Harris Public Policy Releases Career Outcomes Data for Class of 2016

CHICAGO --  May 26, 2017 -- Today, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy released its first-ever 2016 Career Outcomes Report, revealing students’ post-graduation employment data. Ninety-seven percent of the 125 students seeking employment secured job offers, the highest reported rate in Harris history; 90 percent accepted offers three months after receiving their diploma and 73 percent accepted offers by the time of graduation.  

The report also found strong employment outcomes across the public, private and nonprofit sectors, underscoring the versatility and adaptability of a public policy degree from Harris Public Policy. In fact, 41 percent of students reported taking a private sector position, 36 percent went on to work for non-profits and 23 percent accepted public sector positions. Harris graduates reported that their top five job functions are in research, consulting, management, policy design and analysis, most commonly working in the fields of economic policy, urban and health policy, child and family policy, education policy, and international development and policy.

“Harris graduates are thriving across sectors and roles,” said Kerwin Charles, interim dean of Harris. “Our alumni bring to their jobs talents in data analytics, rigorous reasoning and the formal investigation of questions that are applicable everywhere. The Harris toolkit and perspective prepare our graduates to create positive social impact in whatever career they choose to pursue.”

The report also found that 92 percent of students reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs with the remaining 8 percent neutral, a key indication that graduates are being placed at the right organizations in the right roles.  

“We believe that job satisfaction is an important metric for our graduates and, for many, is the ultimate return on investment,” said Jeremy Edwards, senior associate dean for Academic and Student Affairs at Harris.  “As a school that is committed to preparing our students for rewarding careers, I am pleased that Harris is the first policy school to report on post-graduate job satisfaction.”

The 2016 Outcomes Report reflects the most rigorous and comprehensive data set on career outcomes in Harris Public Policy history, in an effort to transparently report the immediate impact Harris alumni have in the world. Of the 151 students who graduated between July 2015 and June 2016, 139 students (92 percent) reported employment information. Out of 139 graduates, 125 were seeking employment, and 14 graduates were not seeking employment for reasons including continuing education and entrepreneurship.

To view the full Harris Public Policy 2016 Outcomes Report or to learn more about the Career Development Office resources for students, alumni and employers, visit harris.uchicago.edu/careerservices.

About Harris Public Policy

Driven by the belief that there’s a science to social impact, Harris Public Policy is home to fearless thinkers who want to turn their passion for doing good into proven, measurable results. We question the status quo and face the facts of the world’s most complex challenges—gathering and understanding the data of how things are, in order to make things better. Combining real-world engagement in Chicago and beyond with the latest technology and social science, we empower a new generation of leaders from all sectors to make smarter, data-driven decisions and drive positive change throughout our global society.