UQ again records positive outcomes for its graduates

The Graduate Careers Council of Australia`s Graduate Destination Survey 2003 released this week reveals that University of Queensland graduates continue to be highly sought by employers.

Over an extended period, The University of Queensland has had 5 percent or less of its graduates recorded as unemployed and seeking full-time employment.

In national figures compiled by the Department of Education, Science and Training, the University has achieved full-time employment rates averaging 88 percent over a five-year period, against a national figure of 78 percent.

UQ graduates reported high full-time employment rates in fields such as Medicine (100 percent); Dentistry (100 percent); Mining Engineering (100 percent); Minerals Process Engineering (100 percent); Physiotherapy (100 percent); Regional and Town Planning (100 percent); Pharmacy (98.7 percent); Occupational Therapy (98 percent); Veterinary Science (95 percent); and Civil Engineering (94.4 percent).

The figures for graduates in full-time study were also substantially above the national average. These data have given the University a leading position in the country over a period of years for the rate of positive outcomes for graduates.

UQ bachelor degree graduates in their first full-time employment (and under 25 years of age) reported starting salaries similar to the national median starting salaries of $38,000 for males and $36,300 for females. Graduates also reported above average starting salaries.

Of those in their first full-time employment, the higher end salaries included dentistry and mining engineering, with one UQ Dentistry graduate reporting a salary of $120,000.

The figures for UQ bachelor degree graduates in further full-time study represented 42.2 percent against a national figure of 22.8 percent.

Media: For further information, contact Jan King 0413 601 248.