Postgraduate premium exhausted outside teaching and doctorates

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Destination of Leavers from Higher Education 2011-12, published on  June, looks at UK and European Union leavers from UK institutions about six months post-graduation.

While 9 per cent of full-time first-degree graduates with known destinations were unemployed, the figure was 10 per cent for holders of full-time “other postgraduate” degrees, including research and teaching master’s but not PhDs or PGCEs. Unemployment was much lower among the latter groups (6 per cent and 2 per cent respectively). At 15 per cent, doctoral graduates also had the highest proportion working overseas.

The data – which cover 411,005 UK and EU leavers with known destinations – draw on a new version of the survey introduced for the first time in 2011-12, so cannot be compared with previous results.

Notes: Data collected from all UK publicly funded higher education institutions plus the University of Buckingham. Refers to full-time students only. “Other” includes taking time out for travelling and “something else”. “Unemployed” includes those expected to start a job in the next month and not otherwise working or in further study. Does not include “unknown” students, who refused to answer or did not respond to the survey.

Source: Destination of Leavers from Higher Education 2011-12, Higher Education Statistics Agency

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com