Graduate Tracer Study for the 12 Academic Programs in the Graduate School of San Pedro College, Davao City, Philippines

Abstract

In response to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the accrediting agencies’ requirement, the researchers realized the need for San Pedro College (SPC) Graduate School to conduct tracer studies on their graduates to gauge how well they perform this role, and how well the college performed in developing the competencies of its students and preparing them for the world of work. The study aimed to describe the graduates’ profile, employment characteristics, transition to employment, impact, and extent on their personal and professional growth. Moreover, it also aimed to describe the graduates' overall evaluation of the degree completed and determine the extent to which the core values of SPC have influenced the graduates’ personal and professional growth.
 This tracer study utilized the survey research design. The respondents were graduates of the master’s and doctorate programs from the years 2015 to 2020. A validated questionnaire which is a modified version of the tracer study questionnaire from CHED and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) was used to gather the data. The majority of the respondents are female, single, and from Batch 2020. The highest number of graduates are from the Master in Psychology program which is a non-thesis program. Most graduates are employed in the private sector, working as full-time employees that are related to the degree, they earned at SPC Graduate School. They are currently working within five years, just starting their careers, and are locally employed. The majority were not promoted on the job after completing their degree, and some were promoted, and they have permanent status in their current employment. The highest monthly income of the respondents is in the range of 21,000-30,000 Php, and they were also working while earning their degrees in SPC Graduate School. Moreover, the results revealed that SPC Graduate School has a very high impact on the personal and professional growth of the graduates. The graduates generally regarded that their study program contributed to their personal and professional growth. Their overall evaluation of the degree/program they earned at SPC Graduate School is very good. Lastly, the results revealed that the SPC core values highly influenced the graduates' personal and professional growth.