A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya

81

April 2016

The report titled The Employment Outcomes of Master's Degree Holders from Universities in Catalonia sets out the results and findings of the survey carried out in 2014 by AQU Catalunya, together with the universities in Catalonia, of holders of Master's degrees who graduated in 2010 and 2011. A total of 7,647 graduates were interviewed, or 47% of the reference population.

Several of the main conclusions are as follows:

• A Master's degree is the most flexible award in terms of graduates of a Master's programme being able to better adapt to the needs and requirements of the labour market as well as new trends in knowledge generation. Another important aspect is that they provide continuous learning and the acquisition of work-related skills important for promotion and retraining (74% of Master's graduates were already in some form of employment prior to taking a Master's degree).
• 86% of Master's graduates were in employment two to three years after completing their Master's degree. The employment rate was 8 per cent higher for Master's graduates who were already in employment prior to taking their Master's degree than for those who did not work (88% compared to 80%).
• The main reasons for taking a Master's degree were professional career advancement, the pursuit of a specialist area of interest and better job prospects. On the other hand, Master's graduates were of the opinion that the Master's programme served mainly as a way of reinforcing and obtaining more in-depth knowledge and training (rated at 7/10) and to establish contacts (6/10).
• Master's programmes attract students from outside Catalonia: 30% of the Master's graduates interviewed had taken a previous degree either at a university elsewhere in Spain or abroad (14%).
• 35% of Master's graduates were earning a higher salary than before and 34% were in the professional category.   

 PDF The Employment Outcomes of Master's Degree Holders from Universities in Catalonia