When it comes to landing 鈥済ood paying鈥� jobs and receiving a high return on investment, University of Colorado Boulder graduates are in good shape nationally, according to two recent reports.
抖阴旅行射-Boulder ranked in the top 20 in a recent report released by SmartMoney that rated the return on investment for 50 of the nation鈥檚 priciest colleges for out-of-state tuition. 抖阴旅行射-Boulder, at No. 19, finished just behind Princeton University and ahead of Harvard University, Cornell University and Yale University in the rankings, which compared starting tuition (class of 2009) to recent and mid-career median salaries of graduates.
抖阴旅行射-Boulder also fared well in PayScale.com鈥檚 mid-career salary ranking, coming in at No. 35 out of 452 state schools ranked for return on investment.
鈥淭his is good news for our graduates,鈥� said 抖阴旅行射-Boulder Provost Russell Moore, the chief academic officer of the Boulder campus. 鈥淚t is good news for the constituents of the state of Colorado and the parents of students who attend the University of Colorado.鈥�
The median salary for recent 抖阴旅行射-Boulder graduates (out of school three years) is $45,000, while the mid-career (out of school 15 years) median salary is $87,100, according to figures compiled by PayScale.com.
鈥淲hat this shows us is the return on investment for our out-of-state students is very good, but for our in-state students, who receive the same median salary coming out of school, the return is even better because they don鈥檛 have to put as much money in up front,鈥� said Lisa Severy, director of 抖阴旅行射-Boulder鈥檚 Career Services office.
There are several reasons for 抖阴旅行射-Boulder graduates excelling in the job market, according to Moore.
鈥淔or a large research university, we engage undergraduates in experiential learning,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淥ur students have significant opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research, creative work and studio activities. We engage them at a higher frequency than most other public research universities, in fact, I would argue, many private research universities.鈥�
The interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum at 抖阴旅行射-Boulder also plays a role, according to Severy.
鈥淲e have a lot of programs that are multidisciplinary,鈥� Severy said. 鈥淪ince the world of work is multidisciplinary, this training is especially marketable when you graduate, because our students are used to working with other people outside their specific areas of study.鈥�
While proud of the recent rankings, Moore expects the bar to be even higher in the years to come.
鈥淲e think we bring a lot of value to higher education and we are very excited about some of our innovative programs that will move the bar even higher,鈥� Moore said.
