Business Administration (8%). Among those currently enrolled in a Master's degree program a plurality are seeking a Master of Business Administration (27%), 22 percent are seeking a Master of Science, 9 percent of Master of Education, and 8 percent a Master of Arts.

Table 21: Master's Degree Completed/Seeking

	Completed	Seeking
Management Information Systems	0.4%	0.0%
Master of Accounting/Accountancy	11.0%	0.7%
Master of Advanced Studies	0.2%	0.7%
Master of Architecture	0.4%	0.3%
Master of Arts	8.1%	8.3%
Master of Biological & Agricultural Engineering	0.4%	0.0%
Master of Business Administration	7.7%	26.6%
Master of City and Regional Planning	0.2%	0.3%
Master of Civil Engineering	2.3%	1.0%
Master of Clinical Research	0.6%	0.3%
Master of Computer Science	0.4%	0.0%
Master of Divinity	0.4%	2.4%
Master of Economics	0.6%	0.0%
Master of Education	5.8%	8.7%
Master of Engineering Management	0.6%	0.3%
Master of Engineering, General	3.7%	2.1%
Master of Environmental Science and Engineering	0.0%	0.3%
Master of Fine Arts	0.6%	1.0%
Master of Global Innovation Management	1.5%	0.0%
Master of Health Administration	0.2%	0.7%
Master of Health Science	0.4%	0.7%
Master of Industrial Engineering	0.4%	0.0%
Master of Information Sciences	0.2%	0.7%
Master of Landscape Architecture	0.4%	0.3%
Master of Library and Information Studies/Library Science	1.0%	1.0%
Master of Mechanical Engineering	0.6%	1.0%
Master of Medical Sciences	0.8%	0.0%
Master of Nursing	0.0%	0.3%
Master of Philosophy	0.4%	0.0%
Master of Physical Therapy	0.4%	0.0%
Master of Physician Assistant Studies	0.4%	1.0%
Master of Project Management	0.2%	0.0%
Master of Public Administration	3.1%	2.8%
Master of Public Health	1.7%	1.0%
Master of Public Policy	0.0%	0.7%
Master of School Psychology	0.4%	0.0%
Master of Science	38.5%	21.8%
Master of Social Work	1.7%	3.1%
Master of Teaching	0.8%	1.4%
Master of Textiles	0.4%	0.0%
Professional Science Master's	0.0%	0.7%
Other	3.7%	9.3%
Total (N)	520	289

Note: Respondents could provide more than one response.
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Very few of the Alumni Survey respondents going on to graduate/professional school have already completed a Doctoral degree (1%). However, among that small group all indicated they had completed a Doctor of Philosophy. Almost 30 percent of those currently enrolled in graduate/professional school are seeking a doctoral degree - - again, all of them a Doctor of Philosophy.

Twelve percent of those having already completed an advanced degree earned a Professional degree, most commonly a Juris Doctorate, followed by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Among those currently enrolled in Professional school, about one-fourth are seeking a Juris Doctorate degree (27%), 20 percent a Doctor of Medicine, 19 percent a Doctor of Pharmacy, and 16 percent a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Table 22: Professional Degree Completed/Seeking

	Completed	Seeking
Bachelor of Architecture	7.1%	0.0%
Dentistry	2.9%	4.2%
Doctor of Audiology	1.4%	0.7%
Doctor of Medicine	2.9%	18.9%
Doctor of Optometry	0.0%	2.8%
Doctor of Osteopathy	0.0%	4.9%
Doctor of Pharmacy	2.9%	18.2%
Doctor of Physical Therapy	5.7%	3.5%
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine	12.9%	16.1%
Juris Doctor	58.6%	27.3%
Other	5.7%	3.5%
Total (N)	70	143

Note: Respondents could provide more than one response.
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Institution

The majority of those going on for a graduate/professional degree stayed in North Carolina (62%), with over one-third (36%) earning or seeking an advanced degree from NC State.

Table 22: Location of Institution

Institution location	%	N
North Carolina	62.1%	730
Outside NC, within US	28.3%	332
Outside US	1.6%	19
Not reported	8.0%	94

Note: If respondents reported both completed and sought degrees, location is based on their current enrollment.
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Table 23: Institutions Most Commonly Enrolled In

Institution	%	N
NC State University	36.4%	394
UNC - Chapel Hill	6.8%	74
East Carolina University	5.3%	57
Campbell University	2.9%	31
Duke University	2.6%	28

Note: If respondents reported both completed and sought degrees, institution is based on their current enrollment.
View all institutions
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Funding

Alumni were asked if they had received any type of scholarship support while attending graduate/professional school. About three in five of those going to graduate/professional school indicated that they had received such support (58%). The most common type of support was a "scholarship" (25%), followed by a "research assistantship" (23%). Less common were a "teaching assistantship" (16%) and an "honor/award" (13%). Another 11 percent indicated that they had received some "other" type of support.

Table 24: Funding for Graduate/Professional School

	%	N
Yes - Received Funding	57.7%	678
No - Did Not Receive Any Funding	42.3%	497

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Table 24: Type of Funding for Graduate/Professional School (among all those who ever enrolled)

	%
Scholarship	25.0%
Honor/Award	13.4%
Teaching Assistantship	15.5%
Research Assistantship	23.2%
Other Assistantship	10.6%
Total (N)	1,175

Note: Respondents could provide more than one response.
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Preparation

Overall, NC State alumni report feeling well prepared for their graduate/professional school program. Ninety percent of those already completing an advanced degree say their undergraduate education did an "excellent" (50%) or "good" (40%) job preparing them for graduate/professional school. Similar ratings were given by those currently enrolled, with 46 percent saying their preparation for graduate/professional school was "excellent," and 41 percent saying it was "good."

Table 25: Preparation for Graduate/Professional School

	Mean Rating	5: Excellent	4: Good	3: Average	2: Fair	1: Poor	Total (N)
Among those having completed an advance degree:	4.38	50.3%	40.4%	7.4%	1.0%	0.8%	591
Among those currently seeking an advance degree:	4.31	45.8%	41.4%	10.9%	1.7%	0.2%	596

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Continuing Education

NC State alumni were asked about their participation in continuing education and/or professional development classes/programs. Fifteen percent say that since graduating they had taken a non-credit class, 11 percent have taken a for-credit course, and 8 percent have taken both for-credit and not-for-credit classes. Thirteen percent of those taking such a course did so through NC State's McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education.

Table 26: Enrollment in NC State's McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education (among those every taking a continuing education class)

	%	N
Yes	12.6%	115
No	87.4%	796
Total	100.0%	911

Note: Table excludes "don't know" response option.
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Impact

A majority of those taking a continuing education/professional development course report that it had a significant impact on their professional and/or personal life. About one-fourth say the course(s) had a "very significant" impact on their professional career (26%), and another 41 percent say it had a "somewhat significant" impact. Similar numbers say the course(s) had a "very significant" (29%) or "somewhat significant" (41%) impact on their personal life.

Table 27: Professional and Personal Impact of Continuing Education Course

Impact of continuing educ/prof development/lifelong educucation on:	Mean Rating	4: Very significant impact	3: Somewhat significant impact	2: Limited impact	1: No impact at all	Total (N)
Professional career	2.85	25.9%	40.9%	25.4%	7.8%	959
Personal goals/life enrichment	2.95	29.2%	41.3%	24.7%	4.9%	960

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Future Enrollment

Alumni appear likely to enroll in continuing education/professional development courses in the future, with 20 percent saying it is "very likely" and 38 percent saying it is "somewhat likely" that they will take a continuing education or professional development course at some time in the future. Only 11 percent say it is "not at all likely" that they will pursue such educational opportunities in the future. Those already having taken a continuing education or professional development course are somewhat more likely than those who have not to say it is "very likely" they will do so again in the future (28% vs 16%).

Table 28: Likelihood of Enrolling in Continuing Educ/Prof Development/Lifelong Educ in Next 5 Years (overall, and by past enrollment)

Likelihood of Enrolling	All respondents	Post-undergraduate enrollment in continuing educ/ prof development/ lifelong educ
		Yes	No
4: Very likely	20.1%	28.3%	15.9%
3: Somewhat likely	37.5%	37.0%	37.8%
2: Not very likely	31.0%	26.0%	33.6%
1: Not at all likely	11.3%	8.6%	12.7%
Total (N)	2,831	960	1,870

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Undergraduate Experience as Related to Continuing Education

The extent to which alumni perceive that their NC State undergraduate education contributed to their valuing learning as a lifelong process has essentially no relationship to their participation in continuing education or professional development courses since graduating. For example, between 66 percent and 69 percent of alumni say they have not taken any such course, regardless of whether they think NC State contributed "a great deal" or "not at all" to their valuing learning as a lifelong process.

Table 29: Enrollment in Continuing Education, by NCSU's Contribution to Valuing Learning as a Lifelong Process

Post-undergraduate enrollment in continuing educ/prof development/lifelong educ	Preparation to valuing learning as a lifelong process
	4: Very much	3: Somewhat	2: Very little	1: Not at all
No	65.8%	65.8%	67.9%	69.4%
Yes- noncredit enrollment only	15.0%	16.0%	16.0%	16.3%
Yes- credit-based enrollment	11.2%	9.9%	11.8%	6.1%
Yes- both noncredit and credit-based enrollment	8.0%	8.3%	4.3%	8.2%
Total (N)	1,353	1,009	187	49

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Undergraduate Education Goals

NC State has a range of educational goals for our undergraduate students, including those related to communication, critical and creative thinking, professionalism, general education, and diversity and global awareness. Respondents to the Alumni Survey were asked how important a number of specific skills related to each of these areas are to them currently, and the extent to which NC State helped them to acquire each of those skills. Overall, alumni believe each of these specific skills to be important, and, although ratings for preparation are consistently lower than ratings for importance for a given item, they feel like NC State did a good job helping them develop such skills. Skills related to communication tended to be more highly rated in importance than other skills, while those related to general education and diversity and global awareness were seen as less important. In terms of how well prepared alumni feel they were through their NC State education, highest overall ratings are given to preparation on skills related to critical and creative thinking and to communication, and lowest ratings to diversity and global awareness and to professionalism. In this section of the report we first look at overall results for the 48 individual skills asked about, then focus specifically on items related to each general area.

Overall Importance of Skills

Average importance ratings for the 48 individual goals asked about range from a high of 3.9 to a low of 2.7 (on a 4-point scale). At least half the respondents rate all but 15 of the items as "very important," and for only 5 items do more than 10 percent of respondents say the skill is "not at all important." Most likely to be seen as "very important" by alumni are