UQ graduates achieve outstanding outcomes in survey

UQ graduates achieve outstanding outcomes in survey

University of Queensland graduates continue to have outstanding success in gaining full-time jobs or progressing to further study according to the latest annual survey of new graduates.

Following its 1998-99 Good Universities Guides Australian University of the Year award for positive graduate outcomes, the University again obtained the best graduate outcomes in the State

Latest figures show that 85.4 percent of UQ graduates under the age of 25 who were available for full-time employment had found jobs within four months of completing their degree. The University of Queensland's performance is well ahead of the overall Queensland average of 81.9 percent and the national figure of 79.6 percent.

The report also casts a glow over the University of Queensland as a place of further learning with 34.3 percent of these under-25 graduates going on to full-time study compared to 22 per cent nationally and 20.1 percent for the whole of Queensland.

Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay said the survey clearly illustrated that the University of Queensland had one of the nation's best track records for educational and employment opportunities for its graduates.

"Students can come to this University confident that their degree will be the key that will open many doors for them in the areas of employment and access to further study," he said.

The figures are contained in the latest report from the Graduate Careers Council of Australia which last year surveyed almost 97,000 graduates nationally who completed their studies at the end of 1997.

University of Queensland graduates in this survey earned a median starting salary of $34,300, significantly higher than the national and State median starting salary equivalents of $30,000.

Mining engineering was the star performer at UQ with a median starting salary of $61,100, followed by:

- dentistry at $53,200;
- medicine $41,500; and
- chemical engineering on $37,700

Areas where young UQ graduates available for work enjoyed a 100 percent success rate included civil engineering, pharmacy, medicine, chemistry, and physical sciences.

Among other fields providing high levels of full-time employment were:

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• - architecture (91.3 percent);
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• - accounting (93.7 percent);
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• - education (94.1 percent);
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• - electrical and computer engineering (90.9 percent); - mechanical engineering (89.3 percent);
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• - mining engineering (94.3 percent);
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• - dentistry (95.1 percent)
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• - rehabilitation sciences (including occupational therapy, speech pathology and physiotherapy)(95.4 percent);
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• - law (96.6 percent);
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• - computer science (94.1 percent), and
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• - veterinary science (96.2 percent).

For further information, contact Professor John Hay (telephone 3365 1300).