Preparing Undergraduates for Practice: Implications From a Survey of Graduates

TLDR: A survey of B.A. sociology graduates at St Cloud State University between 1965 and 1985 was conducted to assess the extent to which the sociology curriculum prepares students for practice roles after graduation.

Abstract: Results from a survey of B.A. sociology graduates are used to assess the extent to which the sociology curriculum prepares students for practice roles after graduation. The respondents graduated from St. Cloud State University between 1965 and 1985. During these years the sociology program had a traditional liberal arts emphasis. Graduates were asked to report on several aspects of their occupations (use of sociology, level of authority, and income being the most important) They also were asked to comment on which courses they found most useful, which courses they wished they had taken, and what advice they had for current sociology majors and for the sociology department at St. Cloud State. The results suggest that the general skills emphasized in the liberal arts curriculum contributed to the occupational success of graduates However, in their comments graduates showed some dissatisfaction with the traditional curriculum. The general thrust of these comments was that, while the liberal arts emphasis is important, more attention should be devoted to career preparation This confirms the value of the recent trend toward sociology curricula that are more directly addressed to practice issues It also suggests the need for further change, particularly in the area of career advising