The number of college graduates in the United States reached nearly 68.6 million in 2021, of which approximately 68 million had ever held a job, with nearly 52 million currently employed and 16 million not employed. Although the number of employed college graduates increased by 1.2 million (2.5%) between 2019 and 2021, the number of nonemployed…

Most undergraduate students enroll in college with the aim of securing a professional career after graduation; however, not all students achieve this goal. Prior research has explored whether career outcomes differ between students of varying academic and demographic backgrounds, but few studies have examined whether first-generation status is…

With increasing focus on the outcomes of doctoral education, especially regarding employability, we aimed to explore how PhD graduates from humanities and social sciences (HASS), and science disciplines perceived the development of a holistic set of graduate attributes during their doctoral study and the application of these attributes in the…

The success of any degree program being delivered by higher education institutions is measured using the employment performance of its graduates as they navigate the dynamic labor market after completion of their studies. The tool used to gauge this metric is known as a graduate tracer study. Thus, this explanatory sequential mixed methods study…

Are some graduates going on to do non-graduate jobs? Evidence collected from interviews with universities careers services shows many have in fact seen an improvement in graduate employment -- specifically, in more graduates entering 'high skilled professions' and unemployment rates going down. Many universities have implemented a mandatory work…

For most people, a college degree is helpful for flourishing in the labor market. College graduates earn more than workers with less education--on average, about $600,000 more over their lifetimes than workers with only a high school education. College graduates also have much lower levels of unemployment, enjoy better health, and have lower…

University-to-work transitions tend to be discussed in terms of skills, outcomes and the readiness of graduates for an increasingly insecure and flexible labour market. Such a focus on individual attributes and orientations depicts graduates as lonely and ostensibly rational figures; disembedded from their intimate networks and devoid of emotional…

The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) is an online survey, data management, and institutional improvement system designed to enhance the impact of an arts school education. In 2015, SNAAP developed a Topical Module with in-depth questions about arts entrepreneurship and career skills. Career skills are increasingly regarded as a…

The constant assessment of the quality of higher education within the framework of European convergence is a challenge for all those universities that wish their degrees and diplomas to reflect a unified Europe. As is the case in any assessment, change and review process, the quest to improve quality implies measuring achievement of the objectives…

While income inequality among college graduates is well documented, inequality in occupational status remains largely unexplored. We examine whether and how occupational specificity of college majors is related to college graduates' transition into the labor market and their subsequent occupational trajectories. Analyses of NLSY79 indicate that…

Reviews career theory and key labor-market trends for college graduates and their implications for undergraduate curriculum. Uses the review to build a conceptual model of self-managed careers for graduates who are self-aware and knowledgeable about opportunities. (SK)

Examined perceptions of women college graduates (n=94) regarding influence of chance and contingency factors upon career patterns 25 years after graduation. Findings indicated significant proportion perceived eight contingency factors and chance factor "Unexpected Personal Events" as influential in career patterns. Found Low…

A study of 529 college graduates in Edmonton, Toronto, and Sudbury (Canada) 1 year after graduation found that, regardless of major, gender differences in initial employment conditions were found. Differences are attributed to gender-segregated labor market structures, union/professional association membership, and specific job conditions. Seeking…

Examined the relationship of age, sex, and previous educational and occupational experience to employment outcome in a survey of liberal arts graduates one year (N=218) and three years (N=156) after graduation. Results showed outcome variables were differently related to independent variables and relationships changed over time. (LLL)