The results of the Fall 2008 Career and Salary Survey are now available in ADORS. The survey is conducted to discover the immediate post-graduation plans for GT undergraduate and graduate degree recipients, particularly in the areas of job-placement and continuing education.
The survey was administered online to 1,685 students who were scheduled to graduate in December 2008. A total of 1,102 students completed the survey for a response rate of 65.4 percent. The results are representative of the GT graduating population by degree level, college, gender, and ethnicity. The Office of Assessment recently provided academic units the ability to obtain specific job titles from students who reported employment. These detailed position descriptions are available in the frequency reports for individual programs.
Among the salient findings of the survey:
- The economic downturn is clearly affecting placement rates of our graduates. The proportion of Georgia Tech BS recipients reporting having a job at graduation declined from 70.4% in Fall 2007 to 60.1% in Fall 2008.
- The proportion of graduate degree recipients (MS and PhD) reporting having a job at graduation declined from 79.6% in Fall 2007 to 65.2% in Fall 2008.
- Among undergraduate degree recipients, placement rates declined most in Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. For BS recipients in Civil Engineering, placement rates declined from 91.1% in Fall 2007 to 61.4 % in Fall 2008. Comparable figures from Mechanical Engineering were 81.1% in Fall 2007 and 61.2% in Fall 2008.
- Placement rates for BS recipients in the College of Architecture also declined dramatically, from 78.3% in Fall 2007 to 51.9% in Fall 2008. MS and PhD placements in Architecture declined from 81.8% to 41.5% over the same time period.
- For those who report successful job searches, salaries have increased slightly over Fall 2007. Median reported salaries increased $1,624 for BS recipients and $3,500 for MS recipients.
- Frequency of signing bonuses does not seem to be affected by the economic downturn: about 55% of Fall 2008 GT graduates reporting a salary also reported receiving a signing bonus—this proportion is essentially unchanged from Fall 2007. The median reported bonus in Fall 2008 was $6,325 for BS recipients and $11,730 for MS recipients.
- The lower rates of employment success have not translated into changes in continuing education plans. The percentage of BS recipients who intend to enroll in graduate school increased only slightly from 23.1% in Fall 2007 to 25.0% in Fall 2008.
Any questions regarding the survey or these results may be directed to Dr. Jon Gordon or Dr. Joe Ludlum.