Ninety-nine percent of alumni of Northern Arizona University’s graduate programs rate their experience as either good or excellent, according to NAU’s 2005 Graduate Student Alumni Report.
Ninety-eight percent of graduate alumni would recommend their graduate program, and 95 percent responded that they would start over again at NAU, according to the survey by the Office of Planning, Budget and Institutional Research.
The survey asked alumni to evaluate their satisfaction with their degree program, preparation received in their degree program, and their education and employment experiences since graduation. The survey found that satisfaction was equally high for the mountain campus and statewide respondents.
“This is the first time we administered a survey of graduate alumni students,” said Christy Arazan, planning and policy analyst in the Office of Planning and Institutional Research. “The results will help the university better meet the academic and personal needs of future graduate students.”
Key findings include:
- Satisfaction and relationships with faculty: Ninety-four percent of alumni were satisfied with the quality of faculty instruction. They reported that their program fostered a sense of intellectual community (94 percent), they were treated with respect (99 percent), the faculty was supportive of their academic interests (97 percent), and the faculty held high expectations for their performance (95 percent).
- Preparation in graduate program: Ninety-three percent of alumni were satisfied with the preparation they received from their graduate program to help in preparing them for their current position. The graduate alumni students strongly agreed that their program prepared them in their area of study (95 percent), provided them with a strong knowledge base (95 percent), and that the courses were relevant for their intended profession (94 percent).
- Advising: Ninety percent of respondents were satisfied with the advising received in their graduate program and 89 percent of respondents were satisfied with the advising received for future career goals. Eighty-two percent of the alumni that had received advising indicated that an academic advisor was always available or available most of the time.
- Post graduation education and employment: Ninety-three percent of respondents have been regularly employed since finishing their degree and the majority of respondents (77 percent) who were employed indicated that their current employment was directly related to their degree program of study while at NAU, though a graduate degree was not required in order to be hired for their current position. Twenty-nine percent of all respondents have pursued an additional graduate degree since leaving NAU.
The full report can be read online.