University alumni surveys have served various purposes since they were introduced in the 1930s in the United States. The Department of Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) aimed to evaluate alumni perceptions between the Fall of 2010 and the Spring of 2022 to provide an opportunity to examine the relationship between degree fields and occupations and the agriculture curriculum, salaries, and demographic data for college graduates. This study's web-based survey was designed to include closed-ended and open-ended questions to collect individual opinions using Qualtrics Survey Software. The survey materials were made available on the alumni's social media accounts. The samples show the gender representation of this study to be 29.3% male, 69.8% female, and 1.0% other. Furthermore, the result indicated that 42.6% of respondents obtained their desired job before graduation and 15.3% within three months of graduation, and the educational field represented the major employer of respondents. Additionally, the study shows that 49.54% of respondents believe they are currently using their agriculture degree in their current career. The study indicates that the relationships between respondents and professors are the department's greatest strength. Facilities, curriculum and programs, staffing, and advising services need improvement in SFASU's Department of Agriculture. Alumni surveys are extremely valuable to colleges and universities, as alumni play essential roles in shaping and leading their institutions.
","abstract_html":"<p>University alumni surveys have served various purposes since they were introduced in the 1930s in the United States. The Department of Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) aimed to evaluate alumni perceptions between the Fall of 2010 and the Spring of 2022 to provide an opportunity to examine the relationship between degree fields and occupations and the agriculture curriculum, salaries, and demographic data for college graduates. This study's web-based survey was designed to include closed-ended and open-ended questions to collect individual opinions using Qualtrics Survey Software. The survey materials were made available on the alumni's social media accounts. The samples show the gender representation of this study to be 29.3% male, 69.8% female, and 1.0% other. Furthermore, the result indicated that 42.6% of respondents obtained their desired job before graduation and 15.3% within three months of graduation, and the educational field represented the major employer of respondents. Additionally, the study shows that 49.54% of respondents believe they are currently using their agriculture degree in their current career. The study indicates that the relationships between respondents and professors are the department's greatest strength. Facilities, curriculum and programs, staffing, and advising services need improvement in SFASU's Department of Agriculture. Alumni surveys are extremely valuable to colleges and universities, as alumni play essential roles in shaping and leading their institutions.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Rufai, Sherifat"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science - Agriculture","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Agriculture","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Michael Maurer","Candis Carraway","Ray Darville"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-05-06T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-05-06T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z","subjects":["Alumni","Agriculture","Survey","University","SPSS","Master Degree","Academics","Curriculum evaluation","Education Assessment","Graduate Survey","Department","Agricultural and Resource Economics","Agricultural Education","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/513","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Michael Maurer","Candis Carraway","Ray Darville"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Rufai, Sherifat"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-05-05T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Agriculture"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science - Agriculture"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Alumni","Agriculture","Survey","University","SPSS","Master Degree","Academics","Curriculum evaluation","Education Assessment","Graduate Survey","Department","Agricultural and Resource Economics","Agricultural Education","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/513"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["University alumni surveys have served various purposes since they were introduced in the 1930s in the United States. The Department of Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) aimed to evaluate alumni perceptions between the Fall of 2010 and the Spring of 2022 to provide an opportunity to examine the relationship between degree fields and occupations and the agriculture curriculum, salaries, and demographic data for college graduates. This study's web-based survey was designed to include closed-ended and open-ended questions to collect individual opinions using Qualtrics Survey Software. The survey materials were made available on the alumni's social media accounts. The samples show the gender representation of this study to be 29.3% male, 69.8% female, and 1.0% other. Furthermore, the result indicated that 42.6% of respondents obtained their desired job before graduation and 15.3% within three months of graduation, and the educational field represented the major employer of respondents. Additionally, the study shows that 49.54% of respondents believe they are currently using their agriculture degree in their current career. The study indicates that the relationships between respondents and professors are the department's greatest strength. Facilities, curriculum and programs, staffing, and advising services need improvement in SFASU's Department of Agriculture. Alumni surveys are extremely valuable to colleges and universities, as alumni play essential roles in shaping and leading their institutions.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["PERCEPTION OF ALUMNI OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Michael Maurer","Candis Carraway","Ray Darville"],"dc:creator":["Rufai, Sherifat"],"dc:date.available":["2023-05-05T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["University alumni surveys have served various purposes since they were introduced in the 1930s in the United States. The Department of Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) aimed to evaluate alumni perceptions between the Fall of 2010 and the Spring of 2022 to provide an opportunity to examine the relationship between degree fields and occupations and the agriculture curriculum, salaries, and demographic data for college graduates. This study's web-based survey was designed to include closed-ended and open-ended questions to collect individual opinions using Qualtrics Survey Software. The survey materials were made available on the alumni's social media accounts. The samples show the gender representation of this study to be 29.3% male, 69.8% female, and 1.0% other. Furthermore, the result indicated that 42.6% of respondents obtained their desired job before graduation and 15.3% within three months of graduation, and the educational field represented the major employer of respondents. Additionally, the study shows that 49.54% of respondents believe they are currently using their agriculture degree in their current career. The study indicates that the relationships between respondents and professors are the department's greatest strength. Facilities, curriculum and programs, staffing, and advising services need improvement in SFASU's Department of Agriculture. Alumni surveys are extremely valuable to colleges and universities, as alumni play essential roles in shaping and leading their institutions.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/513"],"dc:subject":["Alumni","Agriculture","Survey","University","SPSS","Master Degree","Academics","Curriculum evaluation","Education Assessment","Graduate Survey","Department","Agricultural and Resource Economics","Agricultural Education","Curriculum and Social Inquiry","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research"],"dc:title":["PERCEPTION OF ALUMNI OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Agriculture"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science - Agriculture"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z"}