Postgraduates

The data

This year's survey was carried out between December 2018 and September 2019.

Where does the data come from?

The guidelines for carrying out this survey come from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). In the most recent survey the level of data for PhD graduates has increased due to these guidelines. The data below is for postgraduates who completed their course between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018.

What can I find in this section?

In this section you can view the overall postgraduate destinations statistics below or you can look at individual destinations data by Imperial department by using the 'By department' tab below. You can also browse through case studies of previous Imperial students and their career paths to date.

Text only tables

View text-only tables of the overall destinations data in the graphs below.

If you have any enquiries about destinations of Imperial students, please email us.

DLHE tabs

Overall destinations

Graph 1: Overall destinations of postgraduates from the Graduate Outcomes Survey:

Graduate Outcomes 2018 - Overall destinations‌Bar chart showing the results of the postgraduate collection of the Graduate Outcomes Survey for 2018.

For taught postgraduates, 0.4% were caring for someone (unpaid); 1% were developing a creative, artistic or professional portfolio; 1.5% were doing something else; 16.1% were engaged in a course of study, training or research; 70.4% were in paid work for an employer; 4% were running their own business; 1.8% were self-employed/freelancing; 1.2% were taking time out to travel (this does not include short-term holidays); 3.2% were unemployed and looking for work and 0.8% were in voluntary/unpaid work for an employer.

For research postgraduates, 0.5% were caring for someone (unpaid); 0.7% were developing a creative, artistic or professional portfolio; 0.7% were doing something else; 28.1% were engaged in a course of study, training or research; 63.4% were in paid work for an employer; 2.4% were running their own business; 1.4% were self-employed/freelancing; 1.1% were taking time out to travel (this does not include short-term holidays); 1.7% were unemployed and looking for work and 0.3% were in voluntary/unpaid work for an employer.

Industry Sectors

Graph 2a: Comparison of industry sector entered for postgraduates of taught courses:

 

Graph of PGT industry sectors 2018

Bar chart above shows the industry sectors entered taught postgraduates surveyed in the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018.

For taught postgraduates, 0.2% entered agriculture, forestry and fisheries; 4% entered mining and quarrying; 8.3% entered manufacture; 1.4% entered electric, gas and water; 1.1% entered construction; 4.2% entered wholesale and retail trade; 0.85% entered transport and storage; 0.75% entered accommodation and food services; 10.8% entered information and communications; 13.6% entered financial and insurance; 0.45% entered real estate; 21.75% entered professional, scientific and technical activities; 1.5% entered admin and support services; 2.5% entered public admin and defence; 6.05% entered education; 6.25% entered human health and social work; 1% entered arts, entertainment and recreation; 8.25% entered other services; and 7.05% were not coded.

Graph 2b: Comparison of industry sector entered for postgraduates of research courses:

PGR industry sectors for 2018

Bar chart above shows the industry sectors entered research postgraduates surveyed in the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018.

For research postgraduates, 0% entered agriculture, forestry and fisheries; 1.35% entered mining and quarrying; 8.2% entered manufacture; 0.95% entered electric, gas and water; 0.6% entered construction; 0.6% entered wholesale and retail trade; 0.2% entered transport and storage; 0.2% entered accommodation and food services; 6.45% entered information and communications; 3.9% entered financial and insurance; 0.2% entered real estate; 19.1% entered professional, scientific and technical activities; 0.6% entered admin and support services; 1.35% entered public admin and defence; 32.95% entered education; 9.75% entered human health and social work; 1.15% entered arts, entertainment and recreation; 7.2% entered other services; and 5.25% were not coded.

By department (2016-17)

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

BIOENGINEERING

BUSINESS SCHOOL

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

CHEMISTRY

CIVIL ENGINEERING

CO-CURRICULAR STUDIES

COMPUTING

EARTH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

LIFE SCIENCES

MATERIALS

MATHEMATICS

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MEDICINE AND MEDICAL SCIENCES

Medicine (all areas combined)

PHYSICS

Sustainable Energy Futures

Master's by department (2017-18)

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

BIOENGINEERING

BUSINESS SCHOOL

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

CIVIL ENGINEERING

CO-CURRICULAR STUDIES

COMPUTING

EARTH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

HE RESEARCH

LIFE SCIENCES

MATERIALS

MATHEMATICS

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MEDICINE

NATIONAL HEART AND LUNG INSTITUTE (NHLI)

PHYSICS

PUBLIC HEALTH

SURGERY AND CANCER

PhDs by department (2017-18)

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

BIOENGINEERING

BUSINESS SCHOOL

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

CHEMISTRY

CIVIL ENGINEERING

CLINICAL SCIENCES

CO-CURRICULAR STUDIES

COMPUTING

EARTH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

LIFE SCIENCES

MATERIALS

MATHEMATICS

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MEDICINE

NATIONAL HEART AND LUNG INSTITUTE (NHLI)

PHYSICS

PUBLIC HEALTH

SURGERY AND CANCER