Bachelor Diploma and Professional Achievement of Recent Graduates

Abstract

In 2015 Narxoz University introduced a major change to its academic policy. Final year bachelor students were required to complete team-based diploma projects, focused on solving real business problems, instead of writing standard, often purely descriptive and theoretical diploma theses. This article uses data science models (linear regression, logit and CART) to analyze the effects of this policy change on recent graduates’ employability and wage levels using results of telephone survey conducted among 1956 graduates in 2015 and 2016. Estimated models show that students who have firm plans to find jobs, acquire valuable competences when preparing bachelor diploma and actively participate in student life, have higher probability of employment and earn higher wages. It means that the process of writing bachelor diploma should be carefully designed and monitored and that student learning outcomes also depend on their extra-curricular activity. Such analysis provides deep and interesting insights into the learning and assessment processes and should be a part of annual quality assurance review in every university. For example, results indicate that grading practices at Narxoz require a major review, as graduates with higher GPA did not exhibit higher employability nor higher wages. Similarly, curricula of some specializations (majors) should be reviewed due to low employment rate of graduates. Appropriate changes have already been implemented at Narxoz in 2017. Finally, we found that economic shocks have much stronger short-term impact on recent graduates’ employability and wages than reforms of academic curricula.