Science Resources Studies Division

DATA BRIEF Directorate for

Social, Behavioral

and Economic

Sciences

National Science Foundation

by John

Tsapogas

Vol. 1995, No. 6, March 24, 1995

The 1993 job market

encountered by

recent college

graduates was less

favorable than that

of the late 1980s.

Employment Status of Recent Science and

Engineering Graduates Varies by Level

and Field of Degree

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T

his Data Brief describes the 1993 employment status of persons who graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in

science and engineering (S&E) fields in 1991

and 1992. The National Survey of Recent

College Graduates is conducted biennially by

the National Science Foundation. The

findings cover about three-quarters of a million

1991 and 1992 S&E graduates.

About one out of five recent S&E bachelor’s

and master’s graduates were enrolled in

graduate school on a full-time basis in 1993.

Students who had majored in the physical and

Table 1. Number, employment status, and median income of 1991 and 1992 

bachelor's and master's degree recipients, by field of degree: 1993

Employment status: April 1993 Median

Degree and field Graduates 

1991 and 1992 Full-time 

students

Empl'd in 

science or 

engineering

Empl'd in 

other 

occupations

Not employed 

or FT student

 salary, FT 

employed 

graduates 1

[In thousands] [Percentage distribution]

Bachelor's degree recipients

Sciences and engineering.......................... 639.4 22 22 50 6 $ 24,000

All sciences: 521.1 24 13 57 6 22,100

 Computer & mathematical sciences...... 77.6 11 32 51 5 28,500

 Life and related sciences......................... 99.7 38 14 43 6 21,000

 Physical and related sciences................... 33.8 39 28 29 4 26,000

 Social and related sciences....................... 310.0 21 6 66 6 21,000

All engineering: 118.4 15 60 20 5 33,800

 Aerospace and related engineering.................. 7.3 23 35 37 6 29,000

 Chemical engineering.............................. 6.7 16 70 10 4 40,000

 Civil and architectural engineering.................... 15.6 12 69 15 4 31,000

 Electrical, electronics, computer,

 and communications engineering...................... 41.8 16 59 18 7 35,000

 Industrial engineering............................... 7.7 7 59 30 3 33,000

 Mechanical engineering............................ 25.1 13 65 19 3 35,000

 Other engineering...................................... 14.1 17 53 25 5 33,000

Master's degree recipients

Sciences and engineering.................................... 115.6 23 48 24 5 38,100

All sciences: 74.6 26 37 31 5 33,800

 Computer & mathematical sciences...... 24.1 16 48 31 5 40,000

 Life and related sciences......................... 13.2 28 35 31 6 29,000

 Physical and related sciences................... 10.6 38 46 13 4 34,000

 Social and related sciences....................... 26.7 31 24 39 6 28,000

All engineering: 41.0 17 68 11 4 42,900

 Aerospace and related engineering.................. 1.9 26 56 16 3 40,000

 Chemical engineering.............................. 1.7 33 56 7 4 44,000

 Civil and architectural engineering.................... 4.9 15 74 7 5 38,800

 Electrical, electronics, computer,

 and communications engineering...................... 15.7 15 71 10 4 44,000

 Industrial engineering............................... 2.6 13 63 20 4 42,500

 Mechanical engineering............................ 6.4 17 72 6 4 42,000

 Other engineering...................................... 7.9 18 61 18 3 43,000

 1 Salary for self-employed and full-time graduate students is not included in data presented in table.

SOURCE: NSF/SRS, National Survey of Recent College Graduates, 1993
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related sciences were more likely to go on

to graduate school than were those with

degrees in computer and mathematical

sciences or engineering (table 1).

The 1993 job market encountered by recent college graduates was less favorable

than market conditions in the late 1980s.

In 1993, unemployment rates for students

who graduated in either 1991 or 1992

were 4.4 percent for baccalaureate recipients and 3.5 percent for master’s graduates. For students who graduated in

1986 or 1987 the unemployment rates

were 2.4 percent for baccalaureate recipients and 1.7 percent for master’s degree

holders. The unemployment rate for the

U.S. labor force as a whole in 1993 was

6.8 percent, compared with 6.2 percent in

1987.

Table 2. Percent of employed 1991 and 1992 science and engineering bachelor's and

master's degree recipients, by sector of employment and field of degree: 1993

Sector of employment

Degree and field Total 

employed

Private forprofit 

company

Selfempl'd

4-yr 

college & 

university

Other 

educational inst'n

Nonprofit 

organization

Fed 

Gov't

State or 

local gov't

[In thousands] [In percent]

Bachelor's recipients:

Sciences & engineering............. 540.4 59 2 13 7 7 5 6

All sciences............................ 432.8 56 2 14 9 9 4 7

All engineering....................... 107.6 72 2 11 1 2 8 5

Master's recipients:

Sciences & engineering........ 103.1 47 2 25 7 5 9 5

All sciences.............................. 65.3 38 3 29 11 6 7 6

All engineering....................... 37.8 63 1 18 1 2 13 3

NOTE: Details may not sum to totals because of rounding. Percents calculated on unrounded data.

SOURCE: NSF/SRS, National Survey of Recent College Graduates, 1993

$38,100. The highest salaries commanded at the baccalaureate level were

among students who had majored in engineering. For example, students with degrees in chemical engineering reported

salaries of $40,000. The highest salaries

at the master’s level were also in engineering. Students with degrees in electrical, electronics, computer, communications, and chemical engineering reported

median annual salaries of $44,000.

The private sector is by far the largest

employer of recent bachelor’s and

master’s degree recipients. In 1993, 59

percent of bachelor’s degree recipients

and 47 percent of master’s degree

recipients were employed in a private,

for-profit company (table 2). The

academic sector was the next largest

sector of employment for recent S&E

graduates. Master’s degree recipients

were more likely to be employed in 4-

year colleges and universities (25 percent) than were bachelor’s degree recipients (13 percent). Master’s degree

graduates were also more likely to be

employed in the Federal sector (9 percent

) than were bachelor’s graduates (5

percent). Sectors employing smaller

numbers of recent S&E graduates include

educational institutions other than 4-year

colleges and universities, nonprofit

organizations, and State or local government agencies.

This Data Brief was prepared by John

Tsapogas, Division of Science Resources

Studies, National Science Foundation, 4201

Wilson Boulevard, Suite 965, Arlington,

VA 22230. For a free copy, write to the

above address, call 703-306-1773, or send

e-mail to srspubs@nsf.gov.

Success in the job market varied significantly by level and field of degree. S&E

master’s degree recipients were more

likely than bachelor’s graduates to find

work directly related to their field of

study. Approximately half of all

master’s degree recipients, but only a

fifth of all bachelor’s graduates, were

employed in their field of study in 1993.

For both master’s and bachelor’s recipients, students who had received degrees

in either engineering or computer science were more apt to be working in

their field of study, while students who

had majored in the social and related

sciences were less likely to have jobs directly related to their degrees.

In 1993 the median annual salary of

employed recent college graduates was

$24,000; for master’s recipients it was