Graduate Future Plans Survey Results, 2020-21

The NC State University Office of Institutional Strategy and Analysis is charged with measuring and reporting student outcomes for degree earners each academic year. Known as the Graduate Future Plans Survey (GFPS) for masters and doctorate recipients, data are collected through three surveys implemented to cover graduates for fall, spring and summer. The results of the GFPS are published about 6 months after the third and final survey each academic year. The first GFPS report was published for the May 2018 graduating class.

GFPS data presented here illustrate the Institute’s outcomes relative to the results for other academic units within the University (the ten colleges), and the university’s overall average for master’s degree graduates for the period of observation. The analysis focuses on the frequency of the top ratings (i.e., %-Excellent, or %-Very Satisfied) on each metric.

The Institute has a high student participation rate for the GFPS, ranging from 96-100% each year. The GFPS response rate for the University as a whole is typically around 65-69%. Although the Institute is a small academic unit, it has more master’s degree graduates than 4 of the 10 colleges each year, and is among the top-10 largest producers of master’s graduates when ranked along side the roughly one-hundred master’s programs offered by the university.

Download the full report.

Response Rates

Only a small number of programs have 50 or more graduates participating in the Survey each year. Most programs have too few respondents, or too low a response rate, to have reliable results at the program level.


Student Satisfaction Metrics
Satisfaction with Graduate Program
Trend in Satisfaction with Graduate Program
Satisfaction with Job
Trend in Satisfaction with Job
Satisfaction with Career Guidance
Trend in Satisfaction with Career Guidance
Preparation for Future Plans

On each of 12 Program Quality metrics, the Institute’s “%-Excellent” score exceeded the University’s score by an average of 35%; The Institute’s score was the top-ranking score among the academic units on 8 of the 12 metrics.

Program Quality Metrics Summary
Effectiveness of the Program
Overall Quality of the Faculty
Confidence in Research Abilities
Professional Development Opportunities
Quality of Classroom Teaching
Cooperation and Helpfulness of the Director
Cooperation and Helpfulness of the Program Staff
Mentoring Received from the Faculty
Attention to Ethics
Space, Facilities, and Equipment
Respect for Students with Diverse Social Identities
Overall Graduate Experience

Student Outcomes Metrics Summary