75% of science graduates use their science degree regularly or every day suggests a survey by The University of Auckland?s Faculty of Science.
The most common employment for science graduates is research (19%) with a significant proportion of graduates working in management, consultancy and IT. Only 3% of respondents did not feel that their degree had helped in their career.
“Science is important in both every day life and in many types of businesses,” says Professor Dick Bellamy, Dean of the University?s Faculty of Science. “It?s imperative that the education we offer our students is relevant to both modern life and their chosen careers, and it?s incredibly encouraging to see that our graduates do find their science degree invaluable in their work.
“Given that New Zealand companies and institutions spend over $1.4billion a year on research and development, about 1% of the country?s GDP, it?s not surprising that the survey identified that a high percentage of our graduates are employed in research.”
The online questionnaire was sent to University of Auckland science graduates with varying levels of degree across all scientific disciplines. More than 850 people responded to the questionnaire, including graduates from as far back as 1942.