Research grads - the big picture

The GradsOnline website uses information from the Australian Graduate Survey (AGS), sent to new graduates in April and October each year, to paint a picture of the different directions research students — both masters and PhD — in various fields of study take.

Salaries

According to the latest AGS reports, recent research graduates (masters and PhD) had a median annual salary of $61,000, compared with $40,800 for graduates of bachelor degrees and $65,000 for graduates of masters by coursework programs.

The highest earning field for research students was business, at $76,000 per year, followed by social work, law and medicine. Visual and performing arts graduates earnt the least ($52,000) and salaries in mathematics, the sciences and agriculture were also well below average. While research graduates as a whole tended to earn less than masters by coursework graduates, in some fields (e.g. social work) their salaries were a lot higher.

Salaries for recent research graduates often do not reflect undergraduate trends or community stereotypes, with graduates in fields that are often perceived as poorly paid, such as nursing, social work and education, earning some of the best salaries. In some of the highest earning fields for bachelor degree graduates, such as engineering, salaries were quite low.

Finding a job

Success in the workforce varied greatly depending on the student’s field of study. Graduates of programs in languages, humanities, social sciences and economics had the most difficulty finding employment, with nearly 36 per cent of language graduates still searching four months after graduation. In contrast, less than six per cent of chemistry, rehabilitation or veterinary science graduates were looking for work.

A 2007 study of science, engineering and technology research graduates conducted by Hobsons for DEST found 30 per cent of graduates surveyed gained their first position of employment overseas and many perceived time abroad as an essential step in furthering their careers.

Occupation and Sector

The AGS results indicate that research graduates are employed in a wide range of occupations and sectors, although most fields lean heavily towards one or two destinations.

In some fields, the majority of graduates go on to work as educators. For example, more than 70 per cent of graduates from accounting research programs were working as education professionals. In other fields, most graduates appear to find work within their area of education — 72 per cent of geology graduates were working as science professionals, and the majority of medicine graduates were employed as health professionals.

Visit the GradsOnline website for more information about outcomes for research graduates in your field.