Finished fastest in the best conditions!
According to the 3rd Saxon Graduate Study, the HSZG achieved top marks for study conditions, adherence to the standard period of study and job entry.
Peggy Sommer is delighted. As the head of the Quality Management department at HSZG, she is holding the latest results of the 3rd Saxon Graduate Study in her hands. “Since 2008, the HSZG has participated in the graduate surveys conducted by Saxony’s universities, which are carried out every five years under the leadership of the Center of Excellence for Education and Higher Education Research at TU Dresden,” she explains .
In the study, funded by the SMWK, alumni from the Bachelor, master’s, and Diplom degree courses at the HSZG, as well as from other Saxon universities of applied sciences and research universities, were surveyed between August 2018 and May 2019. A total of 466 graduates from the classes of 2015 and 2016 participated. “That may sound like a long time ago, but it’s important to note that the timing of the survey was chosen so that, for the majority of respondents, at least two years had passed since they earned their (first) degree, ” says Peggy Sommer.
Top ratings for academic conditions, completion within the standard period of study, and entry into the workforce
The graduate survey places emphasis on the fact that alumni have already had some time to gain professional experience. This allows them to provide a retrospective assessment of their academic experience—an assessment that speaks for itself.
For example, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences achieved top ratings for the study conditions experienced during their time at the university when compared to other Saxon universities of applied sciences (overall), particularly in the following areas: Exam organization (90.9 percent compared to 71.7 percent overall), academic organization (92.4 percent compared to 78.1 percent overall), social climate (91.8 percent compared to 87.2 percent overall), and academic support and advising (83.8 percent compared to 73.3 percent overall).
Furthermore, among all alumni surveyed from Saxony’s universities, HSZG alumni were the most likely to have completed their studies within the standard period of study ( 38.4 percent compared to 29.2 percent overall).
The percentage of graduates who found a job in the first few months after graduation is encouragingly high: at least one in two graduates was already employed in the month following graduation. Unemployment is correspondingly low, standing at a maximum of three percent no later than one year after graduation.
Important for the Region
The main region of origin for HSZG students is the Free State of Saxony. According to the study, the main region where HSZG alumni find their first job is also the Free State of Saxony. “This shows that HSZG is proving itself as a regional institution, in line with the motto: In the region—From the region—For the region,” summarizes Peggy Sommer.
The president of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch, shares a similar view:
"In the Free State of Saxony, graduates meet innovative companies and organizations that give them the certainty and freedom to realize themselves and get things moving in a region that is worth living and loving, but also hungry for development."
”The results of the 3rd Saxon Graduate Study allow the HSZG to draw conclusions about improvements to the degree programs and the study environment as well as the success of the career entry of its graduates. The aim is to derive and implement measures for the further development of the degree programs and the study environment.
The complete graduate study entitled "Career entry of the 2015/16 graduating cohort. Results of the initial survey as part of the third Saxon graduate study" is available here.
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