Since 1999, the Institutional Research Office has been surveying the parents of Macalester graduates to see what their sons or daughters are doing 3 years after graduation.

Parents received a short letter asking specifically about advanced degrees pursued by their son or daughter, with a stamped return envelope. If there was no response from the parents, email was sent to the graduate. Response rates for these surveys in the last seven years range from 53% to 69%

Parents were surveyed instead of graduates because they move less often, so surveys were more likely to reach their destination. Hopefully parents were not as busy as the graduates, and would be more likely to respond. In addition, parents generally like to tell you what their sons or daughters are doing.

The 2007 and 2008 surveys show an increase from prior years in the percentage of graduates pursuing advanced degrees within 3 years of graduation. Previous surveys generally showed about half of the graduates pursuing degrees. The 2007 and 2008 surveys show over 60% have enrolled in an advanced degree program. Other results are profiled in the tables below.

Graduates Pursuing Advanced Degrees within 3 Years

Degrees Pursued by 2005 Graduates

* graduates may have pursued more than one degree

Of those who pursued a master's degree, 34% had completed it within 3 years. Of those who enrolled in law programs, 44% had completed their degree. None had yet completed their doctorate or medical degrees.

Institutions Most Commonly Attended by 2005 Graduates

Most Common Fields of Study by 2005 Graduates

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The Complete Tables

The tables below show complete listings of institutions and fields of study for graduates who pursued advanced degrees. The tables included are:

• Master's fields of study
• Doctorate fields of study
• Master's institutions
• Doctorate institutions
• Law institutions
• Medical institutions

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13 March 2009