2008 MVNU GRADUATES
EMPLOYMENT/ENROLLMENT DATA SUMMARY
Submitted by
Margie Bennett, Ph.D.
Director of Institutional Research
and
Carla Parsons
Research Assistant
April, 2009
ABSTRACT
SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS
THE 2008 EMPLOYMENT/ENROLLMENT GRADUATE SURVEY
Margie Bennett, Director
Introduction
Three versions of the 2008 Employment/Enrollment Survey were mailed on November 18, 2008 to 540 MVNU graduates of the preceding May. The 2008 MVNU graduates for which MVNU had correct addresses included 248 traditional BA/BS and AA/AS, 229 Adult and Graduate Studies (AGS) AAS and BBA undergraduate, and 63 AGS MSM/MBA graduate students that had graduated the preceding May 2008 (i.e., degree conferral July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008). There were five graduates that were excluded due to incorrect addresses (two traditional and three BBA graduates). Consequently, there were a total of 545 graduates (540 with correct addresses) in the Class of 2008 (first mailing). The response rates have been provided below in Summary Table 1A. A detailed accounting of 2008 graduates by employment and enrollment by MVNU academic school and department is provided in Table 1. The five detailed, data-rich Tables 1-5 are included at the end of the discussion section of this report. For the reader’s convenience, summary tables have been constructed for reference throughout the discussion to simplify and more clearly illustrate the data highlights.
A follow-up second mailing to non-respondents was sent on January 8, 2009 to a total of 441 2008 graduates (197 traditional undergraduates; 194 BBA graduates; and 50 MSM/MBA graduates). In an effort to increase the response rate of the MSM/MBA graduates, a third mailing was sent on February 25, 2009 to the 218 AGS graduates. More specifically, the third mailing was sent to a total of 218 non-traditional graduates (172 BBA and 46 MSM/MBA) that had not responded to either the first or second mailing. The dean of the School of Business agreed to have his school make phone calls to those graduates that had not responded to the first or second mailings, which was helpful in raising the response rates of the BBA and the MSM/MBA graduates to those of traditional undergraduates. See Summary Table 1A.
There were similar numbers of non-traditional and master’s program graduates in 2008 as in 2007, but there was an increase of fifteen (15) traditional undergraduates over the number in the preceding year. Response rates for 2008 were lower than those for 2007 for traditional (by 10%) and higher for BBA (by 1%) due to the third mailing and phone calls by the Business School.
In response to the initial request by the Dean of the School of Business in 2007, MSM graduates were included for the second year in the 2008 Employment/Enrollment Graduate Survey. The initial class of MBA graduates was also surveyed for the first time in the 2008 Employment/Enrollment Graduate Survey. There was a 33% response rate of 2008 MVNU MSM/MBA graduates, which was slightly lower than the response rate for the MSM graduates the previous year (35%).
Summary Table 1A
Response Rates
Graduates Surveyed / # Surveys Sent / # Respondents / Response RateTraditional / 248 / 83 / 33%
BBA / 229 / 74 / 32%
MSM/MBA / 63 / 21 / 33%
Total / 540 / 178 / 33%
Type of Data Collected from Traditional Undergraduates
The 2008 Employment/Enrollment Survey offered MVNU traditional graduates an opportunity to:
· update any address changes
· share their employment information, including
o employer
o type of employment
o status (full-time versus part-time)
o degree of job satisfaction
o impact of degree upon their career development
o degree of relationship of their job to their MVNU major
· share their graduate/professional school information, including
o name of institution
o type of degree
o program major
o status (full-time versus part-time)
o awards (TA/RA)
o impact of degree on acceptance to the graduate school of their choice
o degree of graduate school satisfaction
o degree of preparation for graduate school
· provide any personal comments or suggestions for program improvement
Type of Data Collected from Non-Traditional BBA and MSM/MBA Graduates
The non-traditional, Adult and Graduate Studies BBA and MSM/MBA graduate surveys included similar employment status questions as the traditional graduate survey, with the exception that the AGS surveys provided separate response items for pre- and post-BBA and MSM/MBA degree employment:
· pre- and post-BBA and MSM/MBA employment status
§ employer
§ type of business
§ title/position
§ status (full-time versus part-time)
§ degree of job satisfaction before and after earning the BBA degree
§ impact of degree upon their career development with regard to
Ø salary
Ø skill level
Ø potential for advancement
§ degree of relationship of their job to their MVNU major
· post-BBA and MSM/MBA graduate/professional school (Master’s, Certification, etc.) information:
§ name of institution
§ type of degree
§ program major
§ status (full-time versus part-time)
§ awards (TA/RA)
§ degree of graduate program satisfaction
§ degree of preparation for graduate school
· provide any personal comments or suggestions for program improvement
Employment/Enrollment Statistics
The 2008 Employment/Enrollment Survey report includes five detailed tables that follow the discussion of the Abstract. Table 1 summarizes by major, by academic school, and by type of graduate (Traditional, BBA, and MSM/MBA) the percentages of respondents that were employed and enrolled full-time, part-time, and total, as well as the total percentages of the successful graduates that were seeking employment and/or enrollment. Summary Table 1B illustrates the average percentages of graduates by full-time and total (full-time/part-time) employed and enrolled at the time of the survey. The findings of the 2008 Employment/Enrollment Survey, in comparison with those in 2007, revealed a lower percentage of traditional graduates were employed full-time (by 5%), although there were slight increases in the rates of full-time employment for BBA and MSM/MBA graduates (by 2% and 7%, respectively). In comparison with the 2007 graduates, the same percentage of traditional (17%), a higher percentage of BBA (by 7%), and a lower percentage of MSM/MBA (by 6%) graduates were enrolled full-time in advanced graduate-level programs at the time of the survey.
Summary Table 1B
Status by Degree / Trad / BBA / MSM/MBA / TotalEmployed Full-Time / 66% / 92% / 95% / 80%
Total Employed (F-T and P-T) / 84% / 96% / 95% / 90%
Enrolled Full-Time / 13% / 15% / 0% / 12%
Total Enrolled (F-T and P-T) / 17% / 18% / 10% / 16%
Employed or Enrolled Full-Time / 77% / 92% / 95% / 85%
Total Employed/Enrolled (F-T and P-T) / 94% / 96% / 95% / 95%
Raw Data—More Detailed Coding System
Table 2 includes all of the raw numerical data that were used to compute the summary percentages in Table 1, including a coding system for double majors, overlapping status of full- and part-time employment and enrollment status, and any graduates that were unemployed “by choice.” For example, six (6) of the traditional undergraduates were double majors, and two (2) were “unemployed by choice.” There was one BBA and none of the MSM/MBA graduates that reported being “unemployed by choice.” Double majors were not applicable to BBA and MSM/MBA graduates.
Two of the traditional and eleven (11) of the BBA graduates were both employed full-time and enrolled full-time in graduate/professional schools. Four (4) of the traditional graduates were seeking other employment at the time of the survey and three (3) were seeking enrollment.
Job Satisfaction
Table 3 provides a summary of graduates’ levels of job satisfaction by academic major department and by school. Of the survey respondents, there was a 100% response rate for this survey item (100% Traditional, 100% BBA, and 100% MSM/MBA). Summary Table 3 shows that a higher percentage of traditional than BBA and MSM/MBA graduates reported high or very high job satisfaction (by 8% and 2%, respectively). Less than one in ten traditional and MSM/MBA graduates expressed low or very low job satisfaction on the survey (only 8% traditional and 5% MSM/MBA graduates), although that was not true for the non-traditional undergraduates which included more than one in ten (14% BBA). In comparison with results of the previous year, low satisfaction ratings in 2008 increased for traditional (by 4%), slightly decreased for BBA (by 1%), and substantially decreased for MSM/MBA (by 19%) graduate respondents (i.e., 24% of MSM graduates in 2007 reported low or very low satisfaction ratings).
Summary Table 3
Degree of Job Satisfaction / Traditional / BBA* / MSM/MBA / Total*Very High or High / 78% / 70% / 76% / 75%
Neutral / 14% / 16% / 19% / 16%
Low or Very Low / 8% / 14% / 5% / 10%
* Totals may not equal to 100% due to rounding error.
Satisfaction with MVNU Degree Impact Upon Career Development
Table 4 provides a summary of graduates’ degree of satisfaction with regard to the impact of their MVNU degree upon their career development by major and by school. Summary Table 4A compares the three groups of 2008 graduates, for which there was a 93% response rate for this survey item (95% Traditional, 91% BBA, and 95% MSM/MBA). Again, as with job satisfaction, a higher percentage of traditional graduates than BBA or MSM/MBA graduates reported that their MVNU degree had a high or very high impact upon their career development. Also, in comparison with the previous year’s graduates, a higher percentage of 2008 MSM/MBA graduates (by 5%) but lower percentages of the 2008 traditional (by 5%) and BBA (by 7%) graduates reported high or very high degree impact upon their career development.
Summary Table 4A
Impact of Degree Upon CareerDevelopment / Traditional / BBA / MSM/MBA / Total*
Very High or High / 76% / 59% / 62% / 63%
Neutral / 9% / 17% / 10% / 13%
Low or Very Low / 15% / 24% / 28% / 23%
* Totals may not equal to 100% due to rounding error.
Additional Data for Non-Traditional BBA and MSM/MBA Graduates
Table 4 also includes at the bottom of the table a summary of three specific areas of impact, (i.e., salary, skill level, and potential for advancement) for non-traditional BBA and MSM/MBA graduates. As illustrated in Summary Table 4B, achieving the BBA or the MSM/MBA degree was reported by graduates of those degrees to have had a high or very high impact upon the salaries of four out of every ten BBA (42%) and MSM/MBA (40%) graduates. Six out of ten BBA (62%) and three-fourths of the MSM/MBA graduates indicated that their MVNU degree had a high or very high impact on their skill levels, and seven out of every ten (73% BBA and 70% MSM/MBA) reported a high or very high impact on their potential for advancement. There was a slightly higher average response rate for the MSM/MBA (95%) than the BBA (90%) graduates.
Summary Table 4B
Area of Impact / BBA / MSM/MBAVery High to High / Response Rate / Very High to High / Response Rate
Salary / 42% / 88% / 40% / 95%
Skill Level / 62% / 92% / 75% / 95%
Potential for Advancement / 73% / 91% / 70% / 95%
Average / 59% / 90% / 62% / 95%
Degree of Relationship of Traditional Graduates’ Job to MVNU Degree Major
Table 5 provides a summary of the traditional graduates’ evaluations of the degree of relationship of their jobs to their MVNU degrees by major and by school. There was a 95% response rate for this survey item. As illustrated in Summary Table 5, seven out of every ten graduates reported a high or very high relationship between their job and their MVNU major, and two out of every ten rated their current job as having a low or very low relationship to their major. This represented an 8% decline in high or very high relationship ratings (78%) and an 11% increase in low or very low ratings (12%), in comparison with the previous year.
Summary Table 5
Job Relationship to MVNU Major / TraditionalVery High or High / 70%
Neutral / 8%
Low or Very Low / 23%
Detailed Employment Information Provided to Academic Department Chairs/School Deans
An additional two sections of the report, which are separated by school and by academic department, are provided to school deans and academic department chairs only. The first section includes a table summary (by academic major and by school) of employers, employment titles/positions, employment status, and coded levels of job/graduate degree satisfaction, degree of impact of degree upon career development, and job relationship to MVNU major. The relevant individual sections will be sent to the academic department chairs, school deans, and VP for Academic Affairs. The second section includes a more-detailed summary (by academic major and by school) of individual graduates, including any personal comments they offered (unless they specifically requested anonymity; graduates were informed that their responses would be shared with their academic departments and the academic deans). An anonymous listing of the comments by type of respondent and by type of comment is provided below for the school deans’ and department chairs’ convenience.
The summary tables and this abstract summary of the report will be emailed to the President’s Cabinet before April 30th. In addition to the summary tables and sections of relevant majors that are sent to department chairs and school deans, the full report will be shared with the VP for Academic Affairs and will be permanently filed in the Institutional Research Office. Copies of the summary tables and the abstract summary of the report will be sent to the Associate VP for Academic Administration and the Director of Student Assessment. Table 1 and the Abstract Summary Highlights will be sent to the following directors: Enrollment Services/Admissions, Retention (Student Success Coordinator), and Career Services.
Anonymous Personal Comment Summary
The personal comments, identified by respondent name, are provided verbatim in the detailed report, which is provided to each academic department chair. A complete summary of the anonymous comments has been provided below for the reader’s convenience and to provide an overview of the types of comments elicited by the survey.