FUTURE PLANS SURVEY:RESEARCH DESIGN & MAY 2015 RESULTSOffice of Institutional Research and PlanningAugust, 2015

What is the Future Plans Survey and How do We do It?

Survey Administration Methods

What is the Future Plans Survey?

5 minute survey to collect detailed information from graduating seniors on Future employment

Company, location, job title, salary, helpful resources Graduate/Professional school

Institution, program, degree Work-experiences at NC State

Experience, helpfulness, use of career services

Who is eligible to participate?

All undergraduates who have completed the “Application for Degree” process to graduate in May are invited to participate

When and how is the survey administered?

When The survey goes live on about the first day of final exams (April 30, 2015) The survey stays in the field for about 4 weeks (May 29, 2015)

How Online (Qualtrics) Accessible via handheld mobile device Confidential (but not anonymous)

How are senior encouraged to participate?

Email invitations and follow-up reminders Incentives

Amazon.com gift cards8 * $25 for early responders1 * $100 for all responders

Departments are encouraged to contact their graduating seniors Electronic Bulletin Boards Flyers

Sent to academic departments & posted around campus Messages on Facebook Announcements at (some) commencement ceremonies

How many graduating seniors actually do the survey?

 College/SchoolMay 2015 

Graduating Class

Percent of Population

Survey Respondents

Percent of Survey 

Respondents

Response Rate

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences 418 12.1% 184 9.3% 44.0%

College of Design 122 3.5% 112 5.7% 91.8%

College of Education 122 3.5% 82 4.1% 67.2%

College of Engineering 790 22.8% 463 23.4% 58.6%

College of Natural Resources 189 5.5% 88 4.5% 46.6%

College of Humanities & Social Sciences 676 19.5% 384 19.4% 56.8%

College of Sciences 443 12.8% 230 11.6% 51.9%

College of Textiles 159 4.6% 109 5.5% 68.6%

Poole College of Management 511 14.8% 307 15.5% 60.1%

Division of Academic & Student Affairs 35 1.0% 18 0.9% 51.4%

Total 3,465 100.0% 1,977 100.0% 57.1%

How are the results used?

Assessment of career services Helps academic departments evaluate career-readiness of

their students Students thinking about majors Employers when making salary offers Students engaged in salary negotiation Submitted to organizations, magazines, etc. for rankings Identifying employers for career fairs Lots, lots more!

Future Plans of Seniors…

How do graduating seniors feel about their future?

The majority of students feel both confident…

… and prepared for the future

Very ex-

cited - Con-

fi-dent that this is 

what I 

want to do; 50%

Ex-cited 

- Fairly sure; 34%

A bit con-

fused / un-cer-

tain - Not 

really sure; 14%

Very confused / uncertain – Don’t 

know; 2%

Very pre-

pared; 50%

Somewhat pre-

pared; 45%

Somewhat un-prepared; 4%Very unprepared; 

1%

What are seniors’ plans for after graduation?

Employment 48%

Have accepted position that will begin after graduation 34%

Will continue working in job I had prior to graduation 7%

Have started/will be starting my own business 1% Will be working as an intern 3% Military service 2%

Volunteer activity <1%

Seeking Employment 26%

Currently seeking employment 24%

Have not begun to seek employment, will begin within year 2%

Graduate/Professional School 23%

Going to grad/prof school within the year 19% Going to grad/prof school and working 4%

Other 4%

Taking additional undergraduate coursework <1% Starting/raising a family <1% Don't know yet 1% Other 2%

Employm

ent

Seek

ing Employm

ent

Graduat

e Sch

ool

Other

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

48%

26%23%

4%

When did they start looking, what was helpful in getting a job, where will they be working, and what will they be earning?

Details About Those Obtaining Full-Time Employment (92% of all those with a job for after graduation)

When did they start looking for a job? (Differences between those who found and those who did not find a full-time position)

Students who got a full-time job were much more likely than those who did not to start looking for one well in advance of graduation

Employment Status at

Graduation

How many months prior to graduation started looking for work

12 or moremonths 9-11 months 6-8 months 3-5 months 1-2 months Less than 1

month

Found Employment (n=833)

22% 19% 28% 24% 5% 1%

Seeking Employment (n=473)

2% 6% 18% 35% 25% 14%

When did they start looking for a job? (Differences by when the senior started looking for a job)

95% of those who started looking for a job at least 12 months before graduation got one, compared to only about 10% of those who started looking less than a month before graduation

When started looking for work… Have Job Still Seeking Job All

12 or more months before graduation (n=194) 95% 5% 15%9-11 months before graduation (n=185) 85% 15% 14%

6-8 months before graduation (n=322) 73% 27% 25%

3-5 months before graduation (n=368) 55% 45% 28%

1-2 months before graduation (n=160) 28% 73% 12%Less than one month before graduation (n=77) 12% 88% 6%

What resources did seniors say were helpful in securing their job?

Students obtaining full-time employment found a variety of resources as helpful to securing their position. (Remember, these are for all seniors, so, e.g., while not many people overall said a ‘student teaching experience’ was helpful, this includes lots of students who did not have such an experience, so they would not have said it was helpful….)

Internship/externship 36%Career fair at NC State 32%Applied for job via ePACK 23%Family/friends/classmates/co-workers 23%Campus or college career center 22%Personal connection(s) within the company 20%On-campus interviewing 17%Internet 11%Faculty member or found job listing in an NC State dept 9%

Employer information session on campus 8%Co-op experience 8%Employer found resume via ePACK 8%Consultation with Career Counselor/Coach at NC State 7%

Professional society 6%Student teaching experience 3%Staffing agency 3%Career fair off-campus 2%Other 8%

How many other job offers did those accepting a full-time job get?

More than half of those finding full-time employment had more than one offer from which to choose, with more than one-fourth having a total of three or more offers to choose from

Only job offer43%

One other job of-fer

30%

Two other job of-fers17%

Three or more other offers10%

Is job satisfaction related to how closely the job matches what seniors were majoring in?

Most graduates are getting jobs “directly related” to their academic major. Those in such jobs are most likely to be “very satisfied.”

All (n=882)

Not at all related (n=82)

Somewhat related (n=216)

Directly related (n=584)

63%

52%

51%

69%

30%

31%

37%

28%

6%

13%

11%

3%

1%

4%

1%

Very Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied/Very Dissatisfied

Where will those with a full-time job be working?

70% of May 2015 grads with full-time employment will be working in NC, with 48% in the Triangle

NC: Tri-angle, 48%

NC: Other, 23%

Other, 19%

VA, 4%

GA, 3%SC, 2%

TX, 2%

How are the full-time employees getting paid?

Three-fourths will be paid by salary…

… But just over half will be getting only a salary

Other

Tips/Gratuity

Commission

Performance Bonuses

Hourly

Salary

% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

4%

1%

7%

16%

21%

76%

Salary only 57%Hourly only 17%Salary plus perf. bonuses 12%Salary plus commission 3%Salary plus comm. plus perf. bonus 1%Salary plus hourly 1%Hourly plus perf. bonuses 1%Hourly plus commission 1%Commission only 1%Hourly plus comm. plus perf. bonus 1%Performance bonuses only <1%Tips only <1%Hourly plus tips <1%Other 3%Other comp. only 2%

And what will they be earning?

Close to one-third of full-time employed graduates estimate their starting salary to be $60,000 or more, with an average income of $49,535

Less

than $30,000

$30,000 - $39,999

$40,000 - $49,999

$50,000 - $59,999

$60,000 or more

Would pre

fer not a

nswer

Not sure

%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%

13%18% 16% 18%

31%

2% 2%

What about a signing bonus?

19% of those obtaining full-time employment were given a signing bonus, with students from the Poole College of Management most likely to get a bonus of $10,000 or more

Less

than $2,000

$2,000 to $3,999

$4,000 to $5,999

$6,000 to $7,999

$8,000 to $9,999

$10,000 or more

Would pre

fer not a

nswer

Not sure

%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

7%

25%29%

10%

3%

19%

7%

1%

And what about a relocation package?

One-fourth of all those getting full-time employment were offered a relocation package; over half of those finding work outside NC were offered a relocation package

NC: Outside Triangle (n=191)

Outside NC (n=253)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

36%

54%

40%

37%

24%

10%

Yes No Not applicable

Where are they going and what are they going to study?

Details about Those Continuing their Education

Who is going to graduate/professional School?

About one-fourth of respondents said they are planning on going to graduate or professional school in the coming year

NCSU CALS Design CED COE CNR CHASS COS COT PCOM0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

19% 22%

8% 5%

15%11%

19%

43%

8%16%

4%4%

5%2%

2%1%

7%

7%

2%

2%

Grad/Prof School & Working

Grad/Prof School

Why do they want to continue their formal education?

Those going to grad/prof school are most likely to say it is to “enhance knowledge in a particular subject area” and that their “chosen career requires an advanced degree”

The least common reason is a lack of job opportunities

Enhance my knowledge in a particu-lar subject area

Chosen career field requires grad/prof school

To earn a higher salary with an advanced degree

To improve my marketability

Employer encouraging me to attend

Unable to find job

Other

% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

68%

65%

56%

51%

4%

2%

4%

How many seniors have already been accepted to a graduate/professional school?

Three-fourths of the May grads planning on going to grad/prof school have been accepted and know where they will be attending

Have been ac-cepted and know where I'm going; 

77%

Have not applied but plan to do so within the next 

year; 12%Have applied, but not yet been ac-

cepted; 7%Have been accepted but 

undecided; 4%

What institutions will they be attending? (among those accepted and enrolling)

Almost 100 different institutions around the nation and the world

Over two-thirds will be staying in North Carolina Over 40% will be enrolled at NC State

What degrees are they currently seeking?

A majority of those going on to grad/prof school will be enrolled in a Master’s program. Those seeking a professional degree are most likely pursuing a JD.

Master's; 57%

Pro-fes-

sional, 23%

Doctoral; 19%Other (e.g., Barch); 

5%

JD40%

DVM30%

PharmD16%

MD14%

What did seniors do to prepare for the future?

Work-Related Experiencesat NC State

What did they participate in, and how helpful was the experience?

Participated in: How helpful the experience was in getting a job:

Internsh

ip/job in

field

Class pro

ject

Research

w/ f

aculty

Student t

eaching

Co-op

Practi

cum

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

63%

26%22%

11%7% 5%

Practicum

Co-op

Student teaching

Research w/ faculty

Class project

Internship

40%

72%

44%

42%

21%

58%

44%

23%

39%

39%

49%

32%

16%

6%

17%

18%

30%

10%

Somewhat helpful Not very/ Not at all helpfulSeries4

Who uses the various career offices?

While 39% of the seniors said they went to the NC State Career Development Center, usage varies by college

Students in colleges with their own career centers are likely to use them, with some variation by college

CALS Design CED COE CNR CHASS COS COT PCOM DASA0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

33%

13% 10%

57%

28%

43%38%

29% 30%

56%

PCOM -> PCOM Career De-velopment Center

COT -> COT Career Services

Design -> Design Career Services

CALS -> CALS Career Services

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

69%

90%

60%

50%

Do those who use the career offices think they are any good?

Ratings were largely positive, with career services offices most often rated as “excellent” or ”good”

PCOM Career Development Center

College of Textiles Career Services

College of Design Career Services

CALS Career Services

Career Development Center

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

45%

70%

27%

42%

34%

45%

23%

44%

47%

49%

10%

5%

18%

10%

16%

2%

12%

1%

2%

Excellent Good Fair Poor/Very Poor

What about other activities to help in the job search?

Two-thirds of students utilized ePACK and attended at least one career fair

Participation was high for both by those going to work or grad/professional school

NCSU (n=1,960)

ePACK 68%Attended career fair 68%Presentations on resume writing, interviewing skills 41%Visited NC State Career Development Center website 33%Joined professional society at NCSU related to career field 32%

Attended employer info sessions 31%On-campus interviewing 27%Spoke w/ Career Counselor/Coach 22%Mock interviews w/ Career Counselor/Coach 12%

ePACK Attended career fair0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

71% 71%60% 60%

Working Grad/Prof School

Which career fairs did seniors attend?

NC State seniors attended a variety of career fairs

… With large majorities of students attending the career fair for their college

Engineering Career Fair 42%PCOM Career & Internship Fair 23%CALS Career Expo 14%CHASS Career Fair 10%Textiles Job Forum 7%COS Career Fair 6%Health Career Expo 5%College of Design Networking Fair 3%Grad School Career Fair 2%Law School Fair 2%Other fair at NC State 11%Other career fair 5%

COE -> Engineering Career Fair 99%PCOM -> PCOM Career & Internship Fair 97%COT -> Textiles Job Forum 91%Design -> College of Design Networking Fair 88%CALS> CALS Career Expo 72%CHASS -> CHASS Career Fair 69%COS -> COS Career Fair 51%CED -> Career fair unaffiliated w/ university 50%CHASS -> Law School Fair 14%

Are seniors satisfied with the career guidance they got from their academic department?

While majorities of graduating seniors are satisfied with the career guidance they received in their academic department, they are more likely to be “satisfied” than “very satisfied”

Very Satisfied; 31%  Satisfied; 42%

Neutral; 21% Dissatisfied; 5%

 Very Dissatis-fied; 2%

For More Information…

There is LOTS more information online!

http://upa.ncsu.edu/srvy/stdnt/future-plans Methods & response rate information Detailed tables of results for all respondents overall, with text summaries Detailed tables of results for most questions by college College summaries (NCSU authentication required)

Table w/ results by department Response rate N w/ full-time job N going to grad/prof school Salary (25th percentile, median, 75th percentile, average)

Tables with employment information Company, location, job title, helpful resources

Tables with grad/prof school information Institution, location, degree, program

Average salaries & graduate/professional school attendance by college, department, academic program(Point and click interface [http://apps.oirp.ncsu.edu/pgem])

Want still more information, or have a suggestion?

ContactNancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey ResearchOffice of Institutional Research and PlanningNancy_whelchel@ncsu.edu

Suzanne Crockett, Coordinator for Survey ResearchOffice of Institutional Research and Planningsacrocke@ncsu.edu