LIFE BEYOND THE SQUARE CLASS OF 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW Methodology Knowledge Rate Missing Values/Rounding Demographics 4 CAREER PREPARATION Internships and Part-time Jobs Utilizing Wasserman Center for Career Development 6 EMPLOYMENT Career Outcomes Rate Securing Employment Where NYU Graduates Work Number of Job Offers Relationship between Industry Entered and School Attended Salary 11 POST-GRADUATE EDUCATION 13 CONCLUSION Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The New York University Wasserman Center for Career Development conducted its annual Life Beyond the Square survey of baccalaureate graduates (which encompasses those that graduated in September 2014, January 2015, and May 2015) over a 6-month period. This timetable is consistent with the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) First Destination Survey s revised Standards and Protocols. The following represents the major findings for the graduating class of 2015.» 95.4% of respondents were either employed or enrolled in a graduate or professional school program during the data collection period. Of those who secured a post-graduation placement, 85.7% were working, 10.3% were in graduate or professional school, and 4.0% reported both working and attending school. This career outcomes rate was slightly above that of the Class of 2014, which was 94.7%.» The overall mean annual salary for 2015 respondents was $58,411, up from $55,647 for the Class of 2014, which represents a 5% increase. Top average starting salaries by industry were: Nursing $80,535, Financial Services $76,131, Consulting $66,992, and Computer Science/Technology $65,986.» Respondents enrolled in graduate and professional schools represented 49 disciplines, with historically similar enrollment patterns among the top disciplines. The top 5 were: Law 10.5%, Medicine 9.4%, Business 9.1%, Education 7.4%, and Public Health 6.6%. Law took the top position this year with a slightly higher enrollment percentage than medicine.» 93.2% of respondents utilized the resources of the Wasserman Center for Career Development while at NYU. This is an increase from last year s rate of 90.0%. Additionally, those who utilized Wasserman services at least once earn on average $4,479 more as a starting salary; those who used services multiple times earn $6,920 more, on average.» 46.8% of employed respondents indicated that they obtained their position directly through an NYU or Wasserman-related resource, which may include NYU CareerNet, career fairs, and special recruiting and networking opportunities.» 17.9% of respondents secured their position from the organization where they held an internship or a previous role, which is a decrease over the previous year. Additionally, 54.4% of respondents received 2 or more job offers, up from 48.5% for the Class of 2014. NYU students are finding that even after completing an internship for an organization, they are receiving multiple competitive offers.» 95.5% of students who indicated they held a parttime job or internship secured a post-graduation job or enrollment in graduate or professional school; by comparison, only 87.1% of students who did not hold a part-time job or internship had secured a post-graduation placement.» 80.1% of respondents secured their jobs by or within 3 months of graduation, which is a slight increase from the Class of 2014.» The Northeast remained the top destination for employment, with 84.0% employed in the tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) area, with the vast majority of those working in New York City. Outside of the Northeast, California was the most popular state for employment (6.7%). Respondents reported working in 32 countries, with China, South Korea, and the United Kingdom as the top three global locations.» Respondents reported employment across more than 30 industries. The top 5 are Financial Services at 13.7%, Entertainment/Media at 13.5%, Education at 8.2%, Computer Science / Technology at 7.7%, and Nursing at 7.6%.» After utilizing email, phone and industry standard professional networking sites to ascertain postgraduation status, information was collected from 4,372 graduates out of the 5,598 who graduated from Summer 2014 through Spring 2015 (per the Office of Institutional Research and Program Evaluation), which resulted in a robust 78.1% knowledge rate, which is slightly higher than the survey knowledge rate for the Class of 2014. Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 3
INTRODUCTION For over a decade, the Wasserman Center for Career Development has conducted the annual Life Beyond the Square survey to detail the post-baccalaureate outcomes of NYU undergraduates. The data collected are used to determine mean annual salaries and the most popular choices for both employment and graduate or professional school enrollment. They are also used to measure the value of the NYU Wasserman Center to the student body it serves. The survey is routinely conducted over a 6-month period following graduation a timetable that is consistent with the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) First Destination Survey Standards and Protocols. OVERVIEW METHODOLOGY The target population consisted solely of individuals who, based on the official records from NYU s Office of Institutional Research, received a Bachelor s degree in either September 2014, January 2015, or May 2015 from the following schools: the College of Arts and Science, Global Liberal Studies, the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, the Tandon School of Engineering, the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, the Silver School of Social Work, the Tisch School of the Arts, the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, the School of Professional Studies, and the College of Nursing. The purpose of this survey is to collect employment and graduate/professional school information for each of the graduates. Based on how individual questions were answered, the respondents could have been asked a maximum of 49 questions. Average completion time of an individual survey was nine minutes. Graduates were first sent a link to an online survey via email. After several email reminders were sent, graduates who had not responded were called up to three times by phone interviewers. For those who did not respond to either the repeated email or phone inquiries, NACE-approved professional networking sites such as LinkedIn were utilized to determine post-graduation status. KNOWLEDGE RATE The term knowledge rate is consistent with the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) First Destination Survey Standards and Protocols as it defines the percent of graduates for which the institution has reasonable and verifiable information concerning the graduates post-graduation career activities. This information can come from survey responses, employers, faculty or professional networking sites like LinkedIn. In order to ensure a high survey knowledge rate, the Wasserman Center offered recent graduates an incentive: inclusion in a drawing for prizes if students completed the survey by a certain date. After data cleaning and implementing the additional outreach and research measures discussed above, information on 4,372 graduates was collected and analyzed. The list of graduates supplied by the Office of Institutional Research and Program Evaluation contained records for 5,598 individuals. Thus, the final knowledge rate was 78.1% (up from 76.4% for the Class of 2014). Of the graduates, seven received bachelor s degrees from both the College of Arts and Science and the Tandon School of Engineering. These students counted once for statistics summarizing all graduates, but their responses were included in school-specific calculations. MISSING VALUES/ROUNDING Throughout the analyses, missing values (i.e., questions that the respondents did not answer) were omitted, as were Unsure or Unknown responses for most calculations. As illustrated in several charts, the total percentage does not equal 100% due to rounding. Additionally, Institutional Research Board (IRB) guidelines prohibit us from requiring respondents to answer all questions, so the number of responses to each question varies. Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 4
DEMOGRAPHICS The students included in this report provide a fairly accurate representation of the makeup of NYU s Class of 2015. All demographic information was provided by NYU s Office of Institutional Research and Program Evaluation. Responses By Gender Report Sample Overall Population Female 58.5% 57.6% Male 40.8% 41.6% Not Specified 0.7% 0.8% Responses By Country of Origin Report Sample Overall Population Domestic 88.9% 88.4% International 11.1% 11.6% Responses By Race/Ethnicity * Report Overall Sample Population American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4% 0.5% Asian 23.1% 22.3% Black / African American 4.6% 4.7% Hispanic / Latino 11.4% 11.7% Multiracial 3.2% 3.1% Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander 0.03% 0.04% White 44.7% 44.8% Not Specified 12.6% 13.0% * Note: Categories per U.S. Department of Education IPEDS CAREER PREPARATION INTERNSHIPS AND PART-TIME JOBS 87.3% of respondents reported holding part-time jobs and internships during their tenure as an undergraduate. Of this group of students, 95.5% were employed or enrolled in graduate school. In contrast, of students who reported that they did not hold an internship or part-time job, 87.1% were employed or enrolled in graduate school. Part-time jobs and internships are seen as an effective way to gain the practical experience needed to secure a job after graduation, and they also help to offset college-related expenses. UTILIZING WASSERMAN CENTER FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT 93.2% of respondents used Wasserman Center resources to support their career development. This is an increase from last year s rate of 90.0%. Wasserman Center Use By School School Percentage College of Arts and Science 93.5% College of Nursing 88.5% Gallatin School of Individualized Study 90.8% Global Liberal Studies 93.6% Leonard N. Stern School of Business 99.7% School of Professional Studies 92.3% Silver School of Social Work 90.0% Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development 93.4% Tandon School of Engineering 95.4% Tisch School of the Arts 1 87.9% 1 Note: TSOA students also utilize the Tisch Office of Career Development. Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 5
EMPLOYMENT CAREER OUTCOMES RATE The career outcomes rate (also referred to as the placement rate) is defined by the ratio of respondents reporting that they held some type of job (full-time or part-time) and/or were enrolled in school (full-time or part-time) to the total number of respondents reporting that they found a job and/or were enrolled in school or were currently looking for a job. The career outcomes rate for the Class of 2015 respondents is 95.4%, which is an increase from 94.7% from the Class of 2014. Career Outcomes Rate By School School Percentage College of Arts and Science 95.1% College of Nursing* 91.2% Gallatin School of Individualized Study 96.4% Global Liberal Studies 95.8% Leonard N. Stern School of Business 97.6% School of Professional Studies 96.0% Silver School of Social Work 96.0% Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development 95.8% Tandon School of Engineering 95.2% Tisch School of the Arts 95.2% * Although the overall job outlook for bachelor s level nurses remains quite strong, nursing has historically had a lower career outcomes rate in this report due to the timing of the nursing board exams (NCLEX). These board exam results, upon which placement often depends, become available several months into the Life Beyond the Square data-collection period. Thus, nursing graduates start their job search significantly later than graduates in other schools. This year s nursing results are actually higher than the 2014 rate of 88.1%. Note: A small percentage of respondents were not seeking full-time employment and thus were removed from the career outcomes calculations per NACE guidelines. SECURING EMPLOYMENT 85.7% of respondents reported that they were working, 10.3% were in school, and 4.0% were both working and in school. This year, the percentage of students who reported going to school immediately after graduation decreased slightly (it was 11.4% for the Class of 2014) and the percentage who are working and in school increased slightly (it was 3.3% for the Class of 2014). PLACEMENT BY TYPE Working and In School 4.0% In School 10.3% Working 85.7% Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 6
Of the respondents who reported some type of job/school placement, 46.8% indicated that they obtained their position through using at least one NYU or Wasserman-related resource. These NYU and Wasserman resources include NYU CareerNet, the On-Campus Recruitment program, Career Fairs, NYU staff members, employer presentations, NYU events, NYU career emails, online mentor databases, and promotions from positions secured through NYU. Additionally, 80.1% of employed respondents secured their jobs by or within 3 months of graduation. This is slightly higher than last year s rate of 77.3%. SOURCE OF EMPLOYMENT NYU Source 46.8% Non- NYU Source 53.2% Between 3 and 6 months after graduation 19.9% WHEN EMPLOYMENT WAS SECURED Before graduation 49.2% Within 3 months of graduation 30.9% 17.9% of respondents secured their full-time job from the organization where they were completing an internship, down from 29.1% last year, but up from 13.9% for the Class of 2013. This decrease might be attributable to the improving U.S. economy, empowering students and recent graduates to pursue opportunities at organizations where they did not previously intern or work. A recent NACE report found that interns who have worked for a single employer on multiple occasions are more likely to be converted to full-time hires. NYU students, in general, gain experiences from multiple organizations, since working in the New York City metro area gives them access to such a diverse array of employers. The NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development continues to focus on providing students with the tools and resources to proactively network by reaching out to their contacts as well as organizations of interest during the job search. The NYU Wasserman team facilitates workshops and coaching sessions as well as provides guides and resources to help students effectively build relationships via LinkedIn, informational interviewing, networking events and social media channels. The fact that many students received their job offer through a friend, personal contact, or targeted employer outreach supports the importance of encouraging students to utilize these methods in conjunction with their strong alumni base. Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 7
WHERE NYU GRADUATES WORK Domestic Employment Of the respondents reporting job placement, 96.2% are working in the United States, with the majority of those staying in the New York City metropolitan area. 78.9% of international students reported that they are working in the United States. The top US locations for employment are the same as the Class of 2014. Top US Locations For Employment State/District Percentage New York 79.8% California 6.7% New Jersey 3.1% Massachusetts 1.2% Connecticut 1.2% Washington, DC 1.1% Pennsylvania 0.9% Global Employment 128 respondents reported working abroad in 32 countries, which is comparable to the Class of 2014 data. China, South Korea, and the United Kingdom were the top global locations, with Canada, Germany and Singapore tied for fourth. Top Global Locations for Employment Country Percentage China * 22.6% South Korea 13.7% United Kingdom 7.3% Canada 4.8% Germany 4.8% Singapore 4.8% France 4.0% Japan 4.0% * Note: 50% of respondents who are working in China reported being based in Hong Kong. NUMBER OF JOB OFFERS 54.4% of respondents reported receiving two or more job offers, which is an increase over last year s 48.5%. See below for additional job offer results. NUMBER OF JOB OFFERS One Offer 45.6% Two Offers 28.0% Three Offers Four + Offers 11.0% 15.4% RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDUSTRY ENTERED AND SCHOOL ATTENDED For certain professional schools, the data primarily shows that the respondents entered industries that would be considered logical given the school from which they graduated. For example, most of the Stern respondents entered a business-related field such as Financial Services, Accounting, and Consulting. Additionally, most Tandon School of Engineering respondents entered Engineering, Technology, or Financial Services. Respondents from the College of Arts and Science, Global Liberal Studies, and Gallatin School of Individualized Study pursued a broad range of for profit and not-for-profit fields, though many Gallatin respondents are working in Entertainment/Media. Thus, it seems that graduates of schools that closely align with particular industries do, in general, secure work in those industries; that said, a liberal arts degree gives graduates flexibility in the fields that they pursue. Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 8
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY Listed below are the top 20 industries employing Class of 2015 respondents. Financial Services/Banking, Entertainment/Media, and Education/Teaching remain the top three industries for NYU graduates. EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY Financial Services/Banking Entertainment/Media Education/Teaching Computer Science/Technology Nursing Fashion/Retail/Consumer Products Hospitality, Tourism, Sports & Recreation Health Care (Excluding Nursing) Non-Profit/Social Services Consulting Communications (Journalism, Publishing) Engineering Arts (Theater, Performing Arts) Marketing Accounting Law Advertising/Public Relations Real Estate Arts (Design, Graphic Design, Photography) Arts (Museums, Galleries) 5.7% 4.9% 4.2% 3.4% 3.1% 2.9% 2.6% 2.6% 2.5% 2.2% 2.2% 1.7% 1.6% 1.5% 1.3% 8.2% 7.7% 7.6% 13.7% 13.5% Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 9
SALARY The mean annual salary for the Class of 2015 respondents is $58,411, which is well above the national overall mean of $50,651 and also above the mean for graduates from Mid-Atlantic colleges of $54,724 (based on NACE s Fall 2015 Salary Survey of 2015 graduates). This year s mean salary is also higher than the mean salary for the NYU Class of 2014 by 5.0%. This mean does not include signing bonuses or other compensation such as relocation expenses. Additionally, those who utilized Wasserman services at least once were found to earn, on average, $4,479 more as a starting salary; those who used services multiple times earn $6,920 more, on average. The mean bonus was $7,734, which is an increase of 9% from the Class of 2014 average. Salary By School School Mean College of Arts and Science $52,921 College of Nursing $80,238 Gallatin School of Individualized Study $46,722 Global Liberal Studies $43,653 Leonard N. Stern School of Business $70,054 School of Professional Studies $56,073 Silver School of Social Work 1 $60,000 Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development $43,312 Tandon School of Engineering $63,818 Tisch School of the Arts $40,267 Salary By Gender Gender Mean Female $56,043 Male $61,833 Not Specified 2 $62,716 2 Note: Based on 14 data points (n=14). 1 Note: Based on four data points (n=4). Mean Salaries By Industry Industry Mean Nursing $80,535 Financial Services $76,131 Consulting $66,992 Computer Science / Technology $65,986 Materials/Construction $63,250 Accounting $62,676 Engineering $62,563 Pharmaceutical / Biotech $55,500 Government / Military $54,430 Real Estate $53,253 Insurance $52,889 Transportation / Automotive Manufacturing $50,000 Fashion / Retail / Consumer Products $48,993 Architecture / Landscaping $46,182 Telecommunications $46,167 Education / Teaching $44,963 Marketing $44,929 Law $44,647 Hospitality, Tourism, Sports & Recreation $44,362 Communications (Journalism, Publishing) $43,427 Salary By Race / Ethnicity Ethnicity Mean American Indian / Alaska Native 3 $46,111 Asian $61,933 Black / African American $55,559 Hispanic $53,691 Multiracial $56,844 Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander 4 $85,000 White $56,168 Not Specified $59,875 3 Note: Based on nine data points (n=9). 4 Note: Based on one data point (n=1). Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 10
POST-GRADUATE EDUCATION Overall, 14.3% of Class of 2015 graduates are attending graduate or professional school full-time or pursuing a degree program while working. For those currently not attending a post-bachelor s program, 61.4% reported intentions to enroll in graduate or professional school in the next five years. Graduate School Enrollment By School School Percentage Overall 14.3% College of Arts and Science 24.8% College of Nursing 8.1% Gallatin School of Individualized Study 9.4% Global Liberal Studies 19.6% Leonard N. Stern School of Business 4.9% School of Professional Studies 11.9% Silver School of Social Work 62.5% Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development 14.2% Tandon School of Engineering 14.8% Tisch School of the Arts 2.5% There were nearly 50 general areas of study reported for post-baccalaureate education. The top 10 fields are below. While Law and Medicine are once again at the top though Medicine was in the number one spot for the Class of 2014 Business has moved to the third most popular area of study. Graduate School Enrollment By Area of Study Area of Study Percentage Law 10.5% Medicine / Pre-Med 9.4% Business (MBA, Accounting, Finance, Economics) 9.1% Education 7.4% Health / Public Health 6.6% Arts & Science / Humanities 5.6% Engineering 4.4% Public and International Affairs / Politics 4.0% Social Work 4.0% Nursing 3.7% Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 11
CONCLUSION New York University continues to have among the most successful graduates in the country. The career outcomes rate for survey respondents from the undergraduate Class of 2015 was 95.4% -- an increase from the Class of 2014. Promisingly, 93.2% of respondents took advantage of the resources, support, and experience of the NYU Wasserman Center, including NYU CareerNet, career fairs, and special recruiting and networking opportunities. Once again, perceptive, experienced, and well-prepared students who are supported and encouraged by the timely and strategically planned initiatives of the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development, in partnership with academic departments, employers, and the entire University community, have secured positions or placement in graduate school. NYU graduates are still committed to graduate and professional school attendance, though the interest has waned over the last couple of years likely due to changes in the economy. 14.3% of the respondents were currently enrolled in postgraduate academic programs at the time of the survey, with just 36.4% of that total pursuing advanced degrees in just four disciplines: Law, Medicine, Business and Education. And for those not currently enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program, 61.4% indicated that they intend to pursue such study within five years. Although respondents work in a wide variety of industries, just over 50% reported working in the top five industries of financial services, entertainment/media, education, technology, and nursing. As expected, a majority (just over 84%) are working in the tri-state area, with more than 90% employed in New York City. Although the respondents used a wide variety of career development resources during their tenure at NYU, once again students who used Wasserman services were found to have secured positions with higher salaries than those who did not. In fact, students who utilized Wasserman services at least once during their tenure at NYU reported salaries that were, on average, $4,479 higher, and those who used Wasserman multiple times had salaries that were, on average, $6,920 higher. Life Beyond The Square: Class of 2015 12