Survey: Almost all 2023 MU grads had a job or other placement 6 months after graduation

Almost all 2023 University of Missouri graduates got a job, continued their educations, joined the military or are volunteering, according to an MU career outcomes survey.

Six months after graduation, 95% of graduates had placements.

One of them is Savannah Gonzales, who graduated in May 2023 with a bachelor's degree in language and hearing sciences. She's now pursuing her master's degree in speech language pathology in graduate school at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

MU prepared her well for her current situation and the future, Gonzales said in Friday phone conversation.

"The clinical experiences with preschool students is very similar to what I'm doing now," Gonzales said. "Not every bachelor's program has that. It's super-helpful to build background knowledge and research skills."

There's another aspect of her MU education that is also important, she said.

"Gaining different soft skills and interpersonal skills with people is really valuable," she said. "Working with prospective students and in Tiger Pantry and Truman's Closet, I learned a lot of soft skills."

After earning her master's degree, she will complete a clinical fellowship and be certified as a speech langauage pathologist, she said.

Though her MU graduation is less than a year in the past, she said she knows she will feel the same about her MU education even after 40 years.

"I don't even have to think about my answer," Gonzales said. "I have really strong relationships with peers, classmates and mentors."

The career outcomes survey, conducted in partnership with the National Association of Colleges and Employers, notes that the 2023 graduates were hired by 2,504 employers. Graduates also were accepted at 283 educational institutions.

It's an important measure of MU's success, said Jim Spain, vice provost of undergraduate studies, in a news release.

“At MU, we aim to support students as they make the transition from college to the workforce, post-grad studies or other pursuits so they can apply what they have learned as they continue to explore their interests,” Spain said. “Our alumni are changing the world every day, and out of all the benefits of attending college at MU, the one pride point we hear from our students more than any other at graduation is that they feel prepared and equipped for life after college.”

Mun Choi, MU chancellor and system president, also touted the student experience in the release.

“Students at Mizzou learn from world-class faculty, conduct research, enjoy SEC sports and participate in many activities including fraternity and sorority life for a well-rounded education and development," Choi said. "These impressive career outcome results show that Mizzou prepares students to lead our state and world."

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's how MU graduates fared, according to career outcomes survey