May 10, 2010
When St. Mary’s University students walked across the stage Saturday, May 8 to receive their diplomas, 30 percent already had jobs already lined up after graduation.
The data is a result of a post graduate survey conducted by St. Mary’s University Career Services/Service Learning Center in which 90 percent of the graduating class of 400 students (302 undergraduate and 98 graduate) responded to the employment survey.
Of the 30 percent of St. Mary’s graduates already employed, 75 percent will be employed full-time, 82 percent have jobs related to their major/career field and 90 percent plan on staying in Texas.
Of the 302 students receiving their bachelor’s degrees, 38.5 percent are planning to attend graduate school within the next year. The rest will use the free time after graduation to intensify their job search.
Many St. Mary’s students do internships or work part-time in their field to build experience, something the St. Mary’s Career Services/Service Learning Center strongly encourages to help set them apart from other job applicants. Of this year’s respondents, 44 percent participated in at least one internship during their college career. Many have done multiple internships or research activities.
Through the resources of the Career Services/Learning Center, St. Mary’s students have access to more than 350 companies that recruit on campus through job fairs and informational sessions and more than 1,200 job, internship and community service opportunities on the Career Services website.