SIUC and other Illinois college graduates are not only finding jobs, but a majority of them are saying their bachelor degrees prepared them for their jobs, a recently released survey reported.

The survey, reported by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, also found men earning considerably more money than women.

Twelve Illinois public universities conducted a survey in 1994, and results were compiled by IBHE in 1995. It followed baccalaureate graduates for 10 years, comparing its figures to the 1993 U.S. Census data.

Advertisement

More than 90 percent of 1984 graduates work full or part-time, the survey found. Also, less than two percent are jobless.

IBHE Deputy Director Ross Hodel said the survey data reflects positively on Illinois college graduates, but he cautioned that the high number of working graduates is dependent on the economy of the state and the nation.

If the survey is done in a recession, results might be slightly different for the number of people working, Hodel said.

However, for full-time employed graduates, there is a $10,000 income gap between men and women, the survey reported.

The median income for men with a bachelor’s degree between the ages of 25 and 34 was $48,000, while the median for women with a bachelor’s degree in the same age group was $37,000, according to the survey.

Jan Ignash, IBHE assistant director of academic affairs, said this is similar to conditions in the rest of the country.

Also, salary differences between men and women increase with age, Ignash said.

Advertisement*

Men between the ages of 35 and 44 average $56,387 a year, and women average $36,333 a year, Ignash said.

Some of it is that women drop out of the work force to start a family and re-enter later but lose years of promotion, Ignash said.

However, the survey reported women graduates in computer science, engineering technology and health professions have a median income higher than or equal to that of men.

Despite the income gap, graduates indicated they were happy with the education they received.

Nine out of 10 graduates surveyed said they felt their undergraduate studies adequately prepared them for their jobs, and 96 percent reported positive attitudes toward their universities.

Eleven percent of the graduates said their bachelor’s degrees left them inadequately prepared for their careers. The survey reported graduates with communications degrees and agriculture and natural resources degrees have a harder time finding jobs related to their field than other graduates.

Kyle Perkins, associate vice president for academic affairs, said SIUC’s graduates are a fair representation of all graduating classes in Illinois.

Our average for all categories is not above or below that of the state, Perkins said.

The survey showed that three-quarters of graduates reported working in jobs related or closely related to their undergraduate majors, and three out of five graduates work full-time in Illinois.