Ninety three per cent of University of the West Indies graduates reported in a recent tracer study that they would be pursuing advanced degrees, most of them in fields other than in the areas of their first degrees, the most popular being, Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Marketing, Law and Education.


The study, released last week claimed that some 90% of UWI, Mona graduates are employed shortly after graduation and of the rest, 4.6 % were in postgraduate studies.

But, apparently those who have secured employment have intentions to go back to school soon.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of respondents said their job was directly related to their field of study, and another 27% said their job was somewhat related to their field of study. Only 10% of respondents reported that their current job was neither related to their field of study nor their preference.


The study revealed that sixty five per cent of graduates are employed in three areas of critical importance to the country's development: Education (194), Healthcare (90) and Finance/Banking (90).

According to the study, most respondents graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree (62%), followed by a Bachelor of Education degree (18%) and a Bachelor of Arts degree (17%). The top ten major fields of study were Management Studies (66), Nursing (64), History (33), Hospitality and Tourism (28), Psychology (28), Education (22), International Relations (21), Media and Communication (19), Educational Administration (18), Literacy Studies (15) and Mathematics (15).

Among the employed graduates, 71% reported being employed on a full-time permanent basis while 22% were employed on a full-time temporary basis. Another 6% reported part-time employment and 1%, self-employment.

Full-time employment was not limited to a particular age group and all three sectors (education, public, and private) accounted for almost equal shares of the full-time employed graduates.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of respondents said a first degree was not a minimum requirement for their job. The youngest age group (19-24) was the most likely to report that their job required a first degree and, among the sectors, the private sector was the most likely to require a First degree.

*Avia.ustanny@gleanerjm.com