Most 2003 MSU grads stayed in Montana, survey finds

Some 57 percent of Montana State University students stayed in Montana after graduating in 2003, even though those who left the state with a bachelor’s degree earned on average $9,000 a year more.

By GAIL SCHONTZLER Chronicle Staff Writer

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/09/25/news/02msu.txt

Those were some of the findings of the 2003 Graduate Survey, handed out to the state Board of Regents this week by MSU President Geoff Gamble.

"Everyone assumes that most leave the state," Gamble said Friday.

He added that the regents were glad to see that 57 percent stayed in Montana. Last year, MSU’s survey of 2002 graduates found that only 51 percent stayed in Montana.

Some 1,336 graduates, or 61 percent, answered the survey by MSU’s career services.

The survey found that 71 percent of those who responded were working after graduation and 17 percent were pursuing further education.

Only 8 percent weren’t working, and 4 percent weren’t looking for jobs.

Students with bachelor’s degrees earned an average of $26,270 if they stayed in Montana, but if they left the state they averaged $35,362.

The pay gap was smaller for those earning master’s degrees ($35,230 in-state vs. $39,096 out-of-state) and doctorates ($51,083 vs. $52,083).

That shows that the more education you have, the better your chances of earning a salary that’s neck-and-neck with out-of-state pay, said Carina Beck, MSU career services director.

"If you want to stay in the state and earn a high salary, it’s possible," Beck said.

How much graduates earn depends mainly on their majors. Engineers and nurses still earn the most, teachers and art students the least.

Average salaries for 2003 bachelor’s degree grads, by college, were:

€ Engineering $39,519.

€ Nursing $36,048.

€ Business $27,882.

€ Agriculture $26,795.

€ Letters & Sciences $25,743.

€ Education, Health & Human Development $24,161.

€ Arts & Architecture $23,823.

Beck cautioned that high pay isn’t the measure of success for all graduates. Some are willing to earn less to work or live in an area that’s important to them.

This year’s report underscores the importance of job internships and networking. The largest number of grads (26 percent) found jobs by knowing the employer or being referred by someone the employer knew. Fourteen percent had previous experience with the employer.

Ten percent found their jobs through career services or its annual Career Fair or on-campus interviews.

Grads most likely to stay in Montana majored in nursing (76 percent), agriculture (64 percent), business (63 percent) and education (63 percent).

Least likely to stay in Montana were engineers (47 percent) and arts and architecture majors (52 percent).

Bachelor’s degree grads reporting the highest salaries majored in ag education or agroecology ($32,000), music education ($34,056), business management ($28,856), food and nutrition ($37,266), chemical engineering ($48,163), construction engineering ($41,156), mechanical engineering ($42,576), physics ($58,500), math and math statistics ($45,000), French ($42,000), Spanish ($40,000) and nursing ($36,047).