Graduate Exit Survey

Drexel University’s Office of Institutional Research (OIR) launched a new survey initiative university wide for all 2015 graduate degree [masters] recipients. Known as the Graduate Exit Survey, the instrument was implemented during the spring quarter of 2015, following a pilot with the College of Engineering in the winter term. The survey is composed of a core set of questions designed to obtain information from the graduate class of 2015 regarding post-graduation career and graduate education activities, entrepreneurial interest, military service, satisfaction with their student experiences at the University, student perceptions and future contact information. Like the other surveys administered by OIR, the Graduate Exit Survey offers no incentive to the students for completion. Complete copies of the Graduate Exit Survey (GES) instruments are available on the web.

The university needs to gather information on our graduate students’ future plans as well as their thoughts on their experiences at Drexel as part of our quality improvement program.  We know that graduate students have ideas to share, and we very much want to hear them. We ask our students to think of this survey as a virtual exit interview – a closing ten–minute conversation with Drexel, your college/school, as well as your department. Additionally, we ask the students to be honest and thoughtful in their responses. The survey is confidential. Only a few selected individuals will have access to the data provided. Any communication of these data outside these selected individuals will be aggregated and not include any personal identifiers.

Information on post-graduation outcomes is collected using the Qualtrics Research Suite, a leading enterprise survey software. Questions in the core were collaboratively determined by OIR staff, Steinbright Career Development Center (SCDC), and the Survey Liaison Group. The latter was formed in the fall of 2013 by OIR. The Survey Liaison Group members were appointed by the deans, and consist of representatives from each of the centers, schools and colleges of the university. The purpose of the working group is to facilitate easy and consistent communication among and between the colleges as well as to serve as conduits to OIR for all matters related to the development and refinement of all surveys and the process. Each of the members of the group oversees their college specific questions [if the school or college chooses to have them]. Additionally, the liaisons gauge their school, college or center’s input into the items on the instrument(s), and communicates any unique perspective that their college or school might have concerning the survey process itself.

While the core items were developed to be a stand-alone component of the survey process, individual programs/colleges/schools also have the ability to append additional questions at their discretion and determination which would automatically be presented to the student seamlessly at the conclusion of the core survey. 

Finally, OIR has established and distributed a post-survey data management and reporting plan. The plan has been reviewed and adopted by the Survey Liaison Group and will provide a roadmap for future data gathering and reporting functions.