Start with the denominator
“90% employed” means little without knowing how many graduates were surveyed, how many responded, whether part-time and temporary jobs count, and when the outcome was measured. A small denominator can make one or two people shift the percentage substantially.
Separate program selection from program effect
Graduate programs admit students with different prior degrees, experience, networks, and career goals. A high average salary after graduation does not prove the program caused the entire salary difference.
Outcomes are still informative, but the causal interpretation should remain modest.
Use external data to add context
College Scorecard provides field-of-study debt and earnings data where reporting thresholds are met. BLS provides occupation-level education and wage information. Program placement pages can add employer and role detail.
The useful picture often comes from triangulating all three.
Look for role quality, not only salary
A program may serve public service, academia, research, nonprofit, policy, or creative fields where salary is only one outcome. Examine whether graduates enter the type and level of work the degree claims to support.
Ask what is missing
Missing data can include students who leave the field, international graduates with different labor-market constraints, students continuing to another degree, or graduates who do not respond to alumni surveys.
A good program comparison treats the unknowns as part of the evidence rather than silently assuming the best case.
Ask what population the outcome statistic describes
Career data are easy to overread when the denominator is unclear. A salary figure may represent respondents rather than all graduates. An employment rate may exclude people who did not answer the survey, continued to another degree, or were not seeking work. A broad university statistic may say little about one small program. Before interpreting a percentage, identify who was eligible, who responded, and how the outcome was defined.
Timing matters too. Employment immediately after graduation measures something different from earnings five years later. A program preparing people for doctoral study may look unusual if evaluated only by immediate salary. A professionally oriented program may be better judged by role, sector, credential attainment, and progression.
Use triangulation instead of one dashboard
Combine program-reported outcomes with public datasets, occupational data, alumni profiles, and direct questions to the program. If several sources point toward the same kinds of roles, the inference is stronger. If they disagree, the disagreement is useful information and should be investigated rather than averaged away.
