1. Office of Institutional Research and Planning October, 2018
INAUGURAL GRADUATE Future Plans Survey: Research design & May 2018 results (MASTER’S graduates)
Office of Institutional Research and Planning
October, 2018

2. Survey Background
What is the Graduate Future Plans Survey, how was it developed, how was it administered, and how are the results used?

3. What is the Graduate Future Plans Survey (GFPS)?
5 minute survey to collect detailed information from doctoral and master’s students on:
Future employment
Company, location, job title, salary, helpful resources, when began job search
Additional graduate/professional school
Institution, program, degree, awards/scholarships
Professional development at NC State
Participation in and helpfulness of, use of career services and fairs
Link to instrument

4. How was the survey developed?
Fall 2010 – Pilot administration of the Future Plans Survey of graduating seniors (UFPS)
OIRP works with the Career Development Center and college career offices to develop an overall research design and questionnaire
Spring 2011 – UFPS questionnaire is revised following feedback from pilot
Spring 2011 to present – UFPS is administered semiannually

5. How was the survey developed? (continued)
Spring OIRP develops and administers a new version of the FPS questionnaire for doctoral and master’s students
Input collected from graduate students, the CDC, college career services offices, associate deans and directors of graduate programs
Fall 2018 (coming) – Graduate FPS will undergo revisions following feedback from pilot administration

6. Who was invited to participate in the inaugural May 2018 GFPS?
All doctoral and master’s graduates who completed the “Application for Degree” process to graduate in May were invited to participate
Given that graduate students in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) were already being asked to participate in a similar survey in Spring 2018, at the request of the college they were excluded from the GFPS this year.

7. When and how was the survey administered?
The survey went live on the second day of final exams (May 1, 2018)
The survey stayed in the field for about 5 weeks (June 6, 2018)
How
Online (Qualtrics)
Accessible via handheld mobile device
Confidential (but not anonymous)

8. How were graduate students encouraged to participate?
invitations and follow-up reminders
Incentives
Two respondents * $50 Amazon.com e-Gift cards
Departments were encouraged to contact their graduate students

9. How many master’s students did the GFPS in May 2018?
College/School
May Graduating Master’s Students
Percent of Population
N of Survey Respondents
Percent of Survey Respondents
Response Rate
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
132
8.4% 70
6.5%
53.0%
College of Design 50
3.2% 32
3.0%
64.0%
College of Education
205
13.1%
148
13.8%
72.2%
College of Engineering
486
31.1%
350
32.6%
72.0%
College of Natural Resources 54
3.5% 41
3.8%
75.9%
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
200
12.8%
131
12.2%
65.5%
College of Sciences 81
5.2% 47
4.4%
58.0%
College of Textiles 24
1.5% 18
1.7%
75.0%
Poole College of Management
222
14.2%
128
11.9%
57.7%
Institute for Advanced Analytics
111
7.1%
110
10.2%
99.1%
Total
1,565
100.0%
1,075
68.7%
Note: Graduate students in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) were not invited to complete the survey as the College was administering a similar survey to its CVM students during the same time period.

10. Were there differences by college in how many master’s students did the GFPS in May 2018?
Number Graduating:

11. How are the results used?
Employers when making salary offers
Graduate students engaged in salary negotiations
Employers assessing the new graduate employment pool
Career Centers matching job seekers with employers
Identifying employers for career fairs
Institutional rankings reported by organizations/magazines
Assessment activities
Career Centers programs and services
Academic programs’ evaluation of career-readiness of graduates
Outcomes (job placement, post-graduate enrollment, etc.)
NC State Strategic Planning metrics 

12. Future Plans of Master’s Degree Recipients…

13. How do master’s graduates feel about their future?
The majority of master’s graduates feel both excited…
… and prepared for the future

14. What are the future plans of NC State’s master’s degree recipients?
64% have a signed contract or confirmed employment plans by graduation, with most working full-time
32% were seeking a position at the time of the survey, or were planning to do so
13% plan to pursue further education in the coming year
Note: Respondents could select more than one type of activity. For example, some graduates currently holding a job
also said they were now looking for a new position.

15. Master’s Graduates with Full-Time Employment (97% of all those with a job for after graduation)
When did they start looking, what was helpful in getting a job, where will they be working, and what will they be earning?

16. Are master’s graduates getting new jobs or continuing with the same employer?
52% of master’s students with full-time employment have secured a new position to begin after graduation
2% have committed to an internship or clinical residency
One-third will be working at a place of employment they obtained during their graduate program
One-fifth will be working for an employer they had prior to pursuing their degree
Note: Respondents could select more than one type of activity. For example, some graduates working in an internship or clinical
residency also said they were continuing in a position they had obtained prior to graduation.

17. How many months prior to graduation started looking for work
When do master’s students start the job search process? (Among those accepting a full-time position at the time of graduation or during their graduate program)
55% of master’s graduates obtaining a full-time position indicated beginning their job search six or more months before graduation
One-in-five started their search a year or more prior to graduation
How many months prior to graduation started looking for work
12 or more
months
9-11 months
6-8 months
3-5 months
1-2 months
Less than 1 month
20%
17%
19%
38% 7% 1%

18. What resources did master’s students say were helpful in securing their job? (Among those accepting a full-time position at the time of graduation or during their graduate program)
About 30% of master’s students with full-time employment said LinkedIn and internships/externships had been helpful resources in their job search
One-fourth indicated on- campus interviewing had been helpful
Helpful Resources Used in Job Search %
Internet: LinkedIn
30%
Internship/externship
29%
On-campus interviewing
25%
Campus or college career center
21%
Career fair at NC State
19%
NC State faculty member
18%
Family/friends/classmates/co-workers
Personal/professional connection(s) within the company
17%
Employer info session on campus
Applied for job via ePACK
13%
Consultation w/ NCSU Career Counselor/Coach
11%
Internet (Other than LinkedIn) 9%
Co-op experience
Optional Practical Training (OPT) 5%
Professional association (members, conferences, publications, etc.)
Student teaching experience 3%
Volunteer work 2%
Employer found resume on ePACK
Staffing agency 1%
Career fair off campus
Clinical placement
Other 6%
Note that some resources may have in fact been helpful for those who used them, but have a smaller frequency overall because few respondents used that particular resource (e.g., staffing agency).

19. How many positions did they interview for
How many positions did they interview for? (Among those accepting a full-time position at the time of graduation or during their graduate program)
41% of those with full-time employment had interviewed for five or more different positions during their job search
Half interviewed for four or more different positions
About one-fifth went on interviews for just one position

20. How many job offers did master’s graduates accepting a full-time job get? (Among those accepting a full-time position at the time of graduation or during their graduate program)
54% of those finding full-time employment had more than one offer from which to choose, with one-fourth receiving two or more job offers in addition to the one they accepted

21. Do master’s students staying with the same employer get a promotion or salary increase? (Among those who will be working full-time at a place of employment they had prior to graduation)
16% of master’s students continuing to work in a position they had prior to graduation said they will get a salary increase contingent upon receiving their degree
One-fifth said they will receive both a salary increase and a promotion/title change

22. How do master’s students feel about the position in which they will be working?
97% of master’s students with full-time employment said the position is either “directly related” (84%) or “somewhat related” (13%) to their field of study
88% said they are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the job they accepted

23. Where will they be working?
56% of May 2018 master’s graduates with full-time employment will be working in NC, with 38% working in the Triangle

24. What are master’s students earning and how are they getting paid?
The majority are getting paid by salary only
Over one-fourth of all master’s graduates securing full-time employment estimate their annual salary to be $100,000 or more in the coming year, with an average of $78,776
How are
they getting
paid?

25. What about other job offer incentives?
Among those securing full time employment . . .
34%
received a signing bonus
14%
received company
shares
About half said the signing bonus was $10,000 or more
56% estimated the value of the company shares to be $20,000 or more at the time they accepted the offer

26. And what about a relocation package?
About one-fourth of all those obtaining full-time employment were offered a relocation package; 59% of those finding work outside NC were offered a relocation package

27. Master’s Graduates Pursuing Employment (32% of all master’s graduates, N = 341)

28. Did those who are pursuing employment go on any job interviews
Did those who are pursuing employment go on any job interviews? (Among those who were actively seeking employment or negotiating with one or more organizations, N = 301)
71% of master’s graduates pursuing employment had gone on at least one job interview during their most recent job search
36% had interviewed for three or more positions

29. Did those who are pursuing employment receive any job offers
Did those who are pursuing employment receive any job offers? (Among those who were actively seeking employment or negotiating with one or more organizations)
17% of master’s graduates who had gone on an interview for one position said they had received one or more job offers
In contrast, 42% who went on interviews for three or more positions said they received at least one offer
Interviewed for:

30. Master’s Graduates Pursuing Further Education (12
Master’s Graduates Pursuing Further Education (12.6% of all respondents; N = 134)
Where are they going and what are they going to study?

31. How many master’s graduates continuing their education have already been accepted into another degree program?
At the time of the survey, half of the master’s graduates planning on returning to graduate/professional school were already enrolled in another degree program
An additional one-fourth have been accepted to a program and know where they will be going

32. What is the next degree master’s graduates are seeking
What is the next degree master’s graduates are seeking? (among those already enrolled or who have been accepted and know where they are going)
About three-fourths of those pursuing another degree will be enrolled in a Doctoral program, with the majority pursuing a PhD
Those pursuing another master’s degree will most commonly be enrolling in an MBA or MS program
The professional degrees master’s graduates report they will be seeking are a MD, DDS, JD, or DPT

33. What institutions will they be attending
What institutions will they be attending? (among those already enrolled or who have been accepted and know where they are going)
86% will be staying in North Carolina
Three-fourths will be continuing at NC State, including:
90% of those pursuing a doctoral degree
One-third of those pursuing another master’s degree

34. Professional Development Experiences at NC State (among all master’s graduates)
What did master’s students do to prepare for the future?

35. In what work-related experiences did master’s graduates participate?

36. How helpful was the work-related experience in securing a job
How helpful was the work-related experience in securing a job? (Among those having had such an experience)

37. How often do master’s students publish or give professional presentations?
13% of all master’s students published in a peer-reviewed journal or presented at a professional conference at least once during their program
The majority of those who published or presented did so just once or twice
Engagement in scholarship activity varied widely by college, with master’s students in the colleges of Natural Resources (29%), Humanities and Social Sciences (26%), and Design (25%) more likely than those in other colleges to have published or presented at least once

38. Who uses the career offices on campus?
45% of master’s students went to an NC State college or campus services office at least once
Attendance varied widely by college
Overall, evaluations of the campus and college career services offices were very high

39. What professional development resources at NC State did master’s students use?
Career Services Resources:
Graduate School Resources
% Using
ePACK
43%
Attended career fair
41%
Attended employer info sessions
33%
Presentations on resume writing, interviewing skills, etc
29%
Visited NC State Career Development Center website
26%
On-campus interviewing
23%
Mock interviews w/ Career Counselor/Coach
19%
Spoke w/ Career Counselor/Coach
Joined professional society at NC State related to career field
17%
% Using
Accelerate to Industry (A2i) 1%
Preparing the Professoriate
Obtained Teaching and Communication Certificate 3%

40. Which career fairs did master’s students attend
Which career fairs did master’s students attend? (among those attending a career fair, N = 431)
41% master’s graduates attended one or more career fairs while pursuing their degree
Over half of those going to any career fair said they had gone to NC State’s Engineering Career Fair
One-fifth reported going to NC State’s Graduate School Career Fair
% Attending
Engineering Career Fair
57%
Graduate School Career Fair at NC State
20%
Poole College of Management Career & Internship Fair
14%
College of Education Career Fair 5%
Health Career Expo
STEAM² Career Expo 4%
CHASS Career Fair 3%
Textiles Job Forum
Career fair at another college/university
College of Design Career Expo or Spring Interview Days 2%
Other career fair at NC State 9%
Other career fair 6%

41. Are master’s graduates satisfied with the career guidance they got from their academic department?
Two-thirds of master’s graduates said they were “very satisfied” (32%) or “satisfied” (35%) with the career guidance they received from their academic department or college

42. For More Information…

43. There is LOTS more information online!
Reports available at: surveys/future-plans-survey-and-survey-of-recent-graduates/
Methods and response rate information
Overview report with tables and text summaries of each question for doctoral and master’s respondents overall
College Comparisons reports with tables for each question by college
Department Summary reports for each college
Table with results by department
Response rate
N with full-time employment
N going to grad/prof school
Salary (25th percentile, median, 75th percentile, average)
Tables with employment information across the college
Company, location, job title, helpful resources
Tables with grad/prof school information across the college
Institution, location, degree, program
Academic program reports
Point-and-click interface [
Response rate, employment and graduate school information, salary statistics
Grad/professional school attendance?

44. Want still more information, or have a suggestion?
Contact:
Suzanne Crockett, Assistant Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Research and Planning
Nancy Whelchel, Director for Survey Research