UW Bothell grads lead in year-one earnings among state public universities

By Lisa Hall A year after leaving the University of Washington Bothell, bachelor’s degree graduates are earning more on average than those from all other public colleges and universities in Washington, according to longitudinal data collected by a state research center. For 2013, the UW Bothell average was $54,498 compared with an average of $47,573 for all UW campuses. The median earnings (half are higher, half lower) were $49,474 for UW Bothell, compared with $37,900 for all public four-year institutions in the state of Washington. A single earnings figure was compiled for UW graduates in 2015 by the Education Research & Data Center (ERDC), which is a part of the state Office of Financial Management that analyzes education and workforce issues. UW Bothell’s Office of Institutional Research requested to have the individual campus data disaggregated, analyzed the results, and had the analysis replicated and verified independently by the ERDC. The research looked at the earnings of 2008-2012 graduates one year out from 2009 to 2013. In each of the years, UW Bothell ranked at the top. The institutions analyzed included all major public four-year institutions in the state of Washington. UW Bothell partially credits the higher income to the large number of graduates in high-demand professions such as computer science, health, business and engineering. Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Susan Jeffords says equally important are the learning strategies that prepare UW Bothell students for success. “Beyond the individual degrees, we prepare students to succeed by emphasizing three key strategies for learning,” says Jeffords. “Those strategies are community engagement, linking what students learn in class to meaningful issues in the real world; cross-disciplinarity, where students are required to learn across fields; and connected learning, the intentional building of interconnected networks of supportive relationships between our students, faculty, and staff, serving as a foundation for deepened student learning with long term regional impact.” Jeffords says these “3 C’s” form the underpinning of a UW Bothell education and are the keys to students’ success after college. UW Bothell’s location in the burgeoning Eastside/Snohomish County biotech corridor creates a valuable pipeline for career pathways. There are many opportunities for high-paying jobs with some of the most iconic employers in the nation — many of them right in the University’s backyard, including Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks. The industry and community partners who hire UW Bothell graduates are as diverse as the graduates themselves. However, employer feedback centers around a common theme: UW Bothell graduates are well prepared to hit the ground running. “UW Bothell is a very progressive school that understands the critical role it plays as a regional university in the heart of a biotech center of the United States,” says Martin Cole, CEO of HaloSource, a Bothell-based company that provides global access to affordable clean water. “One way they succeed is by connecting with business to ensure that their programs set students up for success in post-college employment.” About UW Bothell: Ranked No. 1 in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest on Money magazine’s list of best colleges, UW Bothell provides access to an exceptional University of Washington education for students of tremendous potential. Offering more than 45 undergraduate and graduate degrees, options, certificates and concentrations, UW Bothell builds regional partnerships, inspires change, creates knowledge, shares discoveries and prepares students for leadership in the state of Washington and beyond.