The questionnaire contains two major sections. The first section asks graduates to provide information regarding their post graduation status. Among others, it includes items such as current job title, sector of employment, the name and location of the employer, current salary, minimum educational requirements, and the means by which graduates found out about their jobs. Those alumni pursuing graduate/professional education were solicited to indicate the name and location of their higher education institution as well as the expected degree, field of study, whether or not they received an assistantship or fellowship, and the reasons for seeking additional education. Graduates were also encouraged to write their social security numbers, current addresses and telephone numbers. Ninety-six percent of the respondents did disclose their social security numbers. This information, of course, can be further employed to update the College of Charleston alumni database.

The second section asks the graduates to rate their satisfaction with several aspects of their academic experience, as well as, various features of career services. It also asks about graduates involvement in professional, political, and social services activities.

Also, the survey asks those graduates who are employed to provide the names and telephone numbers of their supervisors. Of the 268 respondents, 55 were willing for us to contact their supervisors and provided information on how to contact them. This information can serve as a basis for conducting a future employer survey.

Results presented here primarily seek to show the extent to which graduates are employed, where they are employed, how their current jobs relate to their majors and how they found their jobs. They also attempt to document how successful CofC graduates are in their pursuit of advanced education. Throughout the report, these questions are examined for the Class of 2000-2001 as a whole as well as for different sub-groups (males/females, SC residents/out of state, and School of the Arts/School of Business/School of Education/School of Humanities and Social Sciences/School of Science and Mathematics). Furthermore, where comparable information was available, comparisons between results obtained when this graduating class was surveyed one year after graduation and the current year were provided.

A note of caution is warranted when interpreting average salary information for different sub-groups. The survey asks respondents to check the appropriate salary range rather than soliciting the exact annual salary. In order to estimate salary averages, the salary range was converted into a continuous variable with values representing the midpoint of each interval. Therefore, the report provides ‘estimated’ rather than ‘actual’ average salaries.

Summary tables were often complemented by complete listings provided in several appendixes. These include the following:

Appendix A and Appendix B list states and cities where graduates hold jobs.

Appendix C and Appendix D offer a listing of the graduate schools chosen by graduates continuing their education, and their fields of study, respectively.

Results of the Academic Program Survey tabulates responses to questions incorporated in the Academic Program Survey section.

Ratings of Career Services tabulates responses to questions about the availability of career exploration and advising both within academic department and career services.