THE 1995 IB ALUMNI SURVEY RESULTS
The 1995 International Business Alumni Survey was a special survey, because, unlike prior surveys which generated information for internal purposes only, this one had multiple and wide-reaching goals. First, as always, the program was interested in knowing what is happening to its alumni. But also, we discovered that IB Alumni are also interested in hearing about their fellow alums. So this year's survey results are being shared, and will continue to be shared each year hereafter, with those alumni who participated in it.
Secondly, those 220 who participated in the survey (representing approximately 50% of IB graduates) were made charter members in the Friends of IB, the new network of IB graduates established with funds made available by the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at SDSU.
The survey was designed to provide information of interest to the IB alums themselves, such as employment status and average annual salaries, as well as information needed by the IB program in an effort to improve their curriculum and opportunities for future IB majors. Thus, the thirty survey questions were divided equally between questions relating to IB graduates' current employment status and questions concerning their educational experience within the IB program while students at SDSU. A copy of the detailed survey report may be seen in the IB program office. A summary appears below.
Full-time permanent employment-------72.5%
Full-time temporary employment--------5.7%
Part-time employment---------------------7.3%
Unemployed, but actively searching----2.6%
Graduate School---------------------------7.8%
Other----------------------------------------4.1%
Full-time permanent employment for IB graduates slipped in 1995, dropping from 77% in 1994 to 72.5% in 1995. Full-time temporary positions rose 1.9% and part-time employment rose 2.5% over 1994. This reflects the national trend which indicates that full-time permanent positions are being replaced by temporary and part-time work. While this trend may not be entirely satisfactory, it does seem to correlate with the fact that fewer graduates are unemployed and seeking employment. Only 2.6% were involuntarily unemployed in 1995 as compared to 5.8% in 1994.
Good news here! The average starting gross annual salary for an IB graduate in 1995 was $25,000, with 9.3% earning a salary of $40,000 or more. This represents a substantial increase over the average starting salary of $23,340 reported by 1994 graduates.
San Diego County----------------48.2%
Other Southern California-------22.3%
Central/Northern California------9.0%
Another State----------------------11.5%
Another Country------------------9.0%
There is a significant trend developing here. A larger percentage of IB alumni are now working outside of California and in other countries. Only 79.5% currently work in California, as compared to 88% in 1994 and 94.3% in 1992. The percentage of graduates working out of state has doubled (11.4% in 1995; 5% in 1994), while the percentage of those working in foreign countries has risen from 7% in 1994 to 9% in 1995. Those who work out of California are concentrated in 10 states, the vast majority of which are in the Southern and Eastern half of the U.S. Only a few chose other western states in which to relocate. IB alumni work in seven different countries, with the majority in Japan, Mexico, and France.
Business or Industry----------77.6%
Self-employed------------------6.7%
Governmental Agency---------5.5%
Educational Institution---------3.0%
Non-profit Organization-------3.0%
Other-----------------------------4.2%
These percentages remain fairly constant from year to year.
Holds a position acquired after graduation--------80%
Holds a position held before gradution------------20%
More and more IB graduates are holding jobs acquired after graduation, up considerably from 63% in 1992 and 75% in 1994.
Work or internship experience--------#1
Personality------------------------------#2
Academic major------------------------#3
When asked to what degree their current job is related to their IB emphases, 53% said that their job was related to their IB education. 47% said that their current employment is not strongly related to their degree.
An impressive 46.4% of IB graduates held an internship while pursuing their degree at SDSU. Of those who did an internship, 72.7% interned in the U.S. and 27.3% interned abroad in eight separate countries. They strongly believe that their internship experience was an important element in their professional success. They listed it as the #1 factor in assisting them to find their present job and in improving their chances of finding another job. Many alumni encouraged the IB Program to expand their internship program. The IB Program has anticipated and acknowledged this suggestion by making IB 495 (Internship) a required course in the major.
Participated in a Study Abroad Program------------32.1%
Did not participate in a Study Abroad Program----67.9%
Of those who participated in a study abroad program (representing 12 separate countries), 72.4% believe that the experience improved their chances of finding a job.
Cross tabulations of several survey questions were run in order to determine whether the study of a certain language affected employment status or starting salaries. The results are as follows:
German---------------68.4%
French----------------53.1%
Japanese--------------45.8%
Spanish---------------37.7%
Chinese-------------------0%
German---------------15.8%
French-----------------9.4%
Japanese---------------8.4%*
Spanish----------------7.1%
Chinese-------------------0%
*Japanese showed 12.5% making over $55,000; all of these alumni were working in Japan. Survey samples for Italian, Portuguese, and Russian were too small to draw any conclusions.
French------------------77.5%
German-----------------77.3%
(Falling below mean average of 72.5%:
Spanish------------------71.6%
Japanese-----------------66.7%
Chinese------------------66.7%
There seems to be some correlation between participation in an internship program while at SDSU and higher salary ranges. The number of alumni in the $40,000-$45,000 salary range who held internships are double the number in that range who did not take internships.
83.7% of IB graduates believe that the IB major effectively prepared them to meet their specific career goals. Of the 16.3% who believe it did not, 31% feel that the major needs more focus and is too broad, while an equal 31% feel the major needs more business courses. When asked what courses were most helpful in preparing them for their careers, business courses led the way with 73.3% of the responses, followed by 21.3% for language. Moreover, in the "Further Comments" section, alumni reiterated their strong suggestion for more business courses emphasizing international business, business regulations, and the import-export trade and for the internship program to be expanded. As a result, IB 495 (Internship) has been made a required course for all IB majors. As of Spring 1996, an IB alum will be added to the IB Curriculum Committee to explore ways to improve the curriculum and talk further about additional business courses within the major.
Note: "IB graduates" refers to those who responded to this survey.
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