Questionnaires were mailed to 1652 graduates in November 1999. 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. Eighty-four 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 is intended to assess how well the general educational program and major of study addressed a series of educational goals (i.e., the understanding of and an appreciation for a liberal education, the development of reading skills, etc.). Open ended questions ask graduates to highlight those components of their major that should be kept or enhanced. Graduates who took a certification exam are also asked to indicate whether their major prepared them for it.

Lastly, the survey asks those graduates who are employed to provide the names and telephone numbers of their supervisors. Of the 322 respondents, 105 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 1999 as a whole as well as for different sub-groups (males/females, SC residents/out of state, and School of Arts/School of Business/School of Education/School of Humanities and Social Sciences/School of Sciences and Mathematics). Furthermore, where comparable information was available, comparisons between results obtained in the previous year 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.