Survey of graduates of the Master’s degree of the Department of Software Tools

In order to study the issues of satisfaction with studying at the university and employment of graduates of the Master’s degree of the Department of Software Tools of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University they were surveyed via Google form. The survey was attended by 71 graduates of the Master’s degree of the Department of Software Tools, most of whom graduated in 2019. However, some graduates of previous years of graduation also participated in the survey. Of the people who participated in the survey, 69% studied in the specialty 121 «Software Engineering» (educational program «Software Engineering») and 31% – in the specialty 122 «Computer Science» (educational program «Artificial Intelligence Systems»).

At the time of the survey (end of master’s studies, period of defense of master’s theses), 71.8% of applicants were actually employed (of which 22.5% were officially employed as full-time employees at enterprises, 18.3% were registered as individual entrepreneurs, 31% were not officially employed, but actually have a job (are freelancers without registration)), and 28.2% were unemployed. At the same time, only 11.3% of graduates stated that they need help with employment.

At the time of the survey, 4.2% of graduates already have their own business (enterprise), 29.6% are going to open their own business (enterprise) after graduating from university, 11.3% need help with resolving the issue of opening their own business. 54.9% of respondents do not plan to open their own business.

After graduating from university, 91.1% plan to work in the specialty they studied at the university (of which 63.4% are based on interest in the specialty, and 26.8% are based on the opportunity to find a high-paying job). 9.9% of graduates do not plan to work in the specialty they received.

Among the respondents, 62% plan to work in the Zaporizhzhia region after graduation, 24.5% – in another region of Ukraine, abroad – 12.7%.

During their studies, they attended career guidance events: at the Department of Software of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University – 50.7%, the Job Fair of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University – 50.7% 19.7%, events outside the NU «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic» – 76.1%. Only 2.8% of respondents applied to the Employment Assistance Center of the NU «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic». This is due to the easy opportunity to find a high-paying job in the IT sector of the region and the high activity of the Department of Software Tools in cooperation with IT companies that directly offer vacancies to students.

While studying at the university, 86% of students underwent internships / internships at enterprises (of which 42.3% – based on internships recommended by the university, 43.7% – based on internships proposed by the student on his own initiative). The rest (14%) underwent training practice at the graduate department at the university.

Regarding satisfaction with studying at the university, according to the survey results, 98.6% of students are generally satisfied with their studies (of which: completely satisfied – 52.1%, satisfied in general, but consider it necessary to strengthen practical training – 46.5%). Not satisfied with their studies – 1.4% of respondents.

Regarding the wishes to improve the conditions of study at the university and at the department in the relevant specialties and educational programs, students also expressed some opinions, which boil down to the fact that it is necessary to increase the number of profile subjects by specialty, reducing the number of humanitarian disciplines, automate the document flow process at the university, continue to update the content of academic disciplines, use modern means of communication via the Internet more widely, improve the material and technical base (especially by updating computer equipment).

In accordance with these wishes of master’s graduates, the Department of Software Tools submitted proposals to the Academic Council of the Faculty of Computer Sciences and Technologies to remove sections on economics and labor protection from master’s theses, a process of digitalization of graduation using modern cloud digital telecommunications was introduced, electronic educational and methodological complexes (work programs, lecture notes or textbooks, methodological instructions for laboratory work), which are placed in the university repository, on the department’s cloud Google Drive, the department’s Telegram channel, the Moodle learning environment of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, active work is underway to improve the material and technical base of the department by creating new laboratories, updating computer equipment due to the department’s large-scale participation in international projects.

S.O. Subbotin

Head of the Department of Software Tools