The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Alumni Employment Survey. Spring Field Dates: March 9, 2015 to April 3, 2015

Transcription

1 The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Alumni Employment Survey Spring 2015 Field Dates: March 9, 2015 to April 3, 2015

2 Table of Contents Executive Summary... 1 Introduction... 2 Methodology... 2 Employment Outcomes... 3 Licensure & Certification... 8 Preparedness for Profession... 9 Experiences at The Chicago School Of Professional Psychology Alumni Relations Topline... 13

3 Executive Summary When asked to evaluate their overall academic experience at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, respondents report a positive experience. Nearly, nine-in-ten respondents (89.8 percent) report they are currently employed. More than 80 percent (86.3 percent) of respondents report they secured a job less than 3 months after graduating from TCSPP (40.7 percent were employed while enrolled; 28.3 percent secured employment before graduating; and 17.3 percent secured employment within 3 months of graduating). The vast majority of respondents (82.9 percent) report that they are employed in their field. The most cited annual salary is Less than $35,000 (24.6 percent). Respondents report that the education and training they received at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology adequately prepared them for their profession in 12 of 17 areas. 1

4 Introduction The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) is dedicated to providing quality career and alumni support services. To accomplish this, TCSPP tasked the office of Institutional Research (OIR) with a web-based assessment of recent TCSPP graduates. The purpose of this assessment is to examine career and alumni support services from a recent TCSPP graduate perspective. The 2015 assessment has two main functions: 1.) To provide support to accreditation by tracking employment outcomes and professional experiences of recent graduates 2.) To provide information to TCSPP on the quality and value of career and alumni support services Methodology The goal of the OIR s assessment is to provide information needed to serve both of these functions. In order to do this, we surveyed TCSPP alumni who graduated in academic year (AY 13 14) 1 using a webbased questionnaire. The questionnaire contained a total of seventy questions that were in the form of multiple choice questions, Likert response scales, and open-ended questions. Using TCSPP s alumni database, the Office of Institutional Research identified 1,009 TCSPP alumni who graduated in AY from any of the TCSPP campuses. The current assessment includes responses from 357 alumni. In order to increase response rates, OIR first contacted individuals using an introductory on March 9, 2015 that included an individualized link to the questionnaire. Individuals that had not responded to the survey four days later (March 13, 2015) received a reminder with an individualized link to the questionnaire. Two additional reminder s were sent followed by a final reminder on March 31, The total number of possible contacts attempted by OIR was five. Additionally, respondents were asked if they would like to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card. Contact information for the sample was provided by TCSPP s alumni database. The survey was launched on March 9, 2015 and closed on April 3, Of the 1,009 individuals included in the sample, OIR was unable to contact 32 and 13 individuals refused to participate in the survey. The overall response rate for the survey is 35.4 percent with a 96.1 percent cooperation rate and a margin of error of ±5.2 percent. 2 The results presented in the following assessment are from 357 TCSPP alumni. 1 The sample was pulled using TCSPP s alumni database, Raiser s Edge. All individuals within the sample have a conferred graduate date ranging from September 9, 2013 to August 31, Response rate and cooperation rate was calculated in guidelines with AAPOR standards. The margin of error was calculated using the following formula: (, where ) and n is the number of respondents who completed the survey,

5 When possible, selected results from past survey administrations are included. The 2015 administration includes a methodological change from past administrations. Specifically, the 2015 administration sample consists of individuals who graduated from September 2013 to August 2014 or an academic year (AY 13-14) while the past administrations use a calendar year. The first administration of this survey (2013) included 836 responses (overall response rate of 17.7 percent) from TCSPP alumni who graduated from 1982 to A total of 232 responses represent TCSPP alumni who graduated in calendar year 2012 (CY 12). The 2014 administration consists of respondents who graduated in the previous calendar year, 2013, and contains 374 responses (32.7 percent response rate). Given the departure in survey methodology, the presentation of longitudinal data is not intended to provide a direct comparison but only provide a snap shot of past results. 3

6 Employment Outcomes Employment Are you currently employed? AY Nine-in-ten Currently, alumni nine-in-ten respondents alumni (89.8 respondents (89.8 percent) report that they are employed (See Figure 1). percent) report that they are currently CY 12, CY 13, employed & AY (See Figure Since 2013, 1). ninety percent of alumni respondents report that are currently employed (CY 12: 86.6 percent; CY 13: 87.4 percent; and AY 13 14: 89.8 percent; See Figure 1) % 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Figure 1: Are you currently employed? 86.6% 86.1% 89.8% 13.4% 13.9% 10.2% CY 12 CY 13 AY Yes No Length of Time to Secure Employment Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered in 2013, 2014, and 2015 How long after graduation did you secure employment? AY Slightly more than two-thirds of all AY alumni respondents report that they secured employment before graduating from TCSPP with 40.7 percent reporting that they were employed while enrolled at TCSPP and 28.3 percent reporting that they secured employment before graduating. Nearly one-in-five AY alumni respondents (17.3 percent) report that they secured employment less than 3 months after graduating from TCSPP while 9.3 percent report that it took 3 to 6 months to secure employment and 4.3 percent report that it took more than 6 months (See Table 1). CY 12, CY13, & AY Nearly, forty percent of alumni respondents report that they were employed while enrolled at TCSPP (CY 12: 42.9 percent; CY 13: 42.1 percent; and AY 13-14: 40.7 percent) while the percentage of respondents who report that they secured employment before graduating has increased since CY 12 (CY 12: 18.9 percent; CY 13: 27.1 percent; and AY 13-14: 28.3 percent; See Table 1). 4

7 Table 1: How Long After Graduation Did You Secure Employment? Graduation Year CY 12 CY 13 AY (n) (196) (299) (300) I was employed while enrolled at TCSPP. 42.9% 42.1% 40.7% I secured employment before graduating. 18.9% 27.1% 28.3% Less than 3 months 16.3% 12.7% 17.3% 3 to 6 months 11.7% 14.7% 9.3% 7 to 12 months 7.1% 3.3% 3.0% 13 to 18 months 1.0% 0.0% 1.0% 19 to 24 months 1.0% 0.0% 0.0% More than 24 months 1.0% 0.0% 0.3% Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered in 2013, 2014, and 2015 Full-time v. Part-time Employment Is this position full-time or part-time? AY One year after graduating, almost 90 percent of respondents (88.5 percent) report that they have a full-time position (See Figure 2). CY 12, CY 13, & AY Since 2013, nine-in-ten alumni respondents have consistently reported that they have a full-time position one year after completing their TCSPP degree (CY 12: 87.6 percent; CY 13: 87.4 percent; AY 13 14: 88.5 percent; See Figure 2) % 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Figure 2: Is this position full-time or part-time? 87.6% 87.4% 88.5% 12.4% 12.6% 11.5% CY 12 CY 13 AY Full-time Part-time Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered in 2013, 2014, and

8 Employed in Field of Study Are you currently employed in your field of study? AY Slightly more than 80 percent of respondents (82.9 percent) report that they are employed in their field of study (See Figure 3). Figure 3: Are you currently employed in your field of study? 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% 82.9% Yes 17.1% No Annual Salary What is your current annual salary? Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered in 2015 AY The most cited annual salary category among AY respondents is Less than $35,000 (24.6 percent) and the least cited annual salary category is $100,000 or more (7.9 percent; See Table 2). CY 12, CY13, & AY Less than $35,000 is the most cited annual salary category among Alumni Employment Data Survey respondents (CY 12: 22.3 percent); CY 13: 32.2 percent; and AY 13 14: 24.6 percent). Approximately, three-in-five alumni respondents from CY 12 and AY report having an annual salary of $45,000 or more and one-in-two respondents from CY 13 report the same (See Table 2). Table 2: Annual Salary of TCSPP Graduates and Alumni Less than $35,000 $35,000 to $44,999 $45,000 to $54,999 $55,000 to $64,999 $65,000 to $74,999 $75,000 to $99,999 $100,000 or more CY CY AY Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered in 2013, 2014, &

9 Primary Job Setting Which of the following most closely describes your current primary job setting? AY The most cited primary job settings for AY alumni respondents are community mental health care (12.4 percent), for-profit corporation (12.1 percent), and non-profit sector (10.4 percent; See Table 3). Table 3: Current Primary Job Setting (n = 298) Valid Percent Community Mental Health Care 12.4 For-Profit Corporation 12.1 Non-Profit Sector 10.4 Corrections 8.7 Independent Practice/ Consultancy 7.7 School District/ Facility 7.0 Academic, Non-Teaching 6.4 Residential Treatment Facility 3.7 Academic, Teaching 2.7 Medical Center 2.7 University Counseling Center 2.7 Self-Employed 1.7 State/ County Hospital 1.7 Veteran s Affairs Medical Center 1.3 Private Psychiatric Hospital 1.0 Public General Hospital 1.0 Medical School 0.7 Private General Hospital 0.7 Health Maintenance Organization 0.3 Military Medical Center 0.3 Military Other 0.3 Other (please specify) 14.4 Other responses include: Private practice; A treatment centre for children with developmental disabilities.; ABA agency; Applied Behavior Analysis services; Banking; Biotech producing molecular medical foods.; Caseworker; Charter school; Communications; Course Manager for a Military Occupational Specialty Program; Federal Government; Federal Government- Health and Human Services; Government; Government/Utility; Group homes and Day programs for adults with disabilities; Home based therapy; Hospitality; insurance; Insurance; Law enforcement; Law Firm; Legal; Litigation Firm; Manufacturing; Marketing; Non profit family services, mental health, academic; npa; Outpatient forensic mental health; Primary Care Clinic; Private corporation; Private Counseling Practice; Private Methadone Clinic; Private Practice; Psychoanalytic Insititute Clinic; Public Health/ Social work; Restaurant; retail; Retail Management; SOME; Teaching Children with autism using applied behavior analysis 7

10 Licensure & Certification In the 2015 survey administration, the licensure/ certification question was divided into two distinct questions: Are you licensed in your field? and Are you certified in your field? Figure 4 presents the results of CY 12 CY13 question Are you licensed or certified in your field? and the two respective for AY respondents. Are you licensed in your field? AY When asked Are you licensed in your field?, one-in-two AY respondents report No, but I plan to become licensed followed by No, there is no licensure option in my field (25.4 percent), Yes (19.3 percent), and No, and I do NOT plan to become licensed (5.2 percent; See Figure 4). The most cited license among respondents is Licensed Professional Counselor (30.2 percent) and Licensed Clinical Psychologist/ Licensed Psychologist (LCP/ LP) (20.6 percent; See Topline). Figure 4: TCSPP Alumni Licensure CY 12 CY % 20.4% 31.0% 8.0% 18.7% 24.9% 42.9% 48.4% AY Licensure AY Certification 25.4% 19.3% 37.1% 19.9% 5.2% 50.1% 27.6% 15.3% Yes. No, but I plan to become licensed or certified No, and I do NOT plan to become licensed or certified Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered 2013, 2014, & 2015 No, there is no licensure or certification option in my field 8

11 Are you certified in your field? AY When asked Are you certified in your field?, more than one-in-three AY alumni respondents report No, there is no certification option in my field followed by 27.6 percent who report No, but I plan to become licensed or certified, 19.9 percent who report Yes, and 15.3 percent who report No, and I do NOT plan to become licensed or certified. Are you licensed and/ or certified in your field? CY 12, CY 13, & AY Over time, the percentage of alumni respondents who report that they are licensed or certified in their field is declining. Less than one-in-three CY 12 respondents (31.0 percent) report that they are licensed or certified and 24.9 percent of CY 13 respondents report the same. CY 12: 31.0 percent; CY 13: 24.9 percent; AY 13-14: 19.3 percent) while the percentage of alumni respondents who report that they plan to become licensed or certified increases (CY 12: 42.9 percent; CY 13: 48.4 percent; and AY 13-14: 50.1 percent; See Figure 4). Preparedness for Profession Respondents were asked to evaluate 22 questions that measure experience with education and training preparedness. The first 17 questions are evaluated on a 4-point Likert scale with responses ranging from Very Well/ Well, Adequately, Minimally, to Poorly. The final five questions are evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale with responses ranging from Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. In both instances, more positive values indicate higher levels of preparedness. AY Overall, respondents report that their education and training at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at least adequately ( = 3.0) prepared them for their profession in 12 of the 17 question items. The average response ranges from Very Well/ Well to Adequately (3.0 < < 4.0) for Ethics, Professional Behavior, Applying Best Practices, Critical Thinking, Written Communication, Case Analysis, Cultural and Linguistic Competencies, Oral Communication, Interpersonal Skills, and Legal Standards while the average response for Client Management and Consulting Skills is Adequately ( = 3.0). Respondents report that their education and training at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology was less than adequate ( 3.0) in 5 areas: Qualitative Research Methods, Research Design, Quantitative Research Methods, Data Analysis and Statistics, and Proposal Development/ Grant Writing (See Table 4). 9

12 Table 4: Preparedness for Profession Please tell us the extent to which you feel your education and training at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology prepared you for your profession in the following areas: Ethics 3.6 Professional Behavior 3.5 Applying Best Practices 3.4 Critical Thinking 3.4 Written Communication 3.4 Case Analysis 3.3 Cultural and Linguistic Competencies 3.3 Oral Communication 3.3 Interpersonal Skills 3.2 Legal Standards 3.2 Client Management 3.0 Consulting Skills 3.0 Qualitative Research Methods 2.9 Research Design 2.9 Quantitative Research Methods 2.8 Data Analysis and Statistics 2.7 Proposal Development/ Grant Writing 2.3 Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered 2015 AY Respondents display considerable agreement when evaluating statements concerning their experiences at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. The typical response for all five question items ranges from Agree to Strongly Agree (4.0 < < 5.0; See Table 5). Table 5: Professional Experiences My experiences at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Advanced my professional practice skills 4.4 Improved my ability to apply theory and scholarship to practice 4.4 issues Increased my awareness of writing as an important skill in my 4.3 professional life Advanced my multicultural competence 4.3 Prepared me to behave in a professional manner

13 Experiences at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Respondents were asked four statements that measure their general evaluation of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Responses range from Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, and Strongly Agree where more positive values indicate higher levels of agreement with the statement. AY Overall, respondents report agreement with all four statements, such that the mean response is greater than Neutral response ( > 3.0; See Figure 5). Strongly Agree (5) Figure 5: General Evaluations of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Agree (4) Neutral (3) Disagree (2) Strongly Disagree (1) My 0.6 degree from this 0.8 institution 1prepared me 1.2 well for I was satisfied with my overall academic experience. my career. I made the right choice by attending this institution. I would recommend this institution to friends and/ or family considering a career in psychology. Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered 2015 I was satisfied with my overall academic experience. On average, respondents report agreement with this statement with responses ranging from Agree to Strongly Agree. My degree from this institution prepared me for my career. The average response for this statement is Agree. I made the right choice by attending this institution. The typical response for this statement is Agree. I would recommend this institution to friends and/ or family considering a career in psychology. On average, respondents report a low level of agreement with this statement with the typical response ranging from Neutral to Agree. 11

14 Alumni Relations Respondents were asked two questions that gauge their current involvement with The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and how they would like to get involved with The Chicago School of Professional Psychology as alumni. I am currently involved. AY The most cited activity that alumni are currently involved in is Networking/ Social Events (38.1 percent) followed by Professional Development/ Continuing Education (30.2 percent), Presenting (23.8 percent), Admissions Recruitment/ Marketing (19.0 percent), Community Service (17.5 percent), Alumni Leadership/ Council (17.5 percent), and Mentoring (14.3 percent; See Table 6). Table 6: Alumni Relations I am currently involved. I would like to be involved. (n = 67) (n = 172) Admissions Recruitment/ Marketing Community Service Alumni Leadership/ Council Networking/ Social Events Mentoring Presenting Professional Development/ Continuing Education Other responses include: Current doctoral student; Business Psychology, Ph.D.; I live away from all campuses. Could only help online; part of a research group; Right now I am unable to I would like to be involved in the next (5) years; Teaching; Trustees; Would like to be involved in Being Mentored; Would like to work specifically with international students. Data Source: Alumni Employment Data Survey administered 2015 I would like to be involved. AY The most cited activity that alumni would like to be involved in is Professional Development/ Continuing Education (73.8 percent) followed by Mentoring (57.6 percent), Networking/ Social Events (47.7 percent), Presenting (44.8 percent), Alumni Leadership/ Council (36.6 percent), Community Service (30.2 percent), and Admissions Recruitment/ Marketing (26.7 percent; See Table 6). 12

15 13