Section 1: Profile of graduates

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In 2005, approximately 305,0001 students graduated from Canada's public colleges and universities with 53% of graduates obtaining a bachelor degree, 34% a college certificate or diploma, and 13% a master or doctorate degree. Compared to 2000, the distribution of graduates by level of study remained relatively unchanged.2

Table 1.1 Profile of 2005 postsecondary graduates by level of study

As shown in Table 1.1, females made up the majority of graduates at the college (58%), bachelor (63%) and master (56%) levels in 2005 while males made up the majority of doctorate graduates. Compared to 2000, the proportion of female graduates increased slightly across all levels of study except the master level. The proportion of females at the college, bachelor and doctorate levels increased from 57%, 61% and 43% respectively in 2000 whereas the proportion of female graduates at the master level decreased slightly from 58% in 2000.

Female graduates were more concentrated in the health-related fields while male graduates were more concentrated in Mathematics, computer and information sciences and Architecture, engineering and related technologies

While women made up the majority of graduates at the college and bachelor levels, the concentration of men and women graduates differed across field of study. As shown in Chart 1.1, female graduates made up the majority of the graduating class in the health-related fields such as Nursing; Other health professions; and Medicine. They also dominated in Education. In contrast, male graduates made up the majority of the graduating class in Mathematics, computer and information sciences; Architecture, engineering and related technologies; and Personal, protective and transportation services.

Differences in gender also existed by level of study within fields of study (Chart 1.1). For example, the proportion of females graduating from Education; Other health professions; Social and behavioural sciences, and law; Humanities; and Business, management and public administration decreased as level of study increased. For Mathematics, computer and information sciences and Architecture, engineering and related technologies a higher proportion of graduates at the master level were female relative to other levels of study within the same field. However, only in these two fields of study and in Personal, protective and transportation services did women represent less than half of the graduates at all levels of study.

Chart 1.1 Proportion of female graduates in selected fields of study, by level of study

College graduates were typically older than bachelor graduates when they entered their program

The typical (median) age of college and bachelor graduates was relatively similar at 23 years and 24 years respectively. While the median age of college and bachelor graduates differed by only one year, there was nearly a two-fold difference in the length of each program. Full-time college programs, on average, took 21 months to complete, while full-time bachelor programs took 39 months. This indicates that college graduates, when they entered their program, were typically older than their peers who entered a bachelor program (see Table 1.1).

When the three groups of graduates from within the bachelor category are broken down, graduates of university diploma/certificate programs took 23 months to complete their studies, while bachelor degree graduates and graduates with their first professional degree took 40 months.

The majority of graduates did not pursue their program right after high school

The pathways that graduates follow through postsecondary education are varied. The traditional route of moving directly from secondary to postsecondary studies is not necessarily the norm. Approximately half the graduates did not enter their program directly from high school. Figures 1.2.1 and 1.2.2 show educational activity prior to entry into postsecondary studies at the college and bachelor levels. Results at the bachelor level are provided separately for Quebec graduates and graduates from the rest of Canada due to the unique education system in Quebec which requires that students complete a two-year college program at a CEGEP (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel) as a prerequisite for university.

Graduates from college and bachelor programs differed in terms of their prior educational activities. A higher proportion of college graduates had previous postsecondary education compared to bachelor graduates outside of Quebec (45% versus 37% respectively). The majority of bachelor graduates (94%) in Quebec had previous postsecondary studies before entering their program which is in large part a reflection of the CEGEP prerequisite for university studies. At the bachelor level, 21% of graduates from Quebec and 18% of graduates from the rest of Canada had previously completed university studies. This suggests that a large number of 'horizontal' movements are occurring, resulting in approximately 20% of bachelor level graduates holding multiple university credentials.

A higher proportion of college graduates delayed their entry from high school to their program. Approximately one-fifth (22%) of college graduates had no previous postsecondary education and had been out of high school at least one year before entering their current program compared to only 10% of bachelor graduates outside of Quebec and 3% of bachelor graduates in Quebec.

The proportion of 2005 graduates who followed an indirect pathway to their postsecondary studies increased compared to 2000. For example, more 2005 graduates had pursued previous postsecondary studies: the proportion of college graduates with previous postsecondary activity increased from 35% in 2000 to 45% in 2005, while the proportion of bachelor graduates outside of Quebec3 with previous postsecondary education increased from 32% in 2000 to 37% in 2005. Additionally a lower proportion of 2005 college graduates entered their program directly from high school (32% versus 36% for 2000 college graduates). Similarly a lower proportion of 2005 bachelor graduates outside of Quebec entered into their program directly from high school (53% versus 58% for 2000 bachelor graduates).

Figure 1.2.1 Educational activity prior to entry into college program

Figure 1.2.2 Educational activity prior to entry into bachelor program

Summary

Females from the Class of 2005 made up the majority of graduates at the college, bachelor and master level and their proportions increased across all levels except for the master compared to the Class of 2000. Males continued to dominate in historically male-dominated fields of study such as Mathematics, computer and information sciences and Architecture, engineering and related technologies. On the other hand, the proportion of females in these fields increased slightly with level of study such that the proportions of females in these fields of study at the master level were higher than those at the college and bachelor levels.

Graduates from the Class of 2005 were more likely to follow indirect pathways to their programs compared to those from the Class of 2000 as reflected by the higher proportion of graduates who delayed entry to their studies and the higher proportion who had previously pursued postsecondary education. In particular, approximately one-fifth of bachelor level graduates had previously completed a university program.


Notes

  1. This number represents the total number of graduates only from responding institutions to the NGS, which under-represents the total number of graduates in 2005. Data required to build the frame could not be obtained from a few institutions and therefore, graduates from those institutions were not included on the frame. Consequently, it is estimated that approximately 10,000 college graduates in Ontario and 5,000 college graduates in Alberta are missing from the NGS population. While the NGS also surveyed graduates from trade/vocational programs, results for these graduates are not reported in this paper.
  2. Throughout this report, all references and comparisons to the previous cohort (graduating class of 2000) are drawn from the report entitled "Class of 2000: Profile of postsecondary graduates and student debt" (April 2004).
  3. The proportion of bachelor graduates in Quebec with previous postsecondary studies remained stable. This is to be expected since the education system in Quebec requires that students complete a two-year college program as a prerequisite for university.
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