research reports
Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) produces a wide range of detailed reports on the various research projects we run throughout the year. These reports are an essential source of information for anyone with a stake in Australian higher education or graduate employment.
Australian Graduate Survey Reports
The Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) is a national survey that examines graduates’ activities four months after completing the requirements for their higher education degree. GCA publishes a range of national reports based on the AGS data, an introduction to which is given below.
GradFiles and GradStats
Key findings from the AGS are first publicly reported in GradStats and GradFiles in December each year. These summary reports are available to download free of charge from the GCA website in PDF format.
GradFiles presents employment, salary and further study outcomes for recently qualified bachelor degree graduates, and is targeted at secondary students who are considering higher education, their parents and the secondary school community in general.
GradStats also provides a summary of preliminary data concerning the destinations of Australian resident bachelor degree graduates, but is aimed primarily at the higher education and graduate recruitment sectors.
Graduate Destinations
The annual Graduate Destinations report presents summary graduate outcomes data for all levels of award (from bachelor degree to doctorate), and presents a detailed examination of the outcomes of Australian resident bachelor degree graduates. The outcomes data presented in this report focus on employment status, further study status, job search methods and broad type of work, and are typically broken down based on graduates’ field of education. This report is available for purchase from the GCA Bookstore.
Graduate Salaries
The annual Graduate Salaries report presents a detailed investigation of graduate earnings, typically broken down by graduates’ field of education, sex, age, employment history, and industry of employment. The report focuses primarily on the 'traditional' graduate cohort: Australian citizens and permanent residents who have completed a bachelor degree, are aged less than 25 and are in their first full-time employment. This report is available for purchase from the GCA Bookstore.
Postgraduate Destinations
The annual Postgraduate Destinations report examines the outcomes of postgraduates from all award levels. The report covers aspects such as employment status, further study status, industry and occupation of employment, and salary, and focuses primarily on those postgraduates who were Australian citizens and permanent residents at the time of the AGS. This report is available for purchase from the GCA Bookstore.
Graduate Course Experience
The report on the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), Graduate Course Experience examines various key aspects of graduates’ higher education course experience, focusing largely on their perceptions of course quality, their self-rated skill levels, and their overall satisfaction with their course. The report examines graduates’ ratings of these aspects over time and looks at variation in these ratings based on graduate characteristics. This report, targeted at higher education professionals, is available for purchase from the GCA Bookstore.
Postgraduate Research Experience
Similar in concept to the Graduate Course Experience report, Postgraduate Research Experience investigates various key aspects of the higher education experience of PhD and research masters graduates. These aspects include supervision, intellectual climate, skill development, infrastructure, thesis examination, goals and expectations and overall satisfaction. This report, targeted at higher education professionals, is available for purchase from the GCA Bookstore.
Beyond Graduation
The Beyond Graduation series of reports is based on the findings of the Beyond Graduation Survey (BGS), first conducted by Graduate Careers Australia in 2009. The BGS is a detailed investigation into the activities, outcomes and experiences of graduates and postgraduates from Australian higher education institutions three years after the completion of their studies.
The full report on the most recent BGS is available for free download.
Graduate Outlook
The Graduate Outlook series of reports are based on the findings of the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS), an annual survey of graduate recruiters and employers in Australia and New Zealand. Graduate Outlook presents a detailed investigation into graduate recruitment trends, current graduate recruitment practices, issues facing graduate employers and other topical issues.
A summary snapshot report on the most recent GOS is available for free download, while the full research report can be purchased from the GCA Bookstore.
University & Beyond
The University & Beyond series of reports is based on the findings of the University & Beyond Survey (U&B), conducted by Graduate Careers Australia in 2007 and 2008. The University & Beyond reports present a detailed investigation into the expectations and perceptions of a student demographic that is of key interest to organisations wishing to attract, recruit and retain their employees and leaders of the future.
A summary snapshot report containing highlights from the 2008 U&B survey is available for free download, while the full University & Beyond 2008 report can be purchased from the GCA Bookstore. A further report that looks in depth at the careers services at participating universities is also available for purchase from the GCA Bookstore.
