The University as Preparatory

Abstract

T HIS study covered a period of twenty years, beginning with the graduating class of i908 and ending with the graduating class of I928, the members of alternate classes during the period only being considered. The study sought to answer these questions: What percentages of the graduates-men and women-are following vocations for which they were trained at Indiana University? How do the vocational values of the different majors vary? Are the vocational values for the different majors the same for men and women graduates? It was assumed that the graduate's major and minor constituted his preparation for a vocation. The records on file in the registrar's office were used as sources of information regarding training. A major was defined as that subject interest which constituted one-fourth of the graduate's work for the Bachelor's degree in the University, and the subject in which the graduate had the largest number of credits next to his major was designated his minor. The graduate's vocation held in I930 was obtained from the Indiana University Register of Graduates for that year. The listing, as to whether or not the graduate was following a vocation for which his major or minor trained him, was based upon principles laid down by the writer.1 In the alternate years from I 908 to i928 there were 4,660 graduates. Of these 2,982 were men, and i,678 were women. After deducting those who were dead, those for which the University had no record, and those who did not reveal their vocations for the year I930 there are 4,222 active graduates-2,730 men and I,492 women-left for consideration here. Fifty-six per cent of the 4,222 graduates were following vocations for which their maj ors trained them; 6 per cent were using their minors in their vocations; 4 per cent were following vocations to which their training was closely related; and 34 per cent were not using their IndianaUniversity training in their work. Of the graduating class of i908, 53 per cent were in I930 following vocations for which their majors trained them, while 7 I per cent of the class of I928 were using their maj ors. It would seem from these data that the vocational value of the major was