FIVE YEAR GRADUATE FOLLOW-UP SURVEY OF
1991 BACCALAUREATE GRADUATES
FROM BC’S PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
REPORT OF FINDINGS
Prepared for
The University Presidents’Council
of British Columbia
September 1997
by
Walter Sudmant, University of British Columbia and
Joanne Heslop, Simon Fraser University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION_______________________________________________________1
Response Rates and Representativeness _____________________________________3
CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION __________________________________________6
FURTHER EDUCATION ________________________________________________7
GRADUATES’ SATISFACTION WITH THEIR PROGRAMS________________10
HOW CAN UNIVERSITIES IMPROVE?__________________________________13
EMPLOYMENT AND OCCUPATIONS OF UNIVERSITY GRADUATES _____16
Occupations __________________________________________________________16
Employment__________________________________________________________23
Part-time Employment __________________________________________________26
In the Labour Force ____________________________________________________27
Self-employment ______________________________________________________29
Job Satisfaction _______________________________________________________31
Expectations__________________________________________________________32
IMPACT OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION BEYOND THE WORKPLACE _____34
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS _______________________________________40
APPENDICES _________________________________________________________42
Appendix A: Program Classification______________________________________ A1
Appendix B: Frequency Tables__________________________________________ B1
Appendix C: Occupations by Program (Graduates Without Further Education) ____ C1
Appendix D: Occupations by Program (Graduates With Further Education) ______ D1
15 September 1997
Table of Contents
i
FIGURES
Figure 1:
Figure 2:
Figure 3:
Figure 4:
Figure 5:
Figure 6:
Figure 7:
Figure 8:
1991 Program Distribution of Survey Respondents ______________________4
Gender Representation by Program __________________________________4
Special Groups Representation by Program - B.C. System ________________5
Distribution of 1991 Graduates by Current Place of Residence _____________6
Distribution of 1991 Graduates Currently Living in B.C. _________________6
Co-op Participation by Program and Institution (1991 vs. 1993 Graduates) ___7
Reasons for Enrolling in Further Education ____________________________9
Further Education Pursued Due to Lack of Suitable Employment;
Unemployment Rate by Program ______________________________10
Figure 9: % of Graduates who: (a) Were satisfied with their education;
(b) Would take the same program again ________________________11
Figure 10: Assessment of Program Curriculum ________________________________14
Figure 11: Program Shortcomings vs. “Should Have Taken a Better Program”_______15
Figure 12: Activities Considered Helpful or Very Helpful in Acquiring Skills and
Knowledge Needed for Current Job____________________________16
Figure 13: Distribution of Graduates by Program Area and Job Category ___________19
Figure 14: Median Salary of Full-time Employed Graduates With No Further Education
Beyond 1991 Graduation ____________________________________21
Figure 15: Distribution of Graduates in “University Degree” or “Program-Related”
Jobs ____________________________________________________22
Figure 16: Median Earnings of Graduates With Bachelor’s Degree – Two and Five
Years After Graduation _____________________________________22
Figure 17: Percentage of Graduates with Employment __________________________23
Figure 18: Unemployment Rates of 1991 Graduates by Program __________________24
Figure 19: Employment Rate by Highest Level of Education Completed ____________25
Figure 20: Duration of Unemployment Over the Past Five Years by Program ________25
Figure 21: Number of Jobs Held Over the Past 5 Years _________________________26
Figure 22: Distribution of Part-time Jobs Held by Program (All Jobs Since Program
Completion vs. Current Part-time Jobs)_________________________27
Figure 23: Distribution of Graduates in the Labour Force by Program and Gender ____28
Figure 24: Distribution of Graduates Who are Not in the Labour Force _____________28
Figure 25: Graduates’Job Satisfaction by Relatedness of Job to Education __________31
Figure 26: Satisfaction With Career Development Since 1991 Program Completion ___32
Figure 27: Job Expectations and Job Satisfaction ______________________________33
Figure 28: Life Skills Developed as a Result of University Education_______________39
Figure 29: Life Skills Developed/Enhanced to a Great Extent as a Result of University
Education - by Program and Life Skill __________________________40
15 September 1997
Figures
ii
TABLES
Table 1:
Table 2:
Table 3:
Table 4:
Table 5:
Table 6:
Table 7:
Table 8:
Table 9:
Survey Refusal Rate by Program _____________________________________3
Distribution of Further Education by Program __________________________8
Reasons for Enrolling in Further Education_____________________________9
Program Satisfaction _____________________________________________10
Occupations of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates (For Graduates Who
Did NOT Pursue Further Education After Graduation)________________17
Occupations of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates (For Graduates Who
Pursued/Completed Further Education After Graduation) _____________18
Distribution of Occupations in Selected Programs by Level of Education ____19
Self-employed Graduates by Program ________________________________29
Occupations of Self-employed 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates by Program ___30
15 September 1997
Tables
iii
INTRODUCTION
This report summarizes the results of the follow-up survey of 1991 graduates from
undergraduate programs at three British Columbia universities: University of Victoria
(UVic), Simon Fraser University (SFU), and The University of British Columbia (UBC).
It is the second in a series of surveys of B.C. university graduates intended to provide
information to students, the public, policy makers, and the universities on university
graduates at various points in their lives. This report is unique in that it is the first ever
census survey undertaken of B.C. university graduates five years after graduation
(previous surveys have been done two years after graduation).
The survey was designed by the student survey committee of The University
Presidents’ Council, and included representatives from all three universities, the Ministry
of Education, Skills and Training, and the Presidents’ Council. A private firm, R.A.
Malatest and Associates Ltd. was contracted to conduct a telephone interview survey of
4,757 graduates from 1991. The survey was conducted over the period from December
1996 to March 1997.
This report is intended to be a general report, and in many sections statistics are
provided for all three universities combined. The survey was also designed to elicit
comments from students about their particular programs and departments. These will be
of interest to individual departments but for the most part are not addressed by this report.
The individual institutions will provide the more detailed program-specific analyses.
The survey addresses three major themes. First, the survey obtains the reactions
and advice of graduates to the program from which they graduated. After five years
students have had an opportunity to reflect on the outcomes of their university education,
and are in a position to provide valuable feedback to the university as well as insightful
advice to others contemplating a university education. This section of the survey also
includes opportunities for students to make open-ended comments on the program they
took, providing the universities with answers to questions such as “What were the good
and bad aspects of the program we provided?”, and “How can we improve?”
Second, the survey includes an in-depth section on the graduates’ employment.
Many graduate surveys conducted within two years of graduation are inadequate in that
15 September 1997
Introduction
1
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
graduates have not yet reached a stable career, and are in less of a position to comment on
the relationship between their jobs and their education. This five year out survey sought
to obtain a compromise between allowing enough time to pass for graduates to have long
term experiences in the work force, yet are still able to comment accurately on their
university education. The report also provides some comparisons with the results of the
two year report.
Finally, this survey more than any other recent survey, attempts to provide
information on those outcomes of a university education which are not directly related to
employment. There is much anecdotal evidence, and certainly there are many claims that
one of the primary purposes of the university education is the development of the
individual on social, personal, and intellectual dimensions. This survey tests some of these
claims by asking graduates directly to comment (without the bias of a leading question) on
aspects of the effect which their education has had on their lives.
The majority of graduates of 1991 entered university four to six years previously –
the mid 1980’s. Their years as students were years in which B.C. universities experienced
major growth, both in funding and enrollment. At the time these students entered
university, very few universities or programs had implemented quotas in the numbers of
students permitted to enter. Since this group of 1991 graduates entered university, one of
the major changes has been the increasing grade requirements for admission. The cohort
surveyed in this study is somewhat unlike current university students, in that many of them
would not have had the grades now required for admission to the university, or their
desired program.
The three universities in this survey consist of hundreds of departments and
programs, and it is really at this level that graduates’ experiences can be linked back to
those designing curriculum and making decisions. Prospective students are also interested
in the experiences of graduates from the perspective of “what happens to graduates of
program x?” It is impossible to provide a single report on a program by program basis
however in this report some of the variation due to programs is displayed by grouping
programs into nine major categories, as prescribed by Statistics Canada:
Applied Science (ApSc) consists mainly of Engineering, but also includes
applied areas such as Forestry and Agricultural Sciences.
Arts includes Social Sciences and Humanities.
Business (Bus) includes only graduates from the Faculty of Commerce at
UBC, and the Faculty of Business Administration at SFU.
Education (Educ) includes those who have completed a teacher training
program (Professional Development Program at SFU). Most students
completing a teacher training program have previously completed a fouryear bachelor’s degree.
Fine and Performing Arts (FPA) includes Music, Dance, Theatre and Film, in
addition to Fine Arts.
15 September 1997
Introduction
2
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Health Sciences (Health) includes (among others) Medicine, Dentistry,
Human Kinetics, Nursing from UBC, and Human Performance, and
Nursing from UVic. There are no Health Sciences programs at SFU.
Science (Sci) includes the basic sciences and is dominated by graduates from
the life sciences.
Social Professions (Social) consists of Law and Social Work at UBC, and
Social Work, Child and Youth Care, and Law at UVic.
Clearly there are points in this report where the grouping is inadequate or
misleading, especially for Health Sciences and Social Professions, where occupation
outcomes for different programs are radically different. However it does allow us to view
many fascinating differences among programs, and distortions due to disciplinary
groupings are pointed out in the text.
Response Rates and Representativeness
Of approximately 8,300 graduates from undergraduate programs at the three
universities, alumni and registrar offices were able to provide surveyors with 7,321
records. From among the active telephone numbers, the surveyors reached 4,757 or 65%
of the graduates. Of these, 452 calls resulted in refusals to participate, for a refusal rate of
9.5% (see Table 1). This relatively low refusal rate indicates a probable absence of or very
small response bias, since refusers are generally more unlike participants than those
excluded for other reasons (e.g. no phone number on record). Across the program areas
only one program, Business, had a statistically significant higher refusal rate of 14.2%;
UVic respondents were significantly more likely to respond, with a 7.9% refusal rate.
Table 1: Survey Refusal Rate by Program
Refusal Rate by Program:
1991 Graduates
Sample
Completions
Refusals
Refusal Rate
Arts
2,685
1,709
1,540
169
9.9%
Educ
1,175
819
754
65
7.9%
ApSc
366
231
215
16
6.9%
Sci
997
642
586
56
8.7%
Refusal Rate by University:
1991 Graduates
Sample
Completions
Refusals
Refusal Rate
UBC
3,472
2,185
1,955
230
10.5%
SFU
1,989
1,314
1,191
123
9.4%
UVIC
1,860
1,258
1,159
99
7.9%
Total
7,321
4,757
4,305
452
9.5%
Bus
599
351
301
50
14.2%
FPA
317
198
174
24
12.1%
Health
666
453
409
44
9.7%
Refusals by Gender:
1991 Grad. Pop.
Sample
Completions
Refusals
Refusal Rate
Social
443
281
253
28
10.0%
Unkn
73
73
73
0.0%
Total
7,321
4,757
4,305
452
9.5%
Male Female
3141
4180
1,993
2,764
1783
2522
210
242
10.5%
8.8%
Total
7321
4,757
4,305
452
9.5%
Note:
1. 1991 Graduates - Although approximately 8,300 students graduated in 1991, 7,321 records of these students were obtained.
2. Refusals includes respondents who refused to respond to the survey and other graduates who made a specific appointment
with Malatest and Associates to conduct the survey, but the survey was not completed.
3. Sample = Completions + Refusals. (Note that the sample excludes graduates living ouside of North America).
4. Refusal Rate = Number of Refusals / Number of Graduates Sampled.
15 September 1997
Introduction
3
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 1: 1991 Program Distribution of Survey Respondents
600
SFU
500
UVIC
UBC
400
300
200
100
0
Arts
Educ
ApSc
Sci
Bus
FPA
Health
Social
Figures 1 and 2 show the distribution of survey respondents by program and sex.
Analysis of both figures indicates a sample fairly representative of the population. Arts
dominates the numbers at all three universities, with Science students and Health students
being more numerous by a significant margin at UBC. Figure 2 shows a slight underrepresentation of women among Business students in the survey.
Figure 2: Gender Representation by Program
100%
% Female:
1996 Survey
Respondents
1991 Graduate
Population
75%
50%
B.C. System
Social
Health
FPA
Bus
Sci
ApSc
Arts
0%
Educ
25%
At the time the survey was conducted, the average age of survey respondents was
34. As of December 31, 1996, the age of graduates ranged from 30 among former
Science students to 39 among Education graduates.
15 September 1997
Introduction
4
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
All three universities are committed to equity among designated groups, therefore
in order to further analyze the outcomes of specific groups, respondents were asked to
identify themselves as a member of any of the following groups: visible minority (17.1%);
disabled (3.0%), or an aboriginal person (1.4%). Distribution of graduates among these
groups is shown in Figure 3. Visible minorities are very prominent in Business, Applied
Science, and Science, and less prominent in Education and Fine and Performing Arts.
The disabled comprise 3% of all graduates, but 7% of Fine Arts students and only 1% of
Business students. Aboriginal persons make up 1% of university graduates; significantly
below the national average, and are not represented at all in Applied Science.
Figure 3: Special Groups Representation by Program - B.C. System
35%
30%
Disabled
Aboriginal
25%
Visible Minority
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Arts
Educ
ApSc
Sci
Bus
FPA
Health
Social
B.C.
System
Figures 4 and 5 show the geographical distribution of graduates. Clearly, even
taking into account possible biases due to unobtainable contact numbers, the vast majority
of graduates from B.C. universities remain in B.C., with only 10% leaving the province
(note however, that foreign students were excluded from the survey and no attempt was
made to reach graduates outside of North America).
Figure 5 shows the distribution of graduates by B.C. region, relative to the overall
population in each region. The Lower Mainland has a high proportion of university
graduates relative to its share of the population. Graduates of Education are most likely to
leave the southwestern corner of B.C. for other parts of the province; Business and Fine
Arts graduates are least likely to leave this area.
15 September 1997
Introduction
5
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 4: Distribution of 1991 Graduates
by Current Place of Residence
Figure 5: Distribution of 1991 Graduates
Currently Living in B.C.
70.0%
Lower
Mainland
Vancouver
Island
B.C. Population
60.0%
1991 Graduates Residing in B.C.
B.C.
Other BC
50.0%
Non-B.C.
Fraser
Valley
40.0%
Alberta
Ontario
30.0%
Quebec
20.0%
Canada - Other
U.S.A.
10.0%
Unknown
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
0.0%
Lower Mainland
Other B.C.
Vancouver Island
Fraser Valley
CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION
Co-operative education refers to the integration of a university education with
work experience in an area directly related to the students’ academic program. Typically,
students spend several months in each of one or two years working in jobs arranged jointly
by the university and an employer. This survey determined that 8% of graduates had
completed a formal co-op program. It is important to realize that many university
programs include a great deal of practical experience in the working world without being
called co-op. Education and Nursing students, for example, spend a great deal of their
time in actual work settings, though not as paid “co-op” students per se. (In our survey,
some education and nursing students interpreted the question of whether they had taken a
co-op program to include the non-co-op program they were in).
Figure 6 shows both the distribution by program and by university of 1991 and
1993 graduates who had completed a co-op program. Co-op education as a percentage of
total graduates has remained stable at approximately 8% of all graduates, though the
actual numbers have increased as the total number of students increased over this period.
UBC has by far the lowest percentage of its graduates coming from co-op programs
(3.4%) while SFU and UVic programs are both over 10%. The previous survey of
graduates from 1993 indicated high levels of satisfaction with co-op programs, so the
question was not asked again for this survey.
15 September 1997
Co-operative Education
6
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 6: Co-op Participation by Program and Institution (1991 vs. 1993 Graduates)
30.0%
1991 Grads
1993 Grads
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Arts
Educ
ApSc
Sci
Bus
FPA
Health
Social
SFU
UVic
UBC
B.C.
System
When asked to rate the whole program (not just the co-op component), co-op
students tended to be more satisfied with their overall program than were non-co-op
students:
90% of co-op graduates versus 82% of non-co-op graduates were satisfied
with their programs. Graduates of co-op programs also tended to be more satisfied with
their current jobs (91% versus 83%).
In only one program, Science, there was a dramatic relationship between co-op
and further education. Of those Science graduates who took a co-op program, 58% had
gone on to further post-secondary education; for those without the co-op program, 77%
had gone on to further education. In the section on further education, Science students
did not, to any significant extent, say that they had gone on to further education because
of lack of employment. Therefore a possible interpretation of these statistics is that
Science students who are exposed to the working world in their field as part of their
program tend to choose work or accept opportunities to work upon graduation, whereas
those without the benefit of the co-op experience choose to continue on to further studies.
FURTHER EDUCATION
This survey included graduates of all university programs, and therefore many of
the respondents are responding to their experience in a second degree program (e.g.
Medicine, Law). The percentage of all students who took further post-secondary
education (72%) is something of a distortion in that one would not expect second degree
15 September 1997
Further Education
7
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
students to be as likely to take a third degree. To correct for this, we looked at further
education only for those programs which are first degree programs – excluding Health
Professions, Education, and Social Professions. For first degree programs, 78% of
graduates go on to further post-secondary education (not counting short courses outside
of the post-secondary system). Science and Arts graduates are most likely to obtain
further education, with 85% and 80% taking some form of post-secondary education.
Applied Science and Commerce graduates are somewhat less likely to take further post
secondary studies, at 58% and 66%. Two types of post-secondary education predominate
for all these programs: master’s degrees and technical/vocational training.
Table 2 shows the distribution of further education by program. Arts and FPA
graduates are more likely than graduates of other programs to go into teacher education
programs; Applied Science graduates have an exceptionally high rate of taking a master’s
program (39%); Commerce graduates have a high rate of taking technical/vocational
training; and Science graduates differ from all other programs in the relatively high
proportion who have entered a doctoral program within five years (13%).
Table 2: Distribution of Further Education by Program
Post Secondary
Program
Education Type
Arts
ApSc Science
Bus
Bachelor's
14%
4%
14%
6%
Master's
26%
39%
24%
16%
Doctoral
3%
4%
13%
2%
Technical/Vocational
26%
25%
18%
38%
Teacher Training
10%
1%
7%
2%
Law
5%
0%
1%
7%
Medicine
0.2%
1%
8%
0%
Dentistry
0.1%
0%
4%
0%
Other professional
3%
6%
3%
21%
Other University
15%
20%
8%
9%
Further Education
80%
58%
85%
66%
Participation *
FPA
13%
25%
8%
23%
11%
1%
0%
0%
2%
18%
72%
Total
12%
25%
5%
25%
8%
4%
2%
1%
4%
13%
78%
* Excludes technical/multiple short courses and 2nd degree programs (Health, Education, Social Professions).
Graduates were also asked why they enrolled in further post-secondary education.
The proportion of responses by reason are summarized in Figure 7, excluding education
through other professional/technical short courses. “To achieve a career goal” was
answered by the majority (51%) of all respondents, but program differences are evident,
ranging from 35% for FPA graduates and 59% for Business graduates. “General
interest/personal development” received 14% of the responses overall, with a high of 23%
in Education and a low of 9% among Science graduates. The desire to “study at an
advanced level” received 14% of the responses, and was highest among graduates of
Social programs, Fine Arts and Applied Science programs.
15 September 1997
Further Education
8
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 7: Reasons for Enrolling in Further Education
To achieve a
career goal
51%
General
interest/personal
14%
Wanted to study at
an advanced level
14%
Lack of suitable
employment
13%
Wanted to
change fields
6%
Other
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Note: Excludes other technical/multiple short courses.
Table 3 shows the reasons for enrolling in further education by program. The
proportion of graduates who pursued further education due to a “lack of suitable
employment opportunities” was only 13%, but ranged from 4% for Education graduates
to 19% for Science and FPA graduates. These program differences appear to be related
to each program’s unemployment rate. Figure 8 shows that graduates of programs with
high rates of unemployment were more inclined to pursue further education due to a lack
of employment, than graduates of programs with low unemployment rates.
Table 3: Reasons for Enrolling in Further Education
Reason
Arts
Educ
ApSc
Sci
Bus
FPA Health
To achieve a career goal
53%
54%
40%
49%
59%
35%
General interest/personal development
14%
23%
20%
9%
11%
Wanted to study at an advanced level
11%
15%
19%
13%
Lack of suitable employment opportunties
14%
4%
10%
Wanted to change fields
6%
3%
Other
2%
100%
Total
Social
Total
56%
51%
51%
16%
12%
13%
14%
15%
21%
15%
22%
14%
19%
7%
19%
7%
8%
13%
6%
7%
7%
6%
8%
6%
6%
2%
4%
3%
1%
3%
2%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2%
100%
100%
Note: Excludes other technical/multiple short courses.
15 September 1997
Further Education
9
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 8: Further Education Pursued Due to Lack of Suitable Employment;
Unemployment Rate by Program
20%
Lack of suitable employment opportunties
18%
Unemployment Rate
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
Sci
FPA
Arts
ApSc
Note: Excludes technical/multiple short courses.
Social
Bus
Health
Educ
GRADUATES’ SATISFACTION WITH THEIR PROGRAMS
The survey asked two questions concerning satisfaction with the program. First,
“How satisfied were you with the program?” and second, “Would you take the same
program again?” Table 4 shows that graduates’ satisfaction with the programs they took
Table 4: Program Satisfaction
Very
Program
Satisfied
Satisfied
Arts
32%
52%
Education
33%
49%
Applied Sci
26%
55%
Science
28%
58%
Commerce
25%
61%
FPA
31%
51%
Health
28%
57%
Social Prof.
39%
46%
Total
31%
53%
15 September 1997
Very Satisfied
or Satisfied
85%
82%
81%
86%
86%
82%
85%
85%
84%
Education Satisfaction
Dissatisfied
13%
14%
17%
12%
13%
14%
13%
13%
13%
Very
Dissatisfied
2%
3%
2%
2%
1%
3%
2%
2%
2%
10
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
was very high overall (84% satisfied or very satisfied), and extremely similar across
programs, ranging from 86% in Commerce to 81% in Applied Science. Looking at only
the most enthusiastic response of “very satisfied”, we see more variation, with 39% of
those in the Social Professions being “very satisfied”, compared to a low of 25% of
Commerce graduates indicating they were “very satisfied”.
Despite the superficial similarity between the questions of “education satisfaction”
and “Would you take the program again?”, they are in fact very different questions, as
shown by Figure 9. Overall, 67% would take the same program again; far fewer than the
84% who were satisfied or very satisfied with the program. Figure 9 shows no strong
relationship between the two questions. Arts and Science students are far less likely to say
they would take the program again than are Education, Social Professions, and
Commerce, even though they were relatively satisfied. Of those who were satisfied with
the program, 23% would not take it again, and of those who were not satisfied with the
program, 27% would take the program again – i.e. presumably they achieved what they
wanted in the program, despite the dissatisfaction with some factors. It is also important
to note that 39% of those who would not take the program again, were not able to
respond when asked directly what they would take instead, given their current career.
Figure 9:
% of Graduates who: (a) Were satisfied with their education; (b) Would
take the same program again
90%
85%
80%
75%
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
% Satisfied
Educ
15 September 1997
Social
% Satisfied
Bus
Health
FPA
% Take Again
ApSc
Education Satisfaction
% Take Again
Sci
Arts
11
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
The difference between the two questions is made clearer by an analysis of the
open-ended response to the question “Why would you, or wouldn’t you take the same
program again?” Many students were quite satisfied with their programs, but they would
not take it again because once in the workforce they realized there was a poor match
between their job prospects and the education they had obtained. The following four
comments are very typical of over half of the 33% who would not take the same program
again:
I would take something more job specific.
I felt that it did not open up doors for a career. It was limited.
The job prospects in [field x] aren't that great.
It didn't give enough specialization for a job.
Others indicated that they chose the program without a clear idea of what the outcomes
would be, or what programs were available.
I did not do what I initially wanted to do.
There is a more relevant program but no information was available.
The job market was not open for this degree and I was unprepared.
While most students indicated they would choose a more job-related program, there were
also other reasons for which graduates might not be willing to take the same program
again. A number of students had simply changed over time, or became more self-aware.
I thought I wanted to be an accountant, but I don't.
My interests have changed somewhat.
There was no field experience and I changed my mind after I got a job.
I would pursue a different field of interest; I've changed interests.
The field does not interest me anymore.
There was no career counselling about job market expectations.
A smaller number of students (5 to 10%) would not take the program again because they
were unhappy with the teaching or aspects of their experience not related to curriculum:
There were a lot of problems. It had to do with the faculty.
The professor did not exhibit caring or learner-centered teaching.
I was disappointed with the level of instruction.
There was too much bureaucracy....
The university was impersonal.
The program was much too stressful.
15 September 1997
Education Satisfaction
12
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
However, a sample of records did not indicate that any one department or program
elicited this type of response more than others. It appears idiosyncratically throughout the
sample.
Having examined graduates’reasons for not taking a program again, it is important
to recognize that a majority, 67%, would take the program again, and that many of the
negative comments can be offset by positive comments stating exactly the opposite
opinion for the same program. For example, the following comments are all from
graduates of Arts or Sciences programs:
I really enjoy that type of work and am very good at it.
It helped me to get where I am now.
It provided sufficient knowledge to get a job.
It is very geared towards what employers are looking for in the workplace.
The program was applicable to my career goals.
It was part of my original plan to work in theater.
The program provided general education that applied to many fields.
A very large group of graduates replied with very general positive remarks, of which the
following are typical:
It's given me the tools and self-knowledge to get to where I am.
It is what I want to do. It's a good program.
It was what I wanted to do.
The program was satisfying and interesting.
The program was very fun and interesting.
It taught me how to think critically and it was a good education.
Because of the experiences that I had.
It is a good program.
These positive but very general comments are not specific to subject areas, but appear
throughout the sample.
HOW CAN UNIVERSITIES IMPROVE?
One of the important functions of the survey is to allow graduates to provide very
specific feedback to departments and those responsible for curricula. The foregoing
information, indicating that a majority of graduates are “satisfied” and “would take the
program again”, is reassuring, but provides no advice for the improvement of what are
clearly already very successful programs. To that end, the survey asks three questions:
15 September 1997
How Can Universities Improve?
13
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
1. Were there courses or areas of study in the program that were very useful to you?
What were they?
2. Did your program lack specific subject matter which would have been useful in your
career or further education? What was it?
3. Were there courses of study in the program that were not useful? What were they?
The value of these questions is, of course in the open-ended responses which, when
published at the level of specific departments and programs, should provide faculty with
some guidance and advice. For the purposes of this report, Figure 10 shows the
proportion responding with a “yes” to each question.
Figure 10: Assessment of Program Curriculum
Proportion of "Yes" Responses to:
1. Were there courses in the program that were very useful?
2. Did your program lack specific subject matter which would have been useful?
3. Were there courses in the program that were not useful?
1.Very Useful
2. Lacking
3.Not Useful
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
Educ
Health
Social
Bus
ApSc
Sci
Arts
FPA
Overall, a very high proportion, 85%, found at least some courses very useful, and
Figure 10 shows, not surprisingly, the more practical programs having the greatest number
of graduates rating courses as very useful; but even the lowest, Fine and Performing Arts
is described as having very useful courses by 79% of its graduates. The next question,
asking whether there were courses in the program which were “not useful” is perhaps
unfair to the programs. The typical student, over the course of four years of university
education takes over 40 courses, many of which are electives, or outside of the field,
therefore it is not surprising that at least one of them could be described as “not useful”.
Viewed from this perspective, the fraction of 51% is not particularly high. Oddly, Fine
and Performing Arts, which has the lowest percentage of “very useful” courses, also has
the lowest percentage of “not useful” courses. Clearly the word “useful” is being
interpreted in various ways by the respondents, and many of the courses probably fall
between “very useful” and “not useful”.
15 September 1997
How Can Universities Improve?
14
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
A few general remarks can be made about the open ended responses to these
questions. By far the greatest number of general responses to the question of what
material was lacking in the program was some form of the phrase “more practical
applications”. More “field work”, and more “co-op” work was also cited frequently, as
was “more computer-related courses”. However, very program-specific suggestions
were also common.
Figure 11 shows the relationship between graduates who cited shortcomings in
their program and graduates who said that in retrospect they would have taken a different
program. Arts and Science graduates said they would have taken a different program
almost to the same extent to which they found shortcomings in their program. However,
graduates of other programs did not think an alternative program would have been better,
despite finding that their program lacked specific material which would have been useful.
Figure 11: Program Shortcomings vs. “Should Have Taken a Better Program”
Proportion of "Yes" Responses to:
1. Did your program lack specific subject matter which would have been useful?
2. Is there a better program you could have taken?
70%
Lacking
Better Program
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Apsc
FPA
Educ
Health
Social
Bus
Sci
Arts
In reply to the question “What was not useful?”, a common response was to cite a
required subject outside of the field of specialization. For example, Biology students cited
Math courses, Science students cited Arts courses and Business students cited Statistics
courses. Students also took the opportunity in this question to cite a single course in
which instruction or course material was judged inadequate.
University education takes place not only through courses, but via interaction
outside the classroom. The survey asked graduates the extent to which the following
activities were helpful in acquiring the skills and knowledge needed for their current main
job: extra-curricular activities, student interactions outside the classroom, and faculty
interactions outside the classroom. Figure 12 clearly shows that student interactions were
rated as most helpful in all disciplines. Overall, 67% of graduates said that interactions
with other students were helpful or very helpful. Arts graduates were lowest, at 61%, and
Applied Science highest at 79%.
Well below was the rating of the
15 September 1997
How Can Universities Improve?
15
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 12: Activities Considered Helpful or Very Helpful in Acquiring Skills and
Knowledge Needed for Current Job
Student Interactions
Faculty Interactions
Extra-Curricular Activities
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Arts
Educ
Apsc
Sci
Bus
FPA
Health
Social
BC
System
helpfulness of faculty interactions, at 48%. Extra-curricular activities were rated as
helpful or very helpful by only 26% but there was a substantial difference among the
universities: 33% of UBC students rated extra-curricular activities as helpful, versus 18%
and 23% at SFU and UVic. Most students cited traditional extra-curricular activities such
as sports and clubs, so it is possible that more students were able to find activities which
interested them at the larger university.
EMPLOYMENT AND OCCUPATIONS OF UNIVERSITY GRADUATES
Occupations
Respondents were asked for their job title and a brief description of duties in their
current job. From this information it was possible to classify the jobs of 2,825 graduates
according the National Occupational Classification developed by Statistics Canada. Since
this coding scheme resulted in respondents being classified into hundreds of jobs, Tables 5
and 6 show the jobs of university graduates grouped into higher level categories based on
the NOC code, as follows:
• Senior Managers:
e.g. Corporate presidents and vice-presidents;
legislators; senior government officials.
• Middle and Other Managers: e.g. Bank managers, sales managers,
government managers in policy development.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
16
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
• Professionals: e.g. Engineers, accountants, chemists, teachers, writers,
artists.
• Semi-professionals: e.g. Technicians, estimators, inspectors, industrial
designers.
• Supervisors: e.g. Retail trade supervisors; food service supervisors.
• Administrative and Senior Clerical: e.g. Executive assistants,
purchasing agents, event planners, recruitment officers.
• Sales and service.
• Skilled crafts and trades: e.g. Electricians, carpenters.
• Clerical workers: e.g. Office clerks, computer operators.
• Semi-skilled or manual labourers.
This coding designates the first three categories as those requiring a university
degree (or equivalent), therefore examining occupations in this way enables a look at the
question of how many university graduates are “under-employed”, in the sense that they
are working in jobs which do not require a university degree. Tables 5 and 6 further divide
graduates into those who did and did not take further post-secondary education. This
allows some analysis of the effects of further post secondary education on jobs and
salaries, and also presents a more realistic picture of the occupations available for those
completing only a bachelor’s degree.
Table 5: Occupations of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates (For Graduates Who Did
NOT Pursue Further Education After Graduation)
- - - Employed - - Type of Occupation
Senior Managers
- - - - - - - - - - - - FT Salary - - - - - - - - - - - -
FT
PT
Tot
3
1
4
Median
N
Min
Max
-
(3)
-
-
Middle and Other Managers
127
8
135
$43,000
(105)
$16,800
$300,000
Professionals
568
158
726
$49,000
(481)
$10,000
$550,000
Semi-Professionals
52
22
74
$37,440
(45)
$18,200
$80,000
Supervisors
11
2
13
$32,500
(7)
$28,200
$75,000
Administrative and Senior Clerical
33
3
36
$37,100
(28)
$20,000
$75,000
Sales and Service
32
14
46
$39,760
(28)
$14,400
$75,000
3
1
4
-
(3)
-
-
Clerical Workers
29
10
39
$35,180
(22)
$14,400
$82,000
Semi-skilled and Other Manual Workers
12
3
15
$34,500
(12)
$24,000
$55,000
Skilled Crafts and Trades
Grand Total (All Occupation Types)
870
222
1,092
$45,000
(734)
$10,000
$550,000
* Refer to Appendix C for the specific occupations and salaries of graduates without further education by program and NOC.
Both Table 5, for those who did not continue post-secondary education beyond the
bachelor's degree, and Table 6, for those with further post-secondary education, show
university graduates' occupations are highly concentrated among the professional and
middle management categories. More detailed tables in Appendices C and D show that
this is the case across all disciplines. Over 80% of graduates employed full-time are
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
17
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
employed as professionals or managers, and it seems to make very little difference in this
broad occupational grouping whether graduates obtain a second degree. (Of course some
professions are open only to those with a second degree).
Table 6: Occupations of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates (For Graduates Who
Pursued/Completed Further Education After Graduation)
Type of Occupation
Senior Managers
- - - Employed - - FT
PT
Tot
- - - - - - - - - - - - FT Salary - - - - - - - - - - - Median
N
Min
Max
9
1
10
$80,000
(4)
$40,000
$100,000
Middle and Other Managers
192
16
208
$45,500
(162)
$19,200
$385,000
Professionals
$750,000
967
242
1,209
$45,000
(841)
$5,000
Semi-Professionals
93
49
142
$39,250
(80)
$15,000
$92,000
Supervisors
13
-
13
$38,000
(13)
$15,000
$100,000
Administrative and Senior Clerical
49
8
57
$32,000
(43)
$18,000
$62,000
Sales and Service
54
18
72
$37,000
(47)
$10,800
$93,600
4
-
4
$31,500
(4)
$18,000
$75,000
42
15
57
$30,500
(38)
$15,000
$50,000
5
-
5
$37,440
(5)
$18,720
$47,000
1,428
349
1,777
$37,720
(1237)
$5,000
$750,000
Skilled Crafts and Trades
Clerical Workers
Semi-skilled and Other Manual Workers
Grand Total (All Occupation Types)
* See Appendix D for specific occupations and salaries of graduates who pursued/completed further education by program and NOC.
By far the most frequent profession is that of school teacher, with 28% of
graduates across all disciplines citing this occupation. Naturally, teaching predominates as
the occupation of those with degrees in education, however it is interesting to note that of
the 555 employed graduates of Education programs, only 25, or less than 5% work
outside of the field of Education (school administrators were classed as middle managers).
Graduates of Science programs without further education are most likely to be
employed as computer programmers, or computer systems analysts, but for the Science
graduates who completed additional post-secondary education, once again, teaching is the
most frequent occupation. The next most frequent occupations are Lawyers (5.2% of
graduates), Financial Auditors and Accountants (2.2%), and Sales, Marketing and
Advertising Managers (2.2%). See appendices C and D for more information.
For those program groups awarding first bachelor’s degrees, Table 7 shows the
effect on the occupational distribution, of obtaining further post-secondary education. For
example, Arts students who continued on for further post-secondary education, are more
likely to be professionals, and less likely to be middle managers. This results from the
tendency for Arts students to choose teacher training programs as their next degree. The
most dramatic result from further post-secondary education is for Business graduates,
where the fraction of professionals rises from 15% to 52%. In general, Table 7 shows that
the result of further education is movement up the occupational classification scale.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
18
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Table 7: Distribution of Occupations in Selected Programs by Level of Education
Further Educ. Since 1991 Grad
NOC Category
Senior Managers
Middle and Other Managers
Professionals
Semi-professionals
Supervisors
Admin. and Senior Clerical
Sales and Service
Skilled Crafts and trades
Clerical
Semi-skilled and Manual
Arts
No
1%
20%
40%
10%
2%
7%
7%
0%
10%
3%
Yes
1%
14%
58%
8%
0%
7%
6%
0%
6%
0%
Sci
No
Yes
1%
0%
13%
9%
49%
66%
17%
16%
4%
1%
4%
2%
6%
4%
1%
0%
2%
2%
2%
0%
Bus
No
Yes
0%
3%
41%
31%
15%
52%
0%
1%
3%
2%
17%
3%
14%
3%
0%
0%
7%
4%
3%
0%
ApSc
No
Yes
0%
1%
18%
12%
66%
76%
11%
4%
4%
3%
2%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
2%
0%
1%
FPA
No
0%
9%
46%
23%
3%
0%
9%
3%
9%
0%
Yes
0%
9%
51%
23%
1%
0%
11%
1%
3%
0%
Figures 13 shows the occupational distribution by program for the broad
occupational groupings in graphical form. For all programs except Business without
further education, a significant majority of graduates held jobs classified as "professional".
For Business graduates without further post-secondary education, the most frequent
category is "middle and other managers", and noticeably more graduates work in “sales
and service” and “administration and senior clerical”. From these data and the previous
points on low rates of unemployment, there is clearly no major problem associated with
“under-employment” of university graduates in fields for which they are “over-qualified”.
The occupational distribution of university graduates is so different from that of the total
workforce as to eliminate any possibility of an “over-supply” of university graduates; had
there been, we certainly would have seen many more graduates employed in occupations
not requiring a university degree.
Figure 13:
Distribution of Graduates by Program Area and Job Category
Pursued Further Education:
MW
CW
CT
SS
AD
No
Yes
100%
Job Categories
Semi-Skilled & Manual Workers
SU
Clerical Workers
SP
Skilled Crafts and Trades
PR
Sales and Service
MM
Admin. and Senior Clerical
SM
Supervisors
Semi-Professionals
Professionals
Middle & Other Mgrs
Senior Managers
100%
Arts
Educ
80%
80%
60%
60%
40%
40%
20%
20%
0%
0%
MW
CW
CT
SS
AD
SU
SP
PR
MM
SM
MW
CW
SS
AD
SU
SP
PR
MM
SM
Job Category
Job Category
15 September 1997
CT
Employment and Occupations
19
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 13:
Distribution of Graduates by Program Area and Job Category, continued
Pursued Further Education:
MW
CW
CT
SS
AD
No
Yes
Job Categories
Semi-Skilled & Manual Workers
SU
Clerical Workers
SP
Skilled Crafts and Trades
PR
Sales and Service
MM
Admin. and Senior Clerical
SM
Supervisors
Semi-Professionals
Professionals
Middle & Other Mgrs
Senior Managers
100%
100%
ApSc
Sci
80%
80%
60%
60%
40%
40%
20%
20%
0%
0%
MW
CW
CT
SS
AD
SU
SP
PR
MM
MW
SM
CW
CT
SS
Job Category
AD
SU
SP
PR
MM
SM
SP
PR
MM
SM
SP
PR
MM
SM
Job Category
100%
100%
Bus
FPA
80%
80%
60%
60%
40%
40%
20%
20%
0%
0%
MW
CW
CT
SS
AD
SU
SP
PR
MM
SM
MW
CW
CT
SS
AD
SU
Job Category
Job Category
100%
100%
Social
Health
80%
80%
60%
60%
40%
40%
20%
20%
0%
0%
MW
CW
CT
SS
AD
SU
SP
PR
MM
SM
MW
CW
Job Category
15 September 1997
CT
SS
AD
SU
Job Category
Employment and Occupations
20
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 14 shows median salaries by program grouping for those with Bachelor’s
degrees and working full-time. The median annual full-time salary across all programs is
$45,000, and the difference between the median of the highest paid and lowest paid group
is close to 70%. Fine Arts graduates earn the least, with median full-time salaries of
$31,800; Applied Science graduates earn the most, with median full-time earnings of
$54,000.
Figure 14: Median Salary of Full-time Employed Graduates With No Further
Education Beyond 1991 Graduation
$54,000
$55,000
$53,000
$50,000
$50,000
$47,840
$45,000 $45,000
$45,000
$42,000
$40,000
$40,000
$35,000
$31,800
$30,000
FPA
Arts
Sci
Total
Educ
Bus
Health
Social
ApSc
Policy makers and labour market analysts are often interested in the question of
“How related is the job to the course of studies students took?” Figure 15 shows two
indicators of “job relatedness”: the proportion of graduates who said their job was “very”
or “somewhat” related to university studies; and the proportion of graduates working in
jobs designated as requiring a university degree by the National Occupational
Classification.
Overall, about 70% said they are in a related job, when asked directly. However,
79% are in jobs classified as requiring a university education according to the NOC code.
This is particularly true in Health professions and Education, where graduates may
consider a general Science or Arts degree not particularly related to the work of a teacher
or health professional; however it does illustrate the possibilities for confusion in the
interpretation of job relatedness statistics. Despite the fact that a teacher or physician may
not consider their current job to be related to their baccalaureate education, few would
argue that the university education was unnecessary.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
21
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 15: Distribution of Graduates in “University Degree” or “Program-Related”
Jobs
100%
"Program-Related" Job
"University Degree" Job
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Arts
Educ
ApSc
Sci
Bus
FPA
Health
Social
Total
Figure 16: Median Earnings of Graduates With Bachelor’s Degree – Two and Five
Years After Graduation
5 Years Out (No Further Education)
5 Years Out (With Further Education)
5 Years Out (All Graduates)
2 Years Out (All Graduates)
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$0
Arts
15 September 1997
Educ
ApSc
Sci
Bus
Employment and Occupations
FPA
Health
Social
22
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
In order to examine the effect of experience, Figure 16 compares results of the
current survey of graduates five years after graduation, with a survey done last year of
students two years after graduation. The most dramatic results are in the salary increases.
Median salaries over a three year period increased by 40% for Commerce and Business
graduates, 27% for Arts and Applied Science graduates, and 24% for Science and Fine
Arts graduates. In a period where average salary increases in B.C. were less than 3%
annually, this shows the remarkable growth in the salaries of university graduates over the
early years of employment.
Employment
All surveys of university graduates show high levels of employment among those
in the labour force, and for the two to five year period after graduation, all surveys show
significant numbers of graduates still pursuing further education. Figure 17 shows the
percentage of graduates with jobs both two years and five years after graduation.
Graduates five years out show much higher rates of employment; the overall rate
increased from 81% to 90%. Commerce, Health, Social Professions and Education all
show very high levels of employment after 5 years, while Fine Arts, Science and Arts are
still relatively low.
The data in Figure 17 is simply the proportion of people who reported having a
job, and is not comparable to Statistics Canada’s calculation of “employment” and
Figure 17: Percentage of Graduates with Employment
100%
2 Years Out (1993 Grads)
95%
5 Years Out (1991 Grads)
90%
85%
80%
75%
70%
65%
60%
FPA
Sci
Arts
Total
ApSc
Bus
Health
Social
Educ
0%
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
23
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
“unemployment”. For example, many graduates are quite reasonably not in the workforce
because of school attendance. A more accurate picture of actual employment is given by
Figure 18, where “employment” is calculated by considering only those graduates who are
actually in the workforce (currently employed or actively looking for work). Using this
definition, the unemployment rate among the 1991 graduates is 3.8%. By way of
comparison, the national unemployment rate is approximately 9%. The overall
unemployment rate for all university graduates in B.C. is 5.2%, indicating that this
somewhat younger than average cohort of 1991 graduates is having greater success in the
labour market than older university graduates. The ranking of programs in Figure 18,
however, are similar to those of Figure 17: Fine Arts, and Sciences show the lowest levels
of employment, at 93%, or a 7% unemployment rate.
Figure 18: Unemployment Rates of 1991 Graduates by Program
8%
7%
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
FPA
Sci
Arts
ApSc
Bus
Educ
Health
Social
Note: Graduates who are not in the workforce are excluded.
Figure 19 shows the employment rate (calculated by the Statistics Canada
definition) by highest level of education completed. The chart is somewhat misleading, in
that those with no further education have had the most time in the labour force, and those
with long years of professional or graduate training have had the least. Nevertheless, it is
interesting to note that the very highest level of employment is reached by those who enter
the workforce soon after completing the bachelor’s degree.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
24
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 19: Employment Rate by Highest Level of Education Completed
100%
98%
96%
94%
92%
90%
0%
No Further Educ.
beyond 1991
Bach. Degree
Doctoral Degree
Professional
Other
Univ/College
Academic Courses
Technical/
Vocational
Training
Another
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Notes:
1. Professional includes teacher training, law degree, medicine degree, dentistry degree, other university training, training not offered at a university/college.
2. Employment Rate = (Number of graduates employed) / (Number of graduates in the labor force).
3. The labor force includes:
a) Currently employed graduates, and
b) Currently unemployed graduates who are currently looking for work or have a paid job lined up to start.
Workers entering the labour market are concerned not only with eventually finding
a job, but with how long it will take, and how long the job will last. Most graduates face
some period of unemployment between graduation and attaining their first job. Figure 20
shows the percentage of graduates who were unemployed for a period of at least six
months, and one year. Overall, 17% of graduates were unemployed for a
Figure 20: Duration of Unemployment Over the Past Five Years by Program
30%
More than 6 Months in Total
47
More than 1 Year in Total
25%
335
66
113
20%
740
35
15%
30
79
10%
18
35
123
15
37
5%
34
20
278
13
18
0%
Arts
Educ
ApSc
Sci
Bus
FPA
Health
Social
Total
Note: Each bar represents the % of graduates by program who were unemployed for 6 or 12 months
since graduation. The number of unemployed graduates by program is indicated above each bar.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
25
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
period of at least six months, and 6% were unemployed for over one year. Stated another
way, 83% of university graduates did not experience a spell of unemployment lasting six
months or more, and 94% of graduates were unemployed for less than one year.
Education and Health professionals experienced the shortest periods of unemployment;
Fine Arts and Arts graduates the highest.
Another aspect of difficulty in the labour market is characterized by a long
succession of short term jobs. This does not appear to be the case with university
graduates. Ninety-five percent of graduates had held a job lasting six months or more, and
the average number of jobs held over the five year period was 2.3. Figure 21 shows the
distribution of the number of jobs held over the five year period. The largest fraction of
graduates held only one job over the period, and well over half of the graduates had held
only one or two jobs in this period. Apparently university graduates find jobs relatively
quickly, and these jobs are stable, long term jobs. However, 36% of graduates reported
having held at least one job which was based on a limited term contract.
Figure 21: Number of Jobs Held Over the Past 5 Years
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Number of Jobs Held Since 1991 Graduation
(For Graduates without Further Education)
Part-time Employment
Having established that university graduates have high levels of employment, jobs
which are attained quite soon after graduation, and that the occupational distribution tends
to be in relatively good jobs (i.e. professionals and managers), it is also important to
determine whether graduates are employed full-time or part-time. Figure 22 shows the
percentage of graduates working part-time as well as the percentage working part-time
involuntarily. The difference illustrates a large number of graduates who are employed
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
26
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
part-time, are so by their own choice. This is particularly true for graduates of Fine Arts
programs, where 35% are employed part-time, but only 8.6% are actually involuntarily
part-time. In other words, in those fields where part-time employment is highest, over
75% of those employed part-time are part-time by choice. For graduates overall, only 4%
are employed part-time involuntarily. Evidently “underemployment” in terms of work
hours is not a problem for 96% of university graduates. There is also a very dramatic
increase in full-time employment of university graduates between two years after
graduation and five years after graduation. The survey done two years after graduation
showed 77% of employed graduates were working full-time; after five years, 83% work
full-time.
Figure 22: Distribution of Part-time Jobs Held by Program (All Jobs Since Program
Completion vs. Current Part-time Jobs)
Status of Part-time Job:
Each bar represents PT jobs as a % of:
60%
50%
All jobs held since 1991 graduation
PT Not by Choice
Currently held jobs
PT by Choice
40%
30%
20%
Total
Social
Health
FPA
Bus
Sci
ApSc
Arts
0%
Educ
10%
In the Labour Force
Overall, 93% of graduates are in the labour force (though some may
simultaneously be in school), and there is very little difference between men and women in
labour force participation: 94% of men and 92% of women are in the labour force. By
way of comparison, the overall participation rate in the labour force in Canada is 65%.
Figure 23 shows the distribution of labour force participation by program and gender.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
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Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 23: Distribution of Graduates in the Labour Force by Program and Gender
100%
95%
Male
Female
90%
85%
80%
75%
Educ
Apsc
Health
Bus
Social
Arts
Sci
FPA
Total
0%
Figure 24 shows the distribution of activities for those not in the labour force. The
primary reason for non-participation in the labour force is school attendance (48% of
those not in the labour force are in school). Science students overwhelmingly cite being
“in school” as the reason for not being in the labour force, whereas Arts students’ reasons
Figure 24: Distribution of Graduates Who are Not in the Labour Force
Don't Know/Unsure
Other
In school
Homemaker
Temporary leave of absence
# Not in Labour Force
140
100%
90%
120
100
70%
60%
80
50%
60
40%
30%
40
# Not in Labour Force
% Not in Labour Force
80%
20%
20
10%
0%
0
Apsc
15 September 1997
Arts
Bus
Educ
FPA
Health
Employment and Occupations
Sci
Social
28
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
are more evenly split between being “in school”, “temporary leave of absence”, and
“homemaker”. Looking back at the data for Table 2, however, we see that Science
students are only slightly more likely than Arts students to continue on to further
education. The difference is in the number of Science students who pursue a doctoral
degree: 3% of Arts students versus 13% of Science graduates pursue a doctoral degree,
hence keeping many of them in post-secondary school beyond five years. As noted earlier,
Science students also are more likely than graduates of any other discipline (tied with Fine
Arts) to indicate that the reason for pursuing further post-secondary education was “lack
of suitable employment opportunities”.
Self-employment
Small business creation and self-employment are important aspects of a growing
economy, hence we asked graduates whether they were self-employed, and the nature of
that employment. Table 8 shows overall, 13% of graduates are self-employed, very close
to the national average of 14%. Apparently university graduates are no more likely to be
self employed than the general population. By far the highest proportion of self- employed
graduates is among Fine and Performing Arts graduates, where 36% are self-employed.
Health and Social Professions show high levels of self-employment because doctors,
dentists and lawyers tend to be self employed.
Table 8: Self-employed Graduates by Program
Program
% Self-Employed
Fine & Performing Arts
36%
Social Professions
24%
Health
23%
Commerce
12%
Arts
12%
Science
11%
Applied Science
11%
Education
3%
Total
13%
Table 9 shows the occupational distribution for the self-employed. Excluding
doctors, dentists, and lawyers, the occupation with the largest number of self-employed
was categorized as “other instructors”; this category includes music teachers and private
tutors. Also frequently cited as a common occupation of the self-employed was “retail
trade manager”.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
29
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Table 9: Occupations of Self-employed 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates by Program
Pgm
# of Self-Employed Graduates
Employs
Employs
Total
Self Only
Others
National Occupation Classification
Arts
0621
4216
5121
0611
3144
0651
5124
0013
0114
0631
1111
4153
4161
4169
5241
6232
-
Retail Trade Managers
Other Instructors
Writers
Sales, Marketing and Advertising Managers
Other Professional Occupations in Therapy & Assmnt
Other Services Managers
Professional Occs in Public Relations and Comms
Senior Mgrs-Fin., Comm. Carriers and Other Bus. Srvcs
Other Administrative Services Managers
Restaurant and Food Service Managers
Financial Auditors and Accountants
Family, Marriage and Other Related Counsellors
Natural/Applied Sci. Pol. Rsrchrs, Cnslt./Prgrm Office
Other Professional Occupations in Social Science
Graphic Designers and Illustrating Artists
Real Estate Agents and Salespersons
Other
4216
-
Mean #
Employed
12
8
7
6
6
5
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
82
157
3
6
7
3
4
1
1
0
0
0
1
3
2
2
3
3
54
93
9
2
3
2
4
3
3
3
3
2
1
1
28
64
3.0
3.5
4.3
1.0
2.3
15.7
6.7
5.3
25.7
11.5
4.0
1.0
3.9
5.6
Other Instructors
Other
5
18
23
3
14
17
2
4
6
2.5
11.5
8.5
2151
2122
-
Architects
Forestry Professionals
Other
4
3
14
21
3
2
6
11
1
1
8
10
2.0
14.0
9.0
8.8
3113
2163
0114
0621
2121
-
Dentists
Computer Programmers
Other Administrative Services Managers
Retail Trade Managers
Biologists and Related Scientists
Other
15
7
3
3
3
22
53
6
4
2
0
3.0
16
31
9
3
1
3
6
22
5.2
4.3
6.0
17.0
4.8
6.6
0611
0114
-
Sales, Marketing and Advertising Managers
Other Administrative Services Managers
Other
5
3
26
34
1
1
12
14
4
2
14
20
5.0
6.5
4.6
4.9
4216
5131
5133
5121
5136
5241
5135
-
Other Instructors
Producers, Directors, Choreographers & Relatd Occs
Musicians and Singers
Writers
Painters, Sculptors and Other Visual Artists
Graphic Designers and Illustrating Artists
Actors
Other
11
6
5
4
4
4
3
11
48
11
4
4
3
3
3
2
8
38
0
2
1
1
1
1
1
3
10
5.0
3.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
20.0
2.0
4.2
3112
3113
3142
3144
3111
3131
3152
-
General Practitioners and Family Physicians
Dentists
Physiotherapists
Other Professional Occupations in Therapy & Assmnt
Specialist Physicians
Pharmacists
Registered Nurses
Other
30
15
6
5
4
4
3
19
86
7
3
4
5
3
0
3
10
35
23
12
2
0
1
4
0
9
51
3.5
2.8
3.5
2.0
9.8
3.8
3.8
4112
-
Lawyers and Quebec Notaries
Other
Social Total
42
13
55
16
11
27
26
2
28
6.8
12.0
7.2
Grand Total
495
274
221
5.6
Arts Total
Educ
Educ Total
Apsc
ApSc Total
Sci
Sci Total
Bus
Bus Total
FPA
FPA Total
Health
Health Total
Social
100%
55%
45%
Note:
1. Includes all respondents who are self-employed.
2. Grand total includes 18 unidentifed self-employed graduates, 4 of which are Lawyers, from unknown programs.
3. Occupations with a frequency of 3 or more are listed. All other occupations are included in "other".
4. Mean # employed is the average number of people employed by these graduates, for those who employ at least one other person excluding self.
5. Note that "other" in Education includes one self-employed coach in an educational institution who employs 36 others.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
30
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Job Satisfaction
Overall, employed graduates tend to be quite satisfied with both their jobs and
their career development: 89% of employed graduates are satisfied with their current job,
and 84% are satisfied with their career development to date. There is also remarkably
little variation among the disciplines in graduates’ satisfaction with their jobs. The highest
level of satisfaction was among Education graduates (93%) and the lowest level among
Arts graduates, at 85%. These levels of job satisfaction are very similar to the satisfaction
levels reported by employed graduates two years after graduation. The combined results
of the two surveys present a very optimistic picture for graduates in all program areas:
graduates tend to work in satisfying jobs, which they attain quite early in their careers.
Figure 25 shows a clear and significant relationship between job satisfaction, and
how related the job is to the program of study, however, job relatedness is by no means
the major or only factor in determining job satisfaction. For graduates who reported that
their jobs were “not at all” related to their education, 75% still reported being satisfied
with their jobs. Furthermore, 68% of those who were not satisfied with their current job,
saw that job as only temporary until they found a more appropriate job. Also, the less the
job is related to the degree, the more likely the job is viewed as temporary.
Figure 25: Graduates’ Job Satisfaction by Relatedness of Job to Education
Job is Not Related
Job is Not Very Related
Job is somewhat related
Job is very related
0%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
% Satisfied with Job
Figure 26 shows the levels of satisfaction when graduates were asked not about
their specific job, but about their career development so far. The results are very similar
to those regarding the current job: 84% are satisfied with their overall career
development, with surprisingly little variation among programs.
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
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Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 26: Satisfaction With Career Development Since 1991 Program Completion
Very Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Arts
Educ
ApSc
Sci
Bus
FPA
Health
Social
Total
Notwithstanding that the majority of graduates are satisfied with their current job,
32% reported that in order to move on to a better job, more education would be required.
When asked what type of education would be necessary, by far the largest group – 52% –
said that a graduate degree of some kind would be required. Other types of further
education were also cited as necessary for moving on to a better job: another bachelor’s
degree, accounting, computer training, and very occupational specific training (e.g.
Emergency nursing). It is clear that the greatest demand for life-long education to
advance careers will be in advanced university programs. A very small fraction (less than
5%) of graduates felt that they needed technical or vocational training to get a better job.
Expectations
The survey also asked graduates whether they were in the kind of job they
expected to be in when they started the program. Clearly many graduates are in
unexpected jobs. Naturally, a higher proportion of graduates are in the types of jobs they
expected from the more career-related programs. Figure 27a shows 83% of Education
graduates are in the kind of job they expected. In less specific career related jobs, such as
Arts and Sciences, only 32% and 37% of graduates are in the kinds of jobs they expected.
Being employed in the kind of job one expects does relate to job satisfaction, but again, it
is not the only determinant. Figure 27b shows 94% of students who were in jobs of the
kind they expected reported being satisfied with their job, versus 84% of those who were
15 September 1997
Employment and Occupations
32
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
in jobs they did not expect. Furthermore, the survey asked those who were in jobs they
did not expect, whether the job they were in was better or worse than what they had
expected. Only 7.5% reported they were in a job which was worse than what was
expected; 25% were in jobs better than expected, and the rest felt their job was “just
different” from what they expected. Since so few graduates with jobs that differed from
expectations actually felt they had a worse job, the difference in overall job satisfaction is
really not explainable in terms of meeting expectations that students had prior to
graduation.
Figure 27: Job Expectations and Job Satisfaction
Figure 27a: Percent of Graduates
Employed in Jobs
They EXPECTED to Be In
When They Started the Program
Figure 27b: Job Satisfaction and
Job Expectations
Graduates in "Expected" Jobs
Educ
Satisfied With
Current Job
Social
Health
Graduates in "Unexpected" Jobs
ApSc
Satisfied With
Current Job
B.C. System
Job is Different
from Expected
FPA
Bus
Job is BETTER
than Expected
Sci
Job is WORSE
than Expected
Arts
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Given that so many university graduates enter jobs they did not expect, one
wonders whether these students were so uninformed as to the nature of the jobs available
that their program was chosen inappropriately. Graduates were asked “Given your career
expectations, do you feel that there was a better or more appropriate program that you
could have taken?” While 30% answered “yes” overall, there is significant variation
among programs: 43% of Arts graduates and 41% of Science graduates answered “yes” to
this question. Students who answered “yes” were then asked what program they feel they
ought to have taken. Analysis of this open-ended question revealed three major
tendencies, or themes in the answer. First, many graduates simply stated a program
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Employment and Occupations
33
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
which was more job related, such as Commerce, or Computer Science. Particularly for
Arts graduates, the Commerce or Business alternative ranked very high. Science students
also indicated a strong preference for Commerce as the alternative, but Engineering was
also frequently selected. Second, many students said they would have taken a program
which was related to the program they did take, but with more emphasis on the job they
finally attained. For example, Biology majors would have taken Forestry, Environmental
Sciences, or Lab technology courses; English students would have taken Journalism, and
Physics students would have taken Engineering. One discipline, Economics, showed this
tendency very strongly: Economics students who regretted their field of study would have
overwhelmingly preferred a Business or Commerce program. Third, many SFU students
regretted that they had not taken the “co-op” version of the same program.
Obviously many students do not know in advance what job they will attain, and
cannot fine-tune their program accordingly, and this survey shows that in many cases the
program they did take was, though perhaps not an exact fit to their ultimate needs,
certainly a very good background. One cannot deduce that students who, in hindsight
would have preferred Commerce to Economics have spent their time inappropriately, but
with over 40% of graduates indicating they would take a different program, given what
they now know about their careers, there is some evidence that students could be
counselled or directed to more appropriate programs. However, some graduates would
have preferred programs, such as Business or Engineering, but were unable to get into
these areas of study due to space or academic performance limitations.
THE IMPACT OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
BEYOND THE WORKPLACE
Most studies and surveys of post-secondary graduates tend to focus on the
measurement of work-related outcomes. The previous B.C. survey of university
graduates, for example, established high rates of employment and acquisition of skills for
the workplace (e.g. reasoning, communication, problem solving, critical thinking). The
National Graduate Survey focuses almost exclusively on labour market experiences of
university graduates. Critiques of these surveys have emphasized that they provide little
insight into the contribution the university education makes to the broader development of
the individual. There is wide consensus that the outcomes of a university education
include not only job-related skills and substantive knowledge of a field of study, but also
personal development, social development, life-long learning skills, appreciation for a
diversity of views, appreciation for culture and the arts, leadership and a better
understanding of the world.
This survey includes an attempt to gain some insight into what students perceive as
the outcomes of their university education in some of these non-work-related areas. One
of the difficulties in survey research of this type is that of questions which
15 September 1997
Beyond the Workplace
34
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
themselves prompt a positive answer. That is, respondents indicate a positive response to
a question simply because the question has been asked. Therefore, prior to asking the set
of questions on which students are asked to indicate whether specific outcomes were
achieved by the university education, we asked for an open-ended response to the
question: “Aside from your job, is your life different today because of your total
university experience?”
Perhaps the most striking and obvious result of an analysis of these open ended
responses is the frequency with which graduates responded to an unprompted, open-ended
question with an original reply. Nearly all graduates gave a response, and many who did
not, simply felt unprepared for the question, giving responses like “Oh, I’d need to think
about it”, or “That’s too big a question.” The second general observation from the openended question was the extent to which responses were positive. Fewer than 2% of the
respondents cited a negative impact on their lives of the university education, and most of
these were related to the debt load they now carried as a result of their education – an
indirect effect. Ten percent responded that nothing outside of work and career had
changed. These people tended to be mature students who came back to finish a degree
after many years in the workforce. In the following section, segments of the responses
which are typical or representative of certain themes among the responses are excerpted to
give a flavour of the way in which graduates responded. Most responses could be placed
into one of three categories: intellectual impact, social impact, and personal impact.
By far the most common response across all universities and disciplines (approximately
one quarter of responses was a general remark about the education such as “broadened my
horizons”, or “opened me up to new ideas”). Typical of these general responses are:
•I am better educated.
•I am more well rounded and have a better understanding of every day
events. It opened my mind.
•I feel I am a well rounded person.
•I have a broader range of knowledge.
•I am more open minded and curious about the world today.
Though this type of comment was more common from Arts students than from Science, or
Applied Science students, many Science students also gave a very general reply:
•I am more understanding of the world.
•I see things differently since my education. I also am a more rounded
person and ask more questions.
•My breadth of knowledge has increased as well as my ability to analyze.
It also has opened doors for educational opportunities.
•My horizons are broader, my intellectual capabilities are greater and
I'm just a smarter person in general.
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Beyond the Workplace
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Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Some graduates simply dismissed the question without being specific:
•How can I answer – everything has changed.
•University changed me as a person.
•I have no idea how my life is different aside from my job. I just know it
is different.
While others expanded on the general theme of a broad education:
•It was a great general education that filled in the holes from high
school. It prepared me for further education and my current career.
•My life is much richer intellectually and philosophically. I am much
unhappier with the temporary nature of teaching. I can't help my kids
out as much as I'd like because I don't earn enough.
•I think the university has broadened my outlooks. It was fulfilling. It
broadened my mind. It taught me how to learn and how to research. It
made me more responsible and cerebral.
•I think that it taught me to be more open minded.
•I think that exposure to different things gives you a broader outlook.
A theme closely related to that of “broadening”, was “life-long learning”. Respondents
cited their current interests in furthering their education to the effects of their
undergraduate education:
•My breadth of knowledge has increased as well as my ability to analyze.
It also has opened doors for educational opportunities.
•It'll be important when I go back to school in the future.
•It gave me a lifelong learning attitude.
•Going back was a huge eye-opener. I feel that I model to the kids in my
classroom that I am a lifelong learner.
•The university experience has given me an interest in learning.
The second most common theme among the open-ended responses was that of social
development. Some respondents mentioned the friendships and contacts made at
university:
•I created a network of friends and colleagues.
•The people that I was exposed to and the learning.
•I met my wife at university.
Most responses about social life at university mentioned the aspects of personal and
intellectual growth obtained through the social element of their education:
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Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
•I am more active and outgoing now than before. I went out and got a
volunteer job because of university.
•The people I have met are different from those I would have met if I
didn't go to university. I was exposed to other cultures.
•First, the people that I met became the most important people that I
know and second, the thinking and development that I have acquired.
•I made more friends and was introduced to new groups of people which
allowed me to have a broader range of understanding.
•It's given me a more well rounded way of meeting new people and of
learning new things. The whole nature of the experience itself was good.
•It completed my intellectual and social development
•I met people who have been great contacts, both professionally and
personally.
•My abilities to interact with other people was enhanced.
Another major theme was the acquisition of skills which affected graduates both within
and outside the workplace. Most often, graduates said that their education had changed
some aspect of the way in which they think and face problems in many aspects of their
lives:
•I am a better critical thinker and more aware of political, economic and
business issues. This allows me to evaluate and make good decisions.
• I think university helped me think more globally. It enhanced my
communication skills and ability to be responsible.
•It gave me skills in research and communication.
•It has made me conscious of my surroundings and able to think in a
logical manner.
•I am a more critical thinker and a better and more resourceful problem
solver.
Others referred more to specific knowledge than to generic thinking skills:
•The power of the knowledge that I have gained is the main noticeable
change. I feel more credible with my studies and understand things in
more depth.
•University increased my range of knowledge about people and events.
The friends and interpersonal skills that I learned are probably the most
valuable skills that I have ever learned.
•It has given me a great knowledge of cultural diversity and has
stimulated me intellectually.
15 September 1997
Beyond the Workplace
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Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Finally, a great many graduates responded with the theme of personal change and growth;
increased confidence, happiness, awareness, etc.:
•I think I can see the overall picture better. I have more confidence
because I have a degree. It’s a real accomplishment.
•It gave me a good experience and it taught me to persevere.
•Just the challenge of university gives you strength.
•My education has allowed me to be a successful and confident person.
In addition to the three major themes (intellectual, social, personal), there is a wealth of
specific responses which don’t fit well into any of these categories, but nonetheless
provide interesting insights into the effects of a university education:
•It has made me very entrepreneurial.
•My life is less stressful outside of work because I learned to be more
organized as a result of my university experience.
•Being educated has made me a happier person. I believe there are more
opportunities available to me.
•It made me learn time management skills. I had the chance to pursue
varsity athletics. I met people all over the world and those friendships
have continued.
In the second section of the questionnaire dealing with life changes outside of the
workplace, the study adopted a more traditional approach, and asked graduates to
respond to, “What extent would you say the following occurred or was enhanced by your
university education?”, after which students were asked to respond to the eight topic areas
shown in Figure 28.
As confirmed by the unprompted open-ended responses, life-skills outside of the
workplace are undoubtedly profoundly influenced by the university experience. However,
the data do show that the response pattern is different when graduates are specifically
prompted on a particular topic. For example, although almost no one responded to the
open-ended question with “acquired leadership skills”, about 70% reported that leadership
skills were developed in the course of their university education. The result is similar but
less pronounced for the topics of “community involvement” and “appreciation of culture
and arts”. This is partially explainable by the fact that graduates placed a much greater
emphasis on the intellectual and personal development acquired at university, and
answered the open-ended question accordingly, admitting to other benefits only when
prompted. A second reason is that it is well known that every specific question on a
questionnaire carries with it the power of suggestion, hence graduates respond positively
because the question was asked, and though the response is truthful the topic is not
uppermost in the respondent’s mind. Given these responses and the open ended responses
taken together, we can safely say that a university education is
15 September 1997
Beyond the Workplace
38
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
somewhat less effective in developing community involvement, appreciation for the arts,
and leadership skills, than in the areas of stimulating learning and personal development
(e.g. confidence).
Figure 28: Life Skills Developed as a Result of University Education
Life-Long Learner
Personal Growth
Appreciate Diversity of
Views
Social Development
Understand Current Events
Acquired Leadership Skills
Appreciate Culture/Arts
Involvement in Community
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Extent Developed
60%
70%
Great Extent
80%
90%
100%
Some Extent
Figure 29 shows these non-work related skills broken down by program area and
specific skill, with the eight skills combined to form a “Life Skills Index”. This index is
calculated by summing, for each of the eight skills, the percentage of respondents who said
a skill was developed to a “great extent”, and dividing by the number of skills. For
example, if 40% of the respondents indicated that life-long learning was developed to a
great extent, then 0.05 (1/8th of 40%) is added to the index for that skill. Non-work skills
are developed to the greatest extent by Fine and Performing Arts students, and the level of
development follows a very consistent pattern: the more concrete and logical the area of
study, the less the non-work skills are developed. Obviously appreciation of the arts is a
more frequent outcome in those fields where it is taught directly, but other areas, such an
appreciation for diversity and life-long learning also follow this pattern, which is only
really prominent when all the areas are taken together in the life skills index as shown in
Figure 29.
15 September 1997
Beyond the Workplace
39
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
Figure 29: Life Skills Developed/Enhanced to a Great Extent as a Result of University
Education - by Program and Life Skill
Life Skills Index
0.50
0.45
Involvement in
Community
0.40
Appreciate
Culture/Arts
0.35
Leadership Skills
0.30
Understand
Current Events
0.25
Social Development
0.20
Appreciate
Diversity of Views
0.15
0.10
0.05
Personal Growth
Life-Long Learner
0.00
FPA
Arts
Educ
Health
Social
Sci
Bus
ApSc
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
This survey of over 4,700 graduates of B.C. universities five years after graduation
presents a very bright picture of the outcomes of a university education. Graduates tend
to have high levels of employment, a high degree of satisfaction with their jobs and
careers, and report high levels of satisfaction with their university experiences. The survey
also investigated the non-work related outcomes of a university education, and found
graduates reported a wealth of personal, and intellectual outcomes of their university
education in addition to the career advantages.
However, about a third of university graduates would not take the same program
again. When asked why, three major reasons emerged: they would have preferred
something more job related; they had entered a program without fully understanding their
own interests as well as the career implications of the program; and they had undergone
personal changes such that their interests had changed. Nevertheless, of those who would
not take the same program again, 81% reported that they were satisfied with their current
job, and had obtained many non-job related benefits from their education.
When asked how universities could improve the program they had taken, many
students said they would like the program to include more practical, job related
components, including co-operative education. Co-op education was rated very highly, as
has been noted in previous surveys, and it has undergone tremendous growth in B.C.
15 September 1997
Conclusion
40
Five Year Graduate Follow-up Survey of 1991 Baccalaureate Graduates
universities over the past decade. Although many students cited one or more courses
which they felt were not helpful, very few graduates had major criticisms of the teaching
and learning process as it occurs in the universities.
An extremely high proportion of university graduates continue on to further postsecondary education, primarily in graduate studies. Technical and vocational training was
also frequently cited. This tendency to continue post-secondary education was not,
however, the result of discouraged job-seeking. Most students cited very positive reasons
for continuing with their education, such as “career goals” and “desire to study at a higher
level”. Students who did not go on to further post-secondary education in fact had higher
levels of employment than those who did. There is little evidence of discouraged jobseeking among B.C. university graduates.
The occupations of university graduates tend to be highly concentrated in
professional and middle management careers, with relatively high average salaries. The
period of time between two years out of university and five years out of university is a
period of extremely rapid growth in both the earnings and the rates of employment of
university graduates. Both the high earnings and the small fraction of university graduates
employed in jobs not requiring a university education are an indication that there is no
evidence whatsoever of an oversupply of university graduates in the economy. Part-time
employment, while high for graduates of some programs, is in large measure part-time by
choice.
This survey represents the first time in British Columbia that we have had strong
evidence for the non-job related benefits of a university education. Ninety percent of
graduates believe that their university education had a wide-ranging and significant effect
on their lives beyond the workplace. Graduates gave very diverse responses to an open
ended question about these benefits, ranging from the very general comments such as
“well rounded education”, and “more open minded”, to personal changes they had
undergone, such as increased self-confidence, increased intellectual abilities, and improved
social skills. Perhaps one of the clearest demonstrations of the successful outcome of a
university education is the desire for further education. Over 80% of graduates describe
themselves as “life-long learners” as the result of their university education.
15 September 1997
Conclusion
41