October 6, 2009

Many Purdue Agriculture graduates turning to internships

For the first time in its annual employment survey of May graduates, the College of Agriculture included an "Employed Internship" category, said Dale Whittaker, associate dean and director of the Office of Academic Programs in Agriculture at Purdue.

Seven percent -- or about 25 -- of the 342 spring agriculture graduates are serving internships, Whittaker said. Those internships can last a year or more, he said.

"Many employers who aren't yet in a position to hire are posting internships so that they can maintain access to graduates for that time when they are hiring again," Whittaker said.

Post-graduation internships are a growing trend. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 92 of 16,500 college seniors surveyed this year said they planned to intern after graduation. While that's less than 1 percent of those surveyed, the number of seniors who expected to serve post-graduation internships in previous years was fewer than 10.

"We anticipate that the 7 percent of our May graduates who told us they are interning will get full-time jobs," Whittaker said.

Among the remaining 93 percent of Purdue Agriculture spring graduates, 48 percent said they landed jobs, 28 percent are continuing their education and 15 percent are seeking employment. Those numbers compared with 69 percent employed, 24 percent continuing education and 7 percent seeking employment in 2008.

The average starting salary for May graduates jumped $2,180, to $39,480. Those graduating with degrees in agricultural and biological engineering fields reported the highest average starting salary, at $47,817. Food science majors were second, at an average starting pay of $47,500 a year, while agricultural economics graduates ranked third, at an average of $43,307 per year.

Despite the tight job market, Purdue Agriculture graduates continue to attract prospective employers. Nearly 110 companies participated in today's (Oct. 6) Purdue Agriculture career fair, Whittaker said.

"I had someone at one company tell me they used to recruit at 40 schools but now they're down to five. And one of those five is Purdue," he said.

Whittaker said Purdue Agriculture provides job placement services for all graduates, through Purdue University's Center for Career Opportunities.

Writer: Steve Leer, 765-494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu

Source: Dale Whittaker, 765-494-8472, dwhittak@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Steve Leer, sleer@purdue.edu
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