A career progression survey of graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Information Analysis

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Marcella, Rita | Baxter, Graeme

Affiliations: School of Information and Media, Faculty of Management, The Robert Gordon University, 325 King Street, Aberdeen, AB92TQ, UK

Abstract: This paper describes the results of a survey, carried out in 1997, of graduates of the first four cohorts (1992/3–1995–6) of the Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Information Analysis at the School of Information and Media, the Robert Gordon University. The survey was carried out by means of a postal questionnaire to all prior students and generated a 45% response rate. The results show that graduates of the course are finding posts in what has been described as the emerging market for information professionals. The primary sectors of activity identified are posts in IT, in research, in information service provision and in financial and policy analysis. Respondents found that the skills gained from the course were relevant to their employment situation and criticisms of course content tended to focus upon IT provision. The paper concludes that further research into the nature of duties carried out by those employed in this sector would be valuable, as would investigation of the avenues which graduates follow in successfully finding first and subsequent posts. Further surveys are planned in order to track career progression.

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-1998-16202

Journal: Education for Information, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 107-130, 1998