Survey of York University 1976-78 Bachelor's Degree Graduates in Psychology

Oct 15, 2026

A survey examined career outcomes of 325 York University psychology graduates who earned a Bachelor’s degree between 1976 and 1978. Findings show 73.5% were in the labour force, with most working in parapsychological roles, teaching, or business management. Average salaries were higher for men ($14,610) than women ($12,020). Unemployment rates were 9.8% for men and 6.1% for women, elevated for 1978 graduates, and 41.8% pursued further training.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

ABSTRACT

RESUMÉ

The Problem

METHOD

Population and sampling procedure

Instrumentation

Survey of York University 1976-78 Bachelor'sDegree Graduates in Psychology Located inGreater Toronto* DAVID L.RENNIET # ABSTRACT A survey was made of 325 graduates who obtained a Bachelor's degree in psychologybetween 1976-78.It was found that(a)73.5%of the alumni were in the labour force,withthe majority working in either parapsychological jobs,teaching,or business management;(b)the average salaries of the men and women were $14,610 and $12,020,respectively;(c)the unemployment rates for men and women were 9.8%and 6.1%;(d)these rates wereelevated by the rates for the 1978 graduates;and (e)41.8%of the graduates went on tofurther training.The results are discussed in terms of the relevance ofthe Bachelor's degreein today's marketplace,and in terms of university programming in undergraduate edu-cation in psychology. # RESUMÉ Un sondage fut effectué sur 325 diplome en psychologie ayant recu leur baccalaureat(B.A.)entre 1976-1978 à York University.Les résultats ont indiqué que(a)73.5%desdiplomes étaient déjà sur le marché du travail où la majorité oeuvraient dans des emploispara-psychologiques,dans Ienseignement ou dans la gestion des affaires;(b)le salairemoyen était de $14,610 pour les hommes et de$12,020 pour les femmes;(c)les taux dechómage étaient de 9.8%et 6.1%respectivement chez les hommes et les femmes;(d)cestaux étaient particulierement élevés pour les diplomés de I'annee 1978;et(e)41.8%desdiplomés avaient entrepris une formation subsequente.Une analyse fut egalement con-duite au sujet de la demande qui existe actuellement sur le marché du travail pour unbaccalaureat ainsi qu'ä propos du développement des programmes détudes universitairesen psychologie au niveau du premier cycle. # The Problem Undergraduates majoring in psychology are currently caught in a dilemma.On the onehand,they are attracted to psychology because of its intrinsic interest and because theprospect of a career oriented toward helping people is appealing.On the other hand,theyare bombarded by press reports and editorials which,in Toronto,at least,call into questionthe usefulness of liberal arts education in today's society and endorse the technologicaltraining that community colleges can offer(see,for example,The Globeand Mail,December 1,1979).Despite all of this,large numbers of young people continue to register in Artsfaculties and a good proportion of these continue to major in psychology. What becomes of them after they graduate?Statistics Canada(1978a)found that thefull-time employment rate of Canadian social science Bachelor's degree graduates whoobtained their degrees in 1976 and who were surveyed two years later was six percentbetter than the national average and three percent lower than that of community collegeand technical school graduates of all types.These findings tend to dispel the notion that aliberal arts degree has no currency in the marketplace.However,the Statistics Canadasurvey was insufficiently fine-grained to allow one to determine exactly what types ofjobs these graduates got.Ralston(1978)gained precise information about Saint Mary'sUniversity alumni who graduated in sociology between 1971 and 1977.The present studyexamined the career outcomes of psychology majors who graduated with a Bachelor'sdegree between 1976 and 1978 and who were located in Greater Toronto. # METHOD ## Population and sampling procedure It was decided that the best approach to surveying the alumni would be to telephonethem.Since long-distance calls would have been prohibitively expensive,the calls werelimited to those B.A.and B.Sc.graduates in psychology from the York University maincampus and from the Glendon College(affiliate)campus who,at the time of the survey,could be reached without incurringlong distance telephone costs.¹This district extendedbeyond the boundaries of Metropolitan Toronto and was estimated by Anisef and Jansen(Note 1)to be an area that produces 65%of the students in psychology.All of the malegraduates from this Great

FAQs

How many York University psychology graduates were surveyed, and what degrees were included?

The study surveyed 325 graduates who obtained a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. The sampling covered York University’s main campus and the Glendon College (affiliate) campus.

What proportion of graduates were in the labour force, and what kinds of jobs were common?

73.5% of alumni were in the labour force. The majority worked in parapsychological jobs, teaching, or business management.

How did unemployment rates and salaries differ between men and women?

Unemployment rates were 9.8% for men and 6.1% for women. Average salaries were $14,610 for men and $12,020 for women.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rainbow Cat