Table of Contents
Roughly 80% of survey respondents reported being employed while
attending NC State.
Of the 16% of respondents who participated in NC State's co-op
program, over half of the participants indicated that the experience
helped in getting post-graduation employment. Moreover, about
one-third of participants received job offers directly from their
co-op employer.
Respondents generally made career-oriented plans following graduation,
and most seniors planned to join the labor force immediately.
As of the time of the survey (March), 25% of respondents indicated
that they already had already secured employment, 3% said they
would continue in their current jobs, and 2% planned to enter
the military. However, 35% were still seeking employment. Of those
who had already secured post-graduate employment:
Seventeen percent of respondents planned to attend graduate or
professional school full-time and 3% part-time. More females than
males planned further study.
Introduction and Methodology
This report presents selected information from the March 1997
survey of spring 1997 graduating seniors at NC State. The responses
analyzed represent 53.4% of the spring 1997 graduating senior
class. Results of Chi-Square tests revealed no significant differences
from the total population of graduating seniors in the areas of
gender or ethnicity at the 0.01 significance level. However, significant
differences were found by academic unit, so caution should
be used when interpreting any comparisons by academic unit because
the results may not generalize to the graduating senior class.
The quantitative data obtained from the 1997 Graduating Senior
Survey were analyzed according to standard statistical methods.
Forced-choice responses were tested to determine whether there
were any significant differences according to students' gender,
ethnicity, and academic unit. Questions with categorical responses
were analyzed using Chi-Square tests, and all questions with numerically
coded responses were analyzed using either T-tests or one-way
analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Duncan's multiple comparison
procedure. The significance level for all analyses was p<0.01.
Responses to two broad, open-ended questions were transcribed
verbatim, and then examined for relevant themes. To represent
and illustrate themes, student quotes are included throughout
the reports. Both open-ended and forced-choice responses are discussed
in conjunction with each other.
The Graduating Senior Class Compared to the Sample of Respondents
In Table 1 below, the demographic composition of the population
of spring 1997 graduating seniors is compared to the smaller sample
of survey respondents. For both groups, frequencies and percents
are displayed by ethnicity and gender. Graduating seniors were
mostly white (86%) and male (58%), with over half of seniors (52%)
both white and male. Chi-square analyses indicated that for gender
and ethnicity, the sample of survey respondents did not significantly
differ from the population of the senior class.
The population and sample are displayed by academic unit in Table
2. The colleges with the most graduating seniors were the College
of Engineering (COE), 27%, and the College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences (CALS), 21%. Chi-square analyses by academic unit
revealed that the sample was slightly over-represented by the
College of Forest Resources (CFR) and under-represented by the
College of Humanities & Social Sciences (CHASS) and the College
of Education and Psychology (CEP). Therefore, caution should
be used when interpreting any comparison by academic unit because
the results may not generalize to the graduating senior class.
A breakdown for the other academic units at NC State are also
listed in Table 2, including the School of Design (DESIGN), the
College of Management (COM), the College of Physical and Mathematical
Sciences (PAMS), and the College of Textiles (COT).
Survey respondents ranged from 19 to 59 years old. The average
age was 24.3 years old, and the most common age was 23. When the
respondents initially entered NC State, 75% of were new students
and 25% were transfers.
Employment While Attending NC State
Roughly 80% of survey respondents reported being employed while
attending NC State. Of these students, 38% reported working more
than 20 hours a week with 8% having worked 35 or more hours per
week. There were no significant differences by gender or ethnicity.
Students attending NC State worked for a variety of reasons. As
Chart 1 illustrates, nearly half (47%) of respondents indicated
working primarily to meet basic survival needs (food and shelter).
The other half of respondents indicated working primarily to meet
personal needs and desires (car/computer), academic expenses (tuition
and books), and lifestyle enhancement (entertainment/travel).
Sixty percent of working students indicated that that their jobs
while attending NC State were directly related (29%) or somewhat
related (32%) to their academic major. In contrast, forty percent
held jobs not related to their major. Of this forty percent, over
half indicated that working in an unrelated field was by choice.
For working students, job-relatedness and working hours per week
differed significantly by academic college. Seniors from COM,
CALS, and CHASS were the most likely to report working 21 or more
hours per week. For the relatedness of employment to one's academic
major, jobs were not related for over half of CEP and CHASS
respondents (55% and 53%, respectively). Conversely, employment
during school was directly related to the academic major
of 55% of the DESIGN respondents.
Cooperative Education (co-op)
Of the 16% of respondents who participated in NC State's co-op
program, over half of the participants (55%) indicated that the
experience helped in getting post-graduation employment. Moreover,
about one-third of participants received job offers directly from
their co-op employer. Participation in co-op differed by gender,
ethnicity, and academic unit:
Student Goal Achievement
Respondents' primary objectives for attending NC State are displayed
in Chart 2. Nearly all respondents (97%) attended NC State to
obtain a bachelor's degree. Forty-six percent intended to use
their degree toward a new career or profession, while 31% obtained
bachelor's degrees as preparation for graduate or professional
school.
Seniors were also asked about the extent to which they felt they
had accomplished their primary objective for attending NC State.
Assuming they were to graduate at semester's end, 76% of seniors
said they fully accomplished their goals while 23% said they partially
accomplished their goals.
If graduating seniors could begin their undergraduate education
again, would they choose NC State? A large majority (88%) said
they would choose NC State again. However, 25% indicated that
they would not choose the same major field of study.
Plans After Graduation
Respondents generally made career-oriented plans following graduation,
and most seniors planned to join the labor force immediately.
Twenty-five percent of respondents indicated that they already
had already secured employment, 3% said they would continue in
their current jobs, and 2% planned to enter the military. However,
35% were still seeking employment. Seniors' post-graduation plans
as of March 1997 are shown in Chart 3.
For the one-fifth of seniors who planned to attend graduate or
professional school either full-time (17%) or part-time (3%),
a majority (60%) applied to only 1 or 2 schools and half (50%)
had already been accepted. Significantly more females (21%) than
males (14%) planned to attend graduate school. Graduates in DESIGN,
CALS, and CHASS were also more likely to seek further study.
Respondents were also given the option of writing in a response
for their post-graduate plans. Of the seventy-three respondents
who used this "other" option, nineteen indicated that
they intended to work for a year or two and then attend graduate
school. Five of the respondents said they intended to start their
own business, and another five said they were pursuing a second
bachelor's degree.
For the sub-sample (n=348) of respondents that had secured post-graduation
employment:
Of the 348 who said they had secured post-graduation employment,
337 provided information on their expected annual salary. Of those
providing salary information:
Summary
This report provides a profile of respondents to NC State's 1997
Graduating Senior Survey by describing seniors' demographic composition
(ethnicity, gender, and college), employment while attending NC
State, student goal achievement, and plans after graduation.
African-American Other Minorities White Total:
College or School Agriculture and Life Sciences N = 392
21 % n = 229
23 % Design 90
5 % 42
4 % Education and Psychology 125
7 % 45
4 % Engineering 501
27 % 265
27 % Forest Resources 76
4 % 69
7 % Humanities and Social Sciences 315
17 % 129
13 % Management 190
10 % 111
11 % Physical and Mathematical Sciences 93
5 % 64
6 % Textiles 93
5 % 45
5 % Total: N = 1875
100 % n = 999
100 %