North Carolina State University
2005-2006 Graduating Senior Survey:
Highlights
NC State conducted its annual survey of graduating seniors during the fall 2005 and spring 2006 semesters. Students from eight of the nine undergraduate academic units who graduated in December 2005 or May 2006 (AY05-06) are included1. Sixty-one percent of seniors who graduated in AY05-06 completed the web survey. The margin of error for the survey is +0.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence interval.
Survey results indicate that graduating seniors were very satisfied with their experiences at NC State. Almost all respondents - - 95 percent - - gave a positive rating to the overall education they received at the University and to the intellectual environment on campus. Three-fourths said they would choose to attend NC State again if they could start over, and 90 percent said they would recommend it to a friend.
Students at NC State are frequently involved in mentoring relationships with faculty. Sixty percent of graduating seniors had worked with a faculty member on a non course-related research project, an independent study project, an extension or public service project, as a teaching/lab assistant, or similar activity. The majority of those students with such experience say it contributed "a great deal" to their personal and/or professional growth.
NC State offers outstanding technology and library services according to our graduates. More than 90 percent of graduating seniors gave positive ratings to services such as access to up-to-date technology facilities, computer lab hours of operation, access to library databases/collections, and library hours of operation. Respondents point to the need for improvement, however, in training to use technology and the library, with about one-fourth rating such services as "fair" or "poor."
The majority of graduating seniors believe that the NC State community is committed to creating an environment that promotes and supports diversity. There are, however, racial/ethnic differences in beliefs about the extent to which this is happening. Virtually all (98%) white respondents agree that NC State is committed to minority student success, compared to about three-fourths of African American respondents. About 85 percent of white respondents agree that NC State leaders foster diversity on campus, compared to two-thirds of African American respondents.
While all survey respondents successfully completed their degree, about half reported that it took more than four years to do so. A majority of respondents sited academic or curricular reasons for their delayed graduation, such as changing majors, having a double major or a minor, losing credits when transferring, or being unable to get needed classes. About one-fourth indicated the hours they spent working at paid employment impeded their progress towards degree.
Paid employment is widespread among NC State students. About 80 percent of graduating seniors were employed during their senior year, working an average of 21 hours per week. Students working in on-campus jobs were far more likely than those working off campus to work 10 or fewer hours per week (42% versus 13%), and to be working in jobs directly related to their major (35% versus 25%). By far the most common reason among all respondents given for paid employment was the need to pay for basic expenses like rent and utilities.
1. Due to a low response rate (14%), survey results for the College of Design are not representative of the graduating senior population and are therefore excluded from all 2005-2006 Graduating Senior Survey reports. (back)
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: October, 2006
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