Employment Reports 2023: UMSI grads landing in choice industries with higher salaries

Accessible and user-centric digital experiences are in demand across industries, positioning graduates of the University of Michigan School of Information as strong candidates even as labor trends shifted in the tech space over the past year. 

In a survey of 2022 graduates conducted by UMSI’s Career Development Office, 95% reported high levels of job satisfaction. Salaries were up 9%, 14% and 20% from the year prior for graduates of the Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Master of Applied Data Science respectively. Across all degree programs, the salaries of UMSI graduates sat at the top of national averages in comparative fields and industries. 

“Despite tech layoffs and uncertainty in the labor market this year, UMSI graduates continued to be successful in landing jobs with some of the top tech companies in the world,” says Joanna Kroll, director of the CDO. 

Graduates went after the jobs they wanted. Tech, consulting and financial services remained top industries. In their job searches, graduates prioritized salary, company culture (inclusion, support, values and beliefs) and the nature of the work. Geographic location ranked lower as a consideration, likely because of the prevalence of remote and hybrid work modalities. 

The average job search length was three to four months for BSI, MSI, MADS and Master of Health Informatics graduates and six months for PhD recipients. Networking topped the list of effective job search methods reported in this year’s survey. Respondents also credited the robust services provided by UMSI’s Career Development Office, including on-campus recruiting and personalized career advising.

Graduates of the MADS program, UMSI’s fully-online master’s in applied data science, landed with an average salary of $122,000. Many respondents said the program expanded their knowledge and portfolios, preparing them for a career shift. 

Other MADS graduates stayed put, retaining the same employer, and watched their salaries go up an average of 15-20% post-degree. The flexibility of the program allowed them to enhance their skills in order to be more strategic in their current role. This process is known as “upskilling,” and Kroll says it is a workplace trend with huge benefits for employers, who can boost retention by investing in employees’ education for internal mobility.

Top salaries and high levels of job satisfaction speak to UMSI graduates finding a fit for their expertise in a range of contexts. Destinations for the class of 2022 included Fortune 100 companies, innovative tech startups, healthcare and entertainment companies, and tenure-track academic positions. 

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2023 report, analytical thinking, creative thinking, digital literacy, artificial intelligence and big data analytics — all emphasized by UMSI’s curriculum — will be among the top 10 skills prioritized by companies in the next five years. 

“Our graduates stand out because of the interdisciplinary skills, experiences and mindset they bring to an organization,” Kroll says, “as well as the experience they gain through internships and other engaged learning opportunities that help them hit the ground running.” 

Learn more about employment outcomes in the 2023 employment reports.