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2011 December and 2012 June Graduate Exit
Survey Findings
INSTITUTIONAL
PLANNING UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
ERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
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TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: 4 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Survey instrument 1.3 Survey method
SECTION 2: 2011 DECEMBER AND JUNE2012 FINDINGS 6 SECTION 3: ANALYSIS 7 3.1 First destination (Table 3) 3.2 Overall experience of studying at UCT (Table 10.1-10.8)
ADDENDUM A: TABLES OF FINDINGS 19 Table 1a: Profile of all December 2011 and June2012 graduates by degree/diploma type and faculty Table 1b: Profile of December 2011 and June2012 respondents by degree/diploma type and faculty Table 1c: Profile of December 2011 and June2012 respondents to all December 2011 and June2012 graduates by degree/diploma type and faculty Table 2: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents: final year average by degree/diploma and faculty Table 3: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents: first destination by degree/diploma and faculty Table 4: December 2011 and June 2012 employed respondents: locations of employers by degree/diploma and faculty Table 5: December 2011 and June 2012 employed respondents: income brackets by degree/diploma and faculty Table 6: December 2011 and June 2012 employed respondents: nature of employment by degree/diploma and faculty Table 7: December 2011 and June 2012 employed respondents: employment related to qualification? By degree/diploma and faculty Table 8: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents studying further: nature of further studies by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 9: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents studying further: institution of choice by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 10.1: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents, provision of an intellectually stimulating environment by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 10.2: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents, participation in course and programmes that encourage the social consciousness of students by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 10.3: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents, involvement in courses outside the conventional curriculum by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 10.4: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents, exposure to a culturally and internationally diverse community of scholars by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 10.5: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents, exposure to internationally competitive and locally relevant degrees by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 10.6: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents, access to a rich array of social, cultural, sporting and leadership opportunities by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 10.7: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents, preparation for further studies at local and international institutions by graduation degree/diploma and faculty Table 10.8: December 2011 and June 2012 respondents, preparation for the world of work after completion of UCT degree/diploma by graduation degree/diploma and faculty
ADDENDUM B: DECEMBER 2011 AND June 2012 GRADUATE EXIT SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 60 Section 1: Personal details Section 2: Main activity after graduation (first destination) Section 3: Employed respondents Section 4: Respondents pursuing further studies Section 5: Overall experience of studying at UCT
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1.1 INTRODUCTION
At each June and December Graduation, the Institutional Planning Department conducts a
Graduate Exit Survey (GES) as part of the First Destinations Project.
The first destinations project examines the post-graduation activities and intentions of each
group of graduate in order to assess their impressions on how their studies prepared them for
the workplace and further study. The first destinations project also captures information on
how and where recent graduates found employment, where they chose to continue their
studies as well as their overall experience of studying at UCT.
The first Graduate Exit Surveys were carried out amongst the 1997 June graduates. Since
then, the surveys have become a routine component of university’s graduation proceedings.
However, it’s important to note that the 2010 GES questionnaire was slightly adjusted in
order to track the Vice Chancellor’s strategic goals. This report will thus discuss the exit
survey findings for the December 2011 and June2012 group of graduates.
1.2 SURVEY INSTRUMENT
The survey instrument mainly consists of “closed” type questions and was designed to
comply with the following criteria:
short completion time (about 5 minutes) to prevent “bottleneck” formation in
the ticket and gowns distributions process;
obtaining a permanent postal address for each graduate to be used in follow-up
surveys; as well as a unique student number that enables the retrieval of
additional information (e.g. biographic data and academic performance
information) from a MS Access database (which derives from PeopleSoft 9);
obtaining information about the main activity of each graduate after graduation
(i.e. employment, further study, seeking employment etc.), employer details and
the nature of further studies;
Determining the overall learning experience of graduates and their participation
in career development activities offered by the UCT Career Development
Centre.
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The questionnaire is printed on A3 sheet of paper and folded to form an A4 size leaflet. The
front page of the leaflet contains a brief congratulatory note and some information about the
Graduate Recruitment Portal. The last item on the questionnaire, is followed by a” Thank-
you” note to the respondent.
1.3 SURVEY METHOD
Prior to each graduation ceremony, the survey questionnaire is administered to graduates at
the point of gown/ticket collection. Each graduate (up to and including the Doctorate level)
is asked to complete a questionnaire (at one of a series of Tables provided for this purpose).
When the leaflet is completed, the graduate hands it in to the staff at the graduation ticket
Tables before receiving his/her graduation tickets and gown. If a graduate is unable to collect
his/her tickets and gown, the person collecting on their behalf is given a blank questionnaire
and a postage paid envelope with instructions for the actual graduate to complete and return
the questionnaire.
The survey responses are coded and captured into a MS Excel spread sheet, which is
imported into the Student Performance Database. The student numbers on the completed
questionnaires are then used to extract the following additional information from the database
for each respondent:
Biographic data (population group, gender and date of birth).
Matric information (school code, Matric authority, Matric points and faculty
points).
A synopsis of each respondent’s UCT academic record which includes, year of first
registration, final year majors (where applicable), final year course result and
information on prior qualifications completed at UCT. This information was used to
calculate the final year average by Degree/Diploma and Faculty in Table
The analysis below discusses and correlates (where applicable); the information captured in
the survey responses with this additional information.
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SECTION 2: FINDINGS
A total 6625 students completed their studies and graduated in December 2011 and June
2012; out of these 3723 (56%, a 3% decrease from the 2010/11 GES cycle) completed the
December 2011 or June 2012 graduate exit survey questionnaires. The survey response rates
(Table 1c in addendum A) varied considerably from faculty to faculty as well by qualification
type1. The highest response rates were recorded amongst the professional first bachelor
(85%), PG bachelor (77%) and three year bachelor (61%) respondents.
SECTION 3: ANALYSIS
A full summary of the survey findings can be found at the end of this report in Addendum A.
The analysis, however, will mainly highlight the major differences of more than 5% between
the 2010/11 and 2011/2012 survey findings for Tables: 3 and 10.1-10.8. In order to avoid the
danger of small numbers, this will only be done for the following faculties and qualification
types:
Three year bachelor respondents in: Commerce (COM), Engineering and Built
Environment (EBE), Humanities (HUM) and Science (SCI).
Professional first bachelor respondents in: EBE, Commerce and Health Science
(HEA).
Honours respondents in: Commerce, EBE, Humanities and Science
3.1 FIRST DESTINATION (TABLE 3)
This section will look at the main activities of those who completed the graduate exit survey
over the December 2011 and June 2012 graduation periods. The respondents were asked to
indicate what their main activity will be in 2012/13. The largest proportions of respondents
who graduated in December 2011 and June 2012 indicated that their main activities would
either be employment (44%, a 10% decrease from the 2010/11 cycle), further study (22%),
seeking employment (17%, an 8% increase from the 2010/11 cycle) or seeking further study
(10%).
1 The survey response rates of each qualification by faculty appear in individual faculty summaries which are published as
separate reports.
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When looking at the different qualifications types in the selected faculties, the analysis found
that the largest proportions of the three year bachelor respondents would be: studying (39%,
an 8% decrease from 2010/11), seeking further study (21%) or seeking employment (20%) in
2012/13. Whereas, the largest proportions of professional first bachelor respondents
indicated that their main activities in 2012/13 would be: employment (49%), seeking
employment (16%) or studying further (20%, an 8% decrease from 2010/11). Honours
respondents followed a similar pattern, 34% of the respondents indicated that their main
activity in 2012/13 would be employment, 25% (a 5% increase from 2010/11) said that they
would be seeking employment whereas 23% indicated that they would be furthering their
studies in 2012/13.
3.2 OVERALL EXPERIENCE OF STUDYING AT UCT: TO WHAT EXTENT WERE
THE FOLLOWING FACTORS EMPHASISED? (TABLE 10.1-10.8)
In this section respondents were asked to think about their experience of studying at UCT and
to indicate to what extent the following factors were emphasised. The responses were
numbered from 5-1 with the highest point indicating strong emphasis and the lowest point
indicating weak emphasis. The analysis will mainly highlight the major differences of more
than 5% between the 2010/11 and 2011/12 Graduate Exit Survey cycles.
3.2.1 PROVIDING AN INTELLECTUALLY STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT
Thinking of their studying experience at UCT, the respondents were asked to indicate to what
extent the provision of an intellectually stimulating environment had been emphasised? The
largest proportions of Dec 2011 and June 2012 respondents mainly rated UCT 5 (53%) and 4
(34%) for the provision of an intellectually stimulating environment. The three qualifications
types (three year bachelor, professional first bachelor and honours) chosen for the purpose of
this analysis followed a similar rating pattern as above.
The largest proportion of Dec 2011 and June 2012 three year bachelor respondents (52%)
rated the university 5 for the emphasis placed on providing an intellectually stimulating
environment whilst the second largest proportion (36%) rated UCT 4. In Commerce, the
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number of three year bachelor respondents rating the university 5 for providing an
intellectually stimulating environment decreased by 9% ( from 58% to 49%) which led to an
8% ( from 32% to 40%) increase in the number of students rating UCT 4. EBE, on the other,
saw a 7% increase (from 43% to 50%) in the number of three year bachelor respondents
rating UCT 5 for and a 6% decrease (from 12% to 6%) in the number of respondents not
answering whether enough emphasis was placed on providing an intellectually stimulating
environment . There were no significant changes to note in the responses patterns of SCI and
HUM three year bachelor respondents from 2010 /11-2011/12.
The two largest proportions of Dec 2011 and June 2012 professional first bachelor
respondents rated UCT 5 (51%) and 4 (36%) rated UCT for the emphasis placed on providing
an intellectually stimulating environment. In EBE, the number of respondents rating UCT 5
for the emphasis placed on providing an intellectually stimulating environment increased by
6% (from 46% to 52%) leading to a 6% decrease (from 10% to 4%) in the number of
respondents rating UCT 3. The HEA faculty on the other hand mainly experienced a 6%
increase (from 55% to 61%) in the number of professional first bachelor respondents rating
UCT 5 for providing an intellectually stimulating environment. COM recorded no significant
changes in the response patterns of the graduates from 2010 /11-2011/12.
The majority of honours respondents rated UCT 5 (53%) or 4 (32%) for the emphasis placed
on providing an intellectually stimulating environment. When looking at the results by
faculty, the number of COM respondents rating UCT 5 for the provision of an intellectually
stimulating environment increased by 17% (from 33% to 50%) which led to an 11% decrease
(43% from to 33%) in the number of respondents rating UCT 4. There were relatively large
percentage shifts in the rating patterns of EBE honours students from 2010 /11 to 2011/12;
the number of students rating UCT 4 for providing an intellectually stimulating environment
decreased by 34% (from 57% to 23%) leading to an 18% increase (from 37% to 55%) in 8%
those rating UCT 5, a 8% increase those rating UCT 3 (from 4 % to 12%) as well as a 8%
increase (from 0% to 8%) in those choosing not to respond to this question. HUM on the
other hand mainly saw an 9% increase (from 48% to 57%) in the number of respondents
rating UCT 5 for providing an intellectually stimulating environment; which led to a 10%
decrease (from 41% to 31%) in the number of respondents rating UCT 4.
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3.2.2 PARTICIPATION IN COURSES AND PROGRAMMES THAT ENCOURAGE
THE SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF STUDENTS
Thinking of their studying experience at UCT, the respondents were asked to rate the
emphasis the university placed on encouraging students to participate in courses or
programmes that encouraged social consciousness. The three largest proportions of
respondents either gave UCT a rating of 3 (23%), 4 (38%) or 5 (26%) for the emphasis placed
on encouraging students to participate in courses or programmes that promote social
consciousness.
The three most significant proportions of three year bachelor respondents mainly rated UCT
5 (27%), 4 (39%, an 8% increase from 2010/11) and 3 (24%) for the emphasis placed on
encouraging students to participate in courses or programmes that promote social
consciousness. The number of COM three year bachelor respondents rating UCT 4 decreased
by 10% (from 44 % to 34%) whilst those rating UCT 3 increased by 9% (from 24% to 33%).
In EBE, the number of three respondents rating UCT 5 for the emphasis placed on
encouraging students to participate in courses or programmes that promote social
consciousness increased by 7% (from 27% to 34%), this led to a 6% decrease (from 21% to
15%) in the number of three year bachelor respondents rating UCT 3; the number of
respondents choosing to abstain from this question also dropped by 8% (from 14% to 6%).
There were no significant changes to note in the responses patterns of SCI and HUM three
year bachelor respondents from 2010 /11-2011/12.
Overall, 23% (a 10% decrease from the 2010/11 cycle) of all professional first bachelor
respondents rated UCT 5 for the emphasis placed on encouraging students to participate in
courses or programmes that promote social consciousness; whereas, 38% rated UCT 4, 22%
rated UCT 3 and 7% chose not to respond to the question posed. The only significant
change to note in COM was a 9% decrease (from 32% to 23%) in the number first
professional bachelor respondents rating UCT 3 for the emphasis placed on encouraging
students to participate in courses or programmes that promote social consciousness.
However, there were no significant changes to note in the responses patterns of EBE and
HEA three year bachelor respondents from 2010 /11-2011/12.
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The three largest proportions of Dec 2011 and June 2012 honours respondents gave UCT
the following rating 5 (25%), 4 (38%) or 3 (19%) for the emphasis placed on encouraging
students to participate in courses or programmes that promote social consciousness. COM
saw a 7% increase (from 12 % to 19%) in the number of respondents rating UCT 5 for the
emphasis placed on encouraging students to participate in courses or programmes that
promote social consciousness, this led to a 5% decrease (from 12% to 7%) in the number of
respondents rating UCT 2, there was also a 5% increase (from 32% to 37 %) the number of
honours respondents rating UCT 4. EBE, on the other, experienced a 17% decrease (from
43% to 26%) as well as a 5% decrease (from 20% to 15%) in the number of respondents
rating UCT 4 and 3, respectively, for the emphasis placed on encouraging students to
participate in courses or programmes that promote social consciousness; this led to a 5%
increase (from 35% to 40% ) as well as a 9% increase (from 2% to 11% ) in the number of
respondents rating UCT 5 and 2, respectively, there was an 8% increase (from 0% to 8%) in
the number of respondents choosing not to answer this question. In HUM, the number of
respondents rating UCT 5 for the emphasis placed on encouraging students to participate in
courses or programmes that promote social consciousness, increased by 9% (from 25% to
34% ), resulting in a 7% decrease (from 25% to 18% ) in the number of respondents rating
UCT 3. The only noteworthy change in SCI was that the number of respondents rating UCT 3
for the emphasis placed in encouraging students to participate in courses or programmes that
promote social consciousness decreased by 9% (from 42% to 33% ).
3.2.3 INVOLVEMENT IN COURSES OUTSIDE THE CONVENTIONAL
CURRICULA
In this section, the respondents were asked to rate the emphasis placed by the university on
encouraging student involvement in courses outside the conventional curricula. 16% of Dec
2011 and June 2012 respondents rated UCT 5 for the emphasis placed on encouraging student
involvement in courses outside the conventional curricula, 26% (4), 31% (3) and 13% (2).
Overall, the three year bachelor respondents rated UCT as follows 5 (16%), 4 (28%), 3 (33%)
and 2 (13%). for the emphasis placed on encouraging student involvement in courses outside
the conventional curricula. At faculty level, COM mainly experienced a 7% increase (from
12% to 19%) in the number of three year bachelor respondents rating UCT 2. EBE on the
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other hand, experienced a 13% increase (from 10% to 23% ) in the number of respondents
rating UCT 5 as well as a 5% increase ( from 10% to 5%)in the number in the number of
respondents rating UCT 1; this resulted in a 5% decrease (from 29% to 24%) in the number
of respondents rating UCT 3, a 11% decrease ( from 21% to 10%) in the number of
respondents rating UCT 5 as well as a 5% decrease in the number of those choosing not to
answering this question.
The four largest proportions of Dec 2011 and June 2012 professional first bachelor
respondents mainly rated UCT 5 (13%), 4 (24%), 3 (33%) or 2 (15%) for the emphasis
placed on encouraging student involvement in courses outside the conventional curricular .
COM and HEA respondents showed no significant changes in response patterns when
comparing the two GES cycles (2011/12 and 2010/11). EBE on the other hand saw a 13%
decrease ( from 30% to 17% ) in the number of professional first bachelor respondents
rating UCT 4 for promoting involvement in courses outside the conventional curricula; as
well as an 5% decrease ( from 29% to 24% ) in the number of respondents rating UCT 3.
When evaluating for the emphasis the university placed on promoting student involvement in
courses outside the conventional curricula, Dec 2011 and June 2012 honours respondents
predominantly rated UCT 5 (16%), 4 (29%), 3 (29%) or 2 (15%). In COM, the number of
honours respondents rating UCT 4 or 5 for promoting student involvement in courses outside
the conventional curricular both increased by % each. In EBE, the number of students rating
UCT 5 and those choosing not to answer this question for the emphasis placed on
encouraging student involvement in courses outside the conventional curricular increased by
7% (from 15% to 22% ) and 6% (from 2% to 8% ), receptively. This gave rise to a 15%
decrease (from 43% to 28%) in the number of students rating UCT 3. SCI saw a 6% increase
(from 23% to 29%) in the number of honours respondents rating UCT 4 as well as a 7%
decrease (from 33% to 26%) in those rating UCT 3 for the emphasis placed on encouraging
student involvement in courses outside the conventional curricular; this led to a 7% increase
(from 12% to 19%) in the number of honours respondents rating UCT 2.
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3.2.4 EXPOSURE TO A CULTURALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY DIVERSE
COMMUNITY OF SCHOLARS
In this section, the 2011/12 GES respondents were asked to rate the emphasis the university
placed on exposing students to a culturally and internationally diverse community of
scholars. The three largest proportions of all respondents rated the university as follows: 5
(42%), 4 (30%) and 3 (16%) for the emphasis placed on exposing students to a culturally and
internationally diverse community of scholars.
When looking at the rating patterns of Dec 2011 and June 2012 three year bachelor
respondents, the analysis found that three year bachelor respondents were mainly located at
high end of the scale: 5 (47%), 4 (30%) and 3 (15%). There were no marked variations in the
responses of the three year bachelor respondents from 2010/11-2011/12. Apart from EBE
which experienced a 13% increase (from 35% to 48%) in the number of respondents rating
UCT 5, this lead to a 9% decrease (from 21% to 15%) in those rating UCT 3 as well as a
6% (from 12% to 6% ) decrease in those not responding to this question.
The largest proportions of all professional first bachelor respondents gave the university the
following ratings for the emphasis placed on exposing students to a culturally and
internationally diverse community of scholars: 5 (39%), 4 (32%) and 3 (15%). Professional
first bachelor respondents in all three faculties (COM, EBE and HEA) showed no marked
variations in the response patterns of graduates from 2010/11- 2011/12.
44% of Dec 2011 and June 2012 honours respondents rated UCT 5 for the emphasis placed
on exposing students to a culturally and internationally diverse community of scholars whilst
31% rated UCT 4, and 13% rated UCT 3. In COM, the number of honours respondents rating
UCT 3 for the emphasis placed on exposing students to a culturally and internationally
diverse community of scholars decreased by 5% (from 22% to 17% ) from 2010/11-
2011/12. In EBE, respondents rating UCT 5 increased by 18% (from 28% to 40%), this led to
7% decrease in those rating UCT 4, a 11% decrease in those rating UCT 3 as well as a 6% in
those rating UCT 2. EBE also saw a 6% increase in the number of respondents rating UCT 1
as well as a 6% increase in those abstaining from answering this question. The SCI faculty
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mainly experienced an 8% increase in the number of respondents rating UCT either 5 or 4,
which led to an 8% decrease in the number of respondents rating UCT either 3 or 2.
2.2.5 INTERNATIONALLY COMPETITIVE AND LOCALLY RELEVANT
DEGREES
In this section, the respondents were asked to rate the emphasis which was placed on
providing internationally competitive and locally relevant qualifications; the three largest
proportions of all 2011/2012 GES respondents rated the university follows: 5 (49%), 4
(32%) and 3 (11%) for the it placed on providing internationally competitive and locally
relevant degrees.
The three largest proportions of three year bachelor respondents rated UCT 5 (47%), 4 (34%)
and 3 (12%) for the emphasis placed on providing internationally competitive and locally
relevant degrees. In COM, the only noteworthy change was a 7% increase in the number of
three year bachelor respondents rating UCT 3 for the emphasis placed on providing
internationally competitive and locally relevant degrees. In EBE, the number of three year
bachelor respondents rating UCT 5 increased by 18% (from 37% to 55% ); concurrent to this,
there was a drop in the number of respondents rating UCT 4 and those choosing not to
respond to this question by 8% (from 34% to 26% ) and 7% (from 13% to 6% ) respectively.
HUM on the other hand experienced a 7% decrease (from 48% to 41%) in those rating UCT
5 for the emphasis placed on providing internationally competitive and locally relevant
degree.
The two largest proportions of professional first bachelor respondents rated UCT 5 (50%)
and 4 (31%) for the emphasis placed in providing internationally competitive and locally
relevant degrees. When looking at the different qualifications types in the selected faculties,
EBE experienced a 6% increase (from 47% to 53%) in the number of respondents rating
UCT, resulting in a 5% decrease in the number of respondents rating UCT 3 for the emphasis
placed on providing internationally competitive and locally relevant. There were no other
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significant variations in the responses of professional first bachelor respondents from
2010/11-2011/12.
43% of Dec 2011 and June 2012 honours respondents rated UCT 5 for the emphasis placed
on providing internationally competitive and locally relevant degrees whilst 35% rated UCT
4 and 13% rated it3. In COM, the number of honours respondents rating UCT 5 for the
emphasis placed on providing internationally competitive and locally relevant degrees
increased by 7% (from 30% to 37%); whereas those rating UCT 4 decreased by 5% (from
42% to 37%). EBE, on the other hand saw a 5% decrease (from 48% to 43%) in the number
of respondents rating UCT 5 whilst those choosing not answer this question increased by 8%
(from 0% to 8%). SCI experienced a 5% drop (from 39% to34%) in the number of
respondents rating UCT 4 for the emphasis placed on providing internationally competitive
and locally relevant degrees.
3.2.6 ACCESS TO A RICH ARRAY OF SOCIAL, CULTURAL, SPORTING AND
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
When asked about whether UCT placed enough emphasis on providing access to a rich
array of social, cultural, sporting and leadership opportunities, the three largest proportions of
all 2011/12 GES respondents gave UCT the following ratings: 5 (37%), 4 (35%) and 3
(19%).
When looking at the results by qualification, the three largest proportions three year bachelor
respondents rated UCT 5 (41%), 4 (34%) and 3 (16%) for the emphasis placed on providing
access to a rich array of social, cultural, sporting and leadership opportunities. The only
noteworthy change in COM was the 7% (from 12% to 19%) in the number of three year
bachelor respondents rating UCT 3 for the emphasis placed on providing access to a rich
array of social, cultural, sporting and leadership opportunities. In EBE, the number of three
year bachelor respondents rating UCT 5 increased by 12% (from 32% to 44%) leading to a
6% decrease (from 12% to 6%) in the number of respondents choosing not to answer this
question. SCI on the other hand experienced a 7% increase (from 37% to 40%) in the number
three year bachelor respondents rating UCT 4 which led to a 5% decrease (from 18% to 13%)
in the number of respondents rating UCT 3 for the emphasis placed on providing access to a
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rich array of social, cultural, sporting and leadership opportunities. HUM experienced no
significant variations in the response patterns of the three year bachelor respondents from
2010/11-2011/12.
There were no noticeable shifts in the rating patterns of professional first bachelor
respondents in all three faculties (COM, EBE and HEA) chosen for the purpose of this
analysis from 2010/11- 2011/12. However, the three largest proportions of all first bachelor
respondents rated UCT as follows: 5 (35)%, 4 (36%) and 3 (16%) for the emphasis placed
on providing access to a rich array of social, cultural, sporting and leadership opportunities.
Honours respondents within the survey mainly gave UCT the following ratings: 5 (31%), 4
(35%) and 3 (22%) for the emphasis placed on providing access to a rich array of social,
cultural, sporting and leadership opportunities. Honours respondents in Commerce
experienced a 12% increase (from 12% to 24%) in the number of respondents rating UCT 5
as well as a 6% decrease (from 33% to 27%) in the number of respondents rating UCT 3 for
the emphasis placed on providing access to a rich array of social, cultural, sporting and
leadership opportunities. EBE, on the other hand, saw a 8% increase (from 0% to 8%) in the
number of respondents choosing not to answer this question, whereas HUM saw a 6%
decrease (from 34% to 28%) in the number of honours respondents rating UCT 4 for the
emphasis placed on providing access to a rich array of social, cultural, sporting and
leadership opportunities.
3.2.7 PREPARATION FOR FURTHER STUDIES AFTER COMPLETING UCT
DEGREE/DIPLOMA AT BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
In this section the respondents were asked to indicate how well their UCT degree/ diploma
prepared them for further studies both internationally and locally. The three largest
proportions three year bachelor respondents rated the university as follows: 5 (40%), 4 (33%)
and 3 (18%) for how well their UCT degree/ diploma prepared them for further studies both
internationally and locally. The only obvious change in COM was an 8% increase (from 10%
to 18%) in the number of three year bachelor respondents rating UCT 3 for the emphasis
placed on preparing them for further study both locally and internationally. EBE, on the
other hand experienced an 11% increase (from 25% to 36%) in the number of respondents
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rating it 5, as well as a 7% decrease (from 13% to 6 %) in those choosing not answering this
question. The only noteworthy change in SCI was a 8% increase (from 31% to 39%) in the
number of respondents rating UCT 4 for how well their degree/ diploma prepared them for
further studies both internationally and locally.
The largest proportions of Dec 2011 and June 2012 professional first bachelor respondents
rated UCT as follows: 5 (37%), 4 (37%) and 3 (15%) for how well their UCT degree/
diploma prepared them for further studies both internationally and locally. There were no
major shifts in the rating patterns of professional first bachelor respondents in any of the
other three faculties (COM, EBE and HEA) from December 2011 and June 2012. There was,
however, a 10% (from 44% to 34%) decrease in the number of COM professional first
bachelor respondents rating UCT 5 for how well their UCT degree/ diploma prepared them
for further studies both internationally and locally.
40% of all honours respondents rated UCT 5 for how well their degree/ diploma prepared
them for further studies both internationally and locally whilst 34% rated UCT 4 and 15%
rated it 3. COM experienced an 18% increase (from 22% to 40%) in the number of
respondents rating UCT 5 as well as an 8% decrease (from 39% to 31%) in the number of
respondents rating UCT 4 for how well their UCT degree/ diploma prepared them for further
studies both internationally and locally. EBE saw an 5% decrease (from 7% to 2%) in the
number respondents rating UCT 2 for how well their UCT degree/ diploma prepared them for
further studies both internationally and locally. This led to a 5% increase in the number of
respondents rating UCT 1; furthermore, there was a 6% (from 2% to 8%) increase in the
number of respondents choosing not to answer this question. In HUM the number of
respondents rating UCT 5 for how well their UCT degree/ diploma prepared them for further
studies both internationally and locally increased by 7% (from 37% to 44%) while those
rating UCT 4 decreased by 5% (from 37% to 32%). SCI on the other hand experienced an
8% decrease (from 39% to 31%) in the number of honours respondents rating UCT 5, as well
as an 11% increase (from 1% to12 %) in those rating 2 UCT for how well their UCT degree/
diploma prepared them for further studies both internationally and locally.
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3.2.8 PREPARATION FOR THE WORLD OF WORK AFTER YOUR
DEGREE/DIPLOMA
Lastly, the respondents were asked to rate how well their UCT degree/diploma prepared them
for the world of work. The three largest proportions of all 2011/12 GES respondents gave
UCT the following ratings: 5 (32%), 4 (33%) and 3 (20%) for how well their degree/diploma
they prepared them for the world of work.
Three year bachelor respondents predominantly rated UCT 5 (27%), 4 (30%) or 3 (27%) for
how well their degree/diploma prepared them for the world of work. In COM the number of
three year bachelor respondents who rated UCT 5 for how well their UCT Degree/diploma
prepared them for the world of work decreased by 6% (from 39% to 33%); this led to a 6%
increase (from 2% to 8%) in those rating UCT 2. For EBE, the number of respondents rating
UCT 5 and 4 for how well their degree/diploma they prepared them for the world of work
increased by 11% (from 16% to 27%) and 8% (from 30% to 38%), respectively, while those
rating UCT 3 decreased by 12% (from 33% to 21%) and those choosing not to answer this
question dropped by 6% (from 12% to 6%). There were no other obvious variations in the
responses of three year respondents by faculty from 2010/11-2011/12.
The three largest proportions professional first bachelor respondents rated UCT 5 (32%), 4
(39%) and 3 (14%) for how well their degree/diploma they prepared them for the world of
work. The only notable trend in the faculties (COM, EBE and HEA) chosen for the purpose
of this analysis occurred in COM: there was a 5% decrease (from 18% to 13%) in the number
of COM professional first bachelor respondents rating UCT 3 for how well their
degree/diploma they prepared them for the world of work from 2010/11- 2011/12.
Unlike professional first bachelor respondents, the response patterns of honours respondents
varied quite noticeably between 2010/11 and 2011/12. Overall, 31% of all honours
respondents rated UCT 5 for how well their degree/diploma they prepared them for the world
of work; 32% rated UCT 4 and 21% rated UCT 3. The number of COM honours respondents
rating UCT 5 for how well their degree/diploma they prepared them for the world of work
increased by 33% (from 1% to 34%) and those rating it 4 by 29% (from 5% to 34%), giving
rise to decreases of 8% (from 25% to 17%), 30% (from 34% to 4%) and 21% (from 22% to
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1%) in the number of respondents rating UCT 3, 2 and 1, respectively. In EBE, the number
of respondents rating UCT 5 for how well their UCT degree/ diploma prepared them for the
world of work increased by 40% (from 0% to 40%) while those rating it 4 increased by 9%
(from 17% to 26%), resulting in decreases in the numbers of those rating UCT 3 (5%), 2
(23%) and 1 (28%). EBE further experienced an 8% increase (from 0% to 8%) in the number
of respondents choosing not to respond to this question. SCI on the other hand experienced a
19% (from 2% to 21%) as well as a 29% (from 6% to 35%) increase in the number of
respondents rating UCT 5 and 4 respectively, while those rating UCT 3 (5%), 2 (27%) and 1
(15%) decreased markedly.
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ADDENDUM A: DEC 2011 AND JUNE 2012 TABLE OF FINDINGS
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DECEMBEREMBER 2011 GRADUATE EXIT QUESTIONNAIRE
SECTION 1: PERSONAL DETAILS – PLEASE PRINT
Student Number:
Title: Surname: First Name:
Permanent Postal Address:
Postal Code: Country:
Home Telephone
Number:
Work Telephone Number:
Non UCT Email
Address :
Cell
No:
Degree/Diploma with which you will receive at your graduation ceremony (e.g. BA,
MSc.):
Faculty in which you completed your degree/ diploma e.g. (Humanities, Science,
EBE)
Would you like to have your contact details captured on the UCT Career Portal (see front cover)? YES NO
SECTION 2: YOUR CURRENT MAIN ACTIVITY
Please tick one of the following boxes which best describes the main activity you are currently undertaking, or which you
will definitely begin before 30 March 2012
I am employed, or have arranged employment (including self-employment) (please go to Section 3)
I am currently seeking employment (please go to Section 5)
I am currently engaged in or have arranged further study or training (please go to Section 4)
I am currently seeking (or have applied) to undertake further studies or training (please go to Section 5)
I am not available for employment, further study or training (please go to Section 5)
I have not decided what I will be doing after graduation (please go to Section 5)
Travelling (please go to Section 5)
Other, please specify (please go to Section 5)
SECTION 3: ABOUT YOUR JOB
3.1 Please give the name of your employer (if you are self-employed, please state
“self”):
3.2 Please give the location (city and province) of your
employer:
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3.3 Please give your job title (e.g. teacher, journalist,
secretary etc.) :
3.4 Is your job contract, temporary or a permanent one?
Please tick box:
Permanent Fixed term
Contract
Temporary Don’t know
3.6 Is your job full-time (more than 30 hours/week) or part time? Please tick box: Full-Time Part Time
3.7 What is (or will be) the total monthly value of the salary package associated with your job? Please tick box:
<R5000 R5001-R7000 R7001-
R9000
R9001-
R12000
R12001-R15000 R15001-
R20000
>R20000
3.8 To what extent is your job related to the field of study of the degree/diploma you are about to receive?
Please tick box: Directly related Somewhat related Not related
Please go to Section 5
SECTION 4: ABOUT YOUR FURTHER STUDIES
4.1 The title of your course or programme (eg.PG Dip, Honours, Masters,
PhD):
4.2 The name of the institution at which you are studying, or will be
studying:
4.3 The location (country, city and province) of
this institution:
Please go to Section 5
SECTION 5: YOUR EXPERIENCE OF STUDYING AT UCT - ALL TO COMPLETE
Thinking of your experience at of studying at UCT, to what extent do you feel that the following aspects were
emphasised? The responses are numbered from 5 to 1 with the highest and lowest points illustrated.
5.1 Providing an intellectually stimulating environment; Strong Emphasis 5 4 3 2 1 Weak Emphasis
5.2 Participation in courses or programmes that encourage social consciousness of students;
Strong Emphasis 5 4 3 2 1 Weak Emphasis
5.3 Involvement in courses outside the conventional curricula;
Strong Emphasis 5 4 3 2 1 Weak Emphasis
5.4 Exposure to a culturally and internationally diverse community of scholars;
Strong Emphasis 5 4 3 2 1 Weak Emphasis
5.5 Degrees that are internationally competitive as well as locally relevant;
Strong Emphasis 5 4 3 2 1 Weak Emphasis
5.6 Access to a rich array of social, cultural, sporting and leadership opportunities;
Strong Emphasis 5 4 3 2 1 Weak Emphasis
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5.7 Preparing you for further studies after completing your degree/ diploma at both local and international
institutions?
Strong Emphasis 5 4 3 2 1 Weak Emphasis
5.8 Preparing you for the world of work after completing your degree/ diploma?
Strong Emphasis 5 4 3 2 1 Weak Emphasis
Thank you for completing the questionnaire.
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