Why Career Statistics Are Hard to Compare
Schools do not all report employment outcomes the same way. A salary number without its cohort, response rate, denominator and statistic type can be more misleading than no salary number at all. MSITM.com therefore evaluates reporting quality separately from outcome strength.
| Evidence level | What is published | How MSITM.com uses it |
|---|---|---|
| High-transparency cohort report | Cohort/year, denominator, employment timing, salary statistic and response/known-outcome rate | Best suited for careful comparison, while retaining sampling caveats. |
| Useful but incomplete cohort signal | Program-specific placement and/or salary without full denominator/methodology | Shown as a program signal, but not treated as fully standardized. |
| Alumni / earnings data | Matched alumni records or multi-year earnings | Useful for longer-term career context, not a graduating-cohort placement rate. |
| Employer / role evidence | Employers, job titles, internships or alumni stories | Useful for career pathways, not converted into a placement percentage. |
| Market-only data | BLS, Lightcast, FREOPP or similar external market estimates | Labor-market context only, never presented as the program’s graduate outcome. |
Questions every outcome number should answer
- Which graduating class?
- How many graduates were in the cohort?
- How many had known outcomes?
- How many supplied salary information?
- Mean, median, maximum or total compensation?
- Measured at graduation, three months, six months or another point?
- Does “placement” include continuing education or returning to a prior employer?
- Are domestic and international outcomes separated?
Examples of why context matters
- Maryland 2025: strong denominator/methodology transparency, but usable salary data covered only a minority of job-accepting graduates.
- Michigan 2025: clear salary/employment reporting with outcomes known for 52% of the class.
- Oakland 2024–25: 96% knowledge rate and salary-response disclosure, but many students were already employed.
- Baruch 2024–25: useful employment counts, but only 14 reporters supplied salary data.
- UMBC: broad alumni-market data rather than a single cohort.
Programs with published outcome evidence → | Career reporting transparency → | Jobs & outcomes hub →
Framework updated September 18, 2026.