Abstract:
Baccalaureate degree recipients from the College of Agriculture (COA) and School of Forest Resources and Conservation (SFRC) at the University of Florida (UF) were surveyed to determine their occupational status and to evaluate their educational experiences. The population for the study consisted of 1,388 alumni from 1989 to 1995. A total of 668 graduates or 48% of the population completed and returned the survey. The largest percent of respondents majored in food and resource economics (24%), animal science (16%) and food science and human nutrition (17%). A higher percent of respondents from the 1989 study year categorized themselves as scientists or marketing representatives while 1991 through 1994 respondents were more evenly distributed among six occupational clusters. With the exception of respondents from the 1989-90 study year, more than 30% of respondents classified themselves as graduate or professional students. Over 80% of the respondents from each study year perceived their overall experiences within their departments and at UF as excellent or good. Forty-one percent of the graduates rated the courses in their departments as excellent compared with only 10% for general education courses. Similarly, over 40% of the graduates rated the advisement they received in their departments as excellent while only 8% felt lower division or pre-major advisement was excellent. Respondents also rated teaching characteristics of COA and SFRC faculty higher in clarity, enthusiasm and organization than faculty from other colleges. The results suggest that the COA and SFRC are providing quality educational programs relevant to student needs.
Keywords:
follow-up study, graduates, University of Florida
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