The UGA Career Outcomes Initiative


Purpose

The purpose of the Career Outcomes Initiative is to provide insight into the employment or continuing education status for University of Georgia graduates (bachelors, masters, doctorate, and professional students) within an average of 6 months of their graduation date.  Additionally, the data provides detailed employment information, salary statistics, and graduate school information. These statistical reports constitute the only centralized employment data collection for University of Georgia and are used by current students, employers, departments, and other stakeholders.  Data from our survey is published in the UGA Fact Book and reported to various organizations that rank colleges, such as US News and World Report.  Finally, the Career Outcomes Initiative provides graduates with an opportunity to recognize UGA faculty and staff who have greatly influenced their career path or decision making.

Career Outcomes Data Usage

  • The Office of Institutional Research publishes data in the UGA Fact Book and reports data to external ranking organizations, such as US News, Businessweek, etc.
  • The University of Georgia administration includes these statistics in literature and other forms of direct messaging/communication
  • The UGA Admissions Office shares career outcomes data with prospective students
  • Several UGA colleges use the data for accreditation purposes
  • Current and prospective students use the data when choosing a major
  • Current students use employment information statistics in job and internship searches
  • Parents use the information to gauge return on investment
  • Employers use salary information in hiring process
  • Faculty use career outcomes data in research grant applications
  • The Career Center office uses it in student and parents’ orientation sessions and in counseling appointments

Survey Parameters

  • The data collection cycle is completed for the graduating class of each academic year. For example, Class of 2023 consists of August 2022, December 2022 and May 2023 graduates. In this example, we start collecting data in August 2022 and end the cycle in November of 2023.
  • Each semester, current graduates are contacted via email before graduation and then again once a month, up to six months after graduation.
  • At approximately three months after graduation, non-respondents and those still seeking are contacted via texting and calling campaigns.
  • Additional data sources: We obtain employment and continuing education data from UGA schools/colleges, employers, and the National Student Clearing House. We also mine data for non-respondents on social media websites such as LinkedIn.
  • All data presented in the University of Georgia Career Outcomes Initiative is self-reported.

UGA Career Outcomes Data Sources for the Class of 2023