Spectrum - Volume 19 Issue 32 June 5, 1997 - Survey shows high percentage employed

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Survey shows high percentage employed

By Catherine Doss

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 32 - June 5, 1997

Eighty-one percent of Virginia Tech's class of 1995-96 who responded to a recent survey by the Office of Career Services reported they were employed full-time, in graduate school full-time or were employed part-time and attending graduate school part-time. Of those employed, 79 percent said they were working in a career-related position.
"Students come to Virginia Tech in hopes of finding a good job upon graduation," said Jim Malone, director of the Career Services office. "There is a strong partnership on campus between our office, the faculty, and the administration to assist students in their career efforts."
The annual post-graduation survey consists of a telephone interview with fall and spring/summer bachelor's-degree recipients before their graduation. Those who indicate they do not have definite plans upon graduation receive a follow-up telephone call six months later. Ninety-six percent of the class of 1995-96 responded to the survey.
"This is an excellent response rate," Malone said. "We are the only university of which I'm aware that attempts to determine the outcomes for the population of an entire class. The few universities that formally survey their graduates survey only a sample."
The class of 1995-96 experienced a slight increase in both employment and graduate-school attendance compared to the previous year. In addition the number of graduates still seeking employment dropped by 5.1 percent.
Other findings from the report include:
* Graduates from the College of Engineering reported the highest percentage of career-related, full-time employment (90.5 percent). This was followed by graduates from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies (87.2 percent) and the Pamplin College of Business (87.0 percent).
* The average salary for a bachelor's-degree recipient was $26,240-an increase over the year before. Salaries offered to Virginia Tech graduates are competitive with the salary survey published by the National Association of Colleges of Employers.
* The primary method students said they used in finding a job was personal contact (35.4 percent). This was followed by on-campus interviews (18.1 percent); job advertisements (14.5 percent); and previous experience (12.3 percent).
* Most graduates were employed in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.
* The top employers of 1995-96 graduates were: American Management Systems, Andersen Consulting, KPMG Peat Marwick, Lockheed Martin, Allied Signal, First Virginia Bank, and Montgomery County Public Schools.
The annual post-graduation survey is used in a variety of ways, including assisting students with career planning and placement, admissions recruitment, university accreditation, summer orientation for incoming students and their families, and university development.