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Glossary - Graduate Employment Outcomes

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Annual Median Wage

For someone graduating in Spring 2010, this figure represents median wages earned from Spring 2011 to Spring 2012. Individuals with reported earnings any time during the year are included regardless of number of hours worked. Hourly rates lower than $4.90 are excluded.

Full-Time Year-Round Median Wage

For someone graduating in Spring 2010, this figure represents median wages earned from Spring 2011 to Spring 2012 by individuals working each quarter of the year for at least 1,820 hours. This measure is based on a smaller subset of employed graduates. When there are fewer than 10 valid employment records the figure is suppressed for confidentiality and data quality reasons.

Graduates

Count of individuals who graduated in the given school year. Graduates who earned more than one degree in the same academic year are classified according to the highest degree obtained. Programs with fewer than ten graduates are not displayed.

Graduates With Reported Wages

Count of graduates with reported wages in Minnesota Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage records for the quarter starting 12 months after graduation. For a person graduating in April, May, or June 2010, this would be the quarter April, May, or June 2011. This is a count of individuals, not jobs.

Instructional Program

An instructional program is a training program as classified by the U.S. Department of Education Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). In Minnesota, there are over 800 programs at postsecondary institutions. We include only those programs reported to the Minnesota Department of Higher Education which have at least 10 graduates. Top-level CIP codes are two digits, for example, "01" for Agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences. Within each top level classification there may be detailed classifications in 4- to 6-digit codes.

Median Hourly Wage 12 Months After Graduation

Among all graduates with reported wages for the quarter starting 12 months after graduation, half earned more and half earned less than this median hourly wage. Hourly rates lower than $4.90 are excluded from the calculation because they represent training wages paid to employees under 20 years old.

Median Hourly Wage 24 Months After Graduation

Among all graduates with reported wages for the quarter starting 24 months after graduation, half earned more and half earned less than this median hourly wage.

Percentage Employed Full-Time Year-Round

Percentage of graduates who worked each quarter of the second year after graduation for at least 1,820 hours, representing an average of 35 hours a week for a full year. This measure is based on a smaller subset of employed graduates. When there are fewer than 10 valid employment records the figure is suppressed for confidentiality and data quality reasons.

Percentage Employed Year-Round

Percentage of graduates who worked each quarter of the second year after graduation, regardless of hours and employer. This metric represents workforce attachment, not tenure with the same employer.

Percentage Graduates Employed in MN During the Year

Share of graduates with reported wages in Minnesota during the second year after graduation. Individuals with reported earnings any time during the year are included, regardless of number of hours worked. This measure underestimates the employment rate because graduates employed at federal agencies, self-employed, or employed in other states are not included in Minnesota wage records.

Percent Graduates Continuing Education in MN and Not Employed

Percent of graduates who re-enrolled in a post-secondary program in Minnesota in the Fall after graduation but had no wage records at any time during that year (from Fall to Summer).This measure does not represent all graduates who reenroll but only those who enroll and were not found in Minnesota payroll.

Top Industry of Employment 24 Months After Graduation

We show the top 5 industries in which program graduates from the selected graduation year have found employment. These are limited to industries with 10 or more graduates. Industry is not equivalent to occupation. For example, the manufacturing industry employs persons in the occupations of machinist, manager, and administrative support. But industry is the best available indicator of alignment between a program of study and the types of business that employ graduates from that program. Industries were classified according to the North American Industry Classification (NAICS) system.

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