First-Year Employment Outcomes of Psychology Baccalaureates: Relatedness, Preparedness, and Prospects

Abstract

Surveys of recent baccalaureate degree recipients confirmed earlier findings that, compared with other alumni, psychology baccalaureates ranked low on ratings of the relatedness of their current job to the major. Psychology baccalaureates also rated low on whether their education had prepared them for that job and enhanced their future prospects. Correlations across all majors suggested that employment relatedness predicted judgments of preparedness, and preparedness predicted future prospects. Comparable correlations for psychology majors suggested that they entered the job market with expectations similar to graduates of more occupationally oriented programs. We offer specific recommendations to prepare students for more satisfying outcomes in the postbaccalaureate job market.