CBS Alumni Survey Results

The College of Biological Sciences 2016-17 alumni survey was open for submission January 10-February 10, 2017. Thanks to everyone who took the survey, giving us the largest number of respondents in CBS history! 

We learned a great deal about CBS alumni and below you can view some of the top-level findings from the survey. Feel free to contact John Curry (jcurry@umn.edu), Alumni Officer, if you have questions or specific interests in the survey results. 

How well did CBS help prepare you for your current career?

  • 60.93% - extremely well or very well
  • 25.52% - moderately well

Graduate School 

  • 34.6% of Survey Respondents went on to seek additional education beyond CBS.

Experiences while at CBS beyond the classroom were

  • 82.47% - worked for pay
  • 74.90% - worked for faculty in a lab
  • 56.57% - belonged to a student group
  • 44.62% - participated in community service
  • 44.22% - participated in Nature of Life (Itasca-based CBS orientation)

Employment

  • 65.52% - employed full-time
  • 20.31% - not employed, not looking
  • 8.05% - employed, part-time

Employment by sector

  • 40.53% - government/public institution
  • 34.21% - private company
  • 14.31% - self-employed/other  
  • 13.16% - non-governmental organization

Employment by industry

  • 17.37% - medicine
  • 15.26% - higher education
  • 15.26% - research
  • 11.05% - biotech/pharmaceutical 

Current position

  • 37.77% - mid-level
  • 34.57% - entry-level
  • 20.74% - senior-level

Employment relationship to CBS degree

  • 40.63% - yes, related
  • 33.33% - yes, same as field of CBS study
  • 26.04% - no, not related

Interest in CBS opportunities

  • 44.62% - mentoring
  • 34.87% - speakers featuring CBS researchers
  • 34.63% - faculty lectures and research
  • 31.28% - participate in a panel
  • 31.79% - be interviewed for BIO (CBS's quarterly publication)
  • 31.28% - talk given by a prominent alumni

Top 3 philanthropic interests

  • 67.76% - education
  • 53.06% - environment
  • 50.20% - health care

CBS relative importance in philanthropy

  • 48.19% - not a priority
  • 44.58% - a priority
  • 7.23% - top priority or among top three