Job and Degree Satisfaction among Social Science Graduates

Abstract

Social science alumni (N = 307) responded to a mailed survey investigating correlates of job and degree satisfaction. Three variables—job relatedness to major, income satisfaction, and highest degree—predicted 35% of the variance in scores on a 5-item index of global job satisfaction. Five variables influenced satisfaction with the undergraduate major: job relatedness to major, undergraduate course difficulty, highest degree, undergraduate course enjoyment, and income satisfaction. Implications of these findings for student advisement, curricular planning, and alumni survey design are discussed.