Alumni Outcomes Survey
Updated 2020
Introduction
In October 2020, the faculty of the UB Department of Urban and Regional Planning launched the eighth annual survey of its graduates. We asked five years of graduates who had graduated at least a year earlier to rate us on how we have done so that we can formally track our outcomes and evolve in better directions as needed.
MUP alumni by the numbers
Number of MUP graduates between 2015 and 2019: 161.
Alumni were distributed as follows: 2015: 42; 2016: 30; 2017: 36; 2018: 31 and 2019: 22.
Number of such graduates with email addresses: 161
Survey process
We sent a letter via e-mail to our MUP alumni announcing the survey along with a link to the survey itself (the survey was administered through a third-party survey site, SurveyMonkey). The survey was open for three weeks and reminders were sent to alumni not completing the survey at the end of each week.
Confidentiality
Participation was voluntary. Survey subjects were not asked to provide personal information. Results are only presented in aggregate form. No individual responses are revealed.
Survey subjects are not charged to complete the survey, and they are not compensated. Names of survey subjects can never be connected to survey responses.
How we define planning and planning-related positions
We sought information on the types of jobs in which our graduates are employed. A planning position may take place at local, regional, state (province), national, or international levels. It may occur in the public sector, public authority, nonprofit organization, or private sector. Specific fields that constitute planning include: arts and culture planning, community activism/empowerment, community development, consulting, disaster planning, economic development, energy development and planning, environmental planning, GIS and other computer applications to planning, historic preservation and heritage, housing, international development, land use and code enforcement, legal practice related to planning, natural resources planning, neighborhood planning, parks and recreation, planning education, planning for training programs, planning within an architectural or engineering firm, planning management/finance, public health, real estate development, tourism development, transportation planning and analysis, urban design, and waste management. A planning-related position includes consulting, design, development, nonprofit management and administration, policymaking, policy analysis, corporate location, health policy analysis, and public administration that in some way uses your planning skills or contributes to planning objectives but does not fall under the first definition above.
Results
1. Survey Response Rate
Number of survey responses: 41
Survey response rate: 41/161 = 25.5%
Survey response by alumni graduation year:
| 2015 | 17.1% |
| 2016 | 12.2% |
| 2017 | 26.8% |
| 2018 | 26.8% |
| 2019 | 17.1% |
2. Employment
2.1 Current Employment
Survey Question - I am:
N=41
2.2 Planning Work Organization
Survey Question - Please tell us what type of organization you are employed in:
N=181
1 Non-responses for individual questions have been removed from the results and N updated accordingly.
2.3 First Year Activities
Survey Question - Please tell us about your activities during the first year after graduation
(check all that apply) :
N=411
1 Non-responses for individual questions have been removed from the results and N updated accordingly.
3. Satisfaction with MUP Program
3.1 Preparation for employment
Survey Question - How satisfied are you with how the MUP program at UB prepared you for your employment in planning or planning-related positions?2
N = 40 1
3.2 Satisfaction with Specializations
Survey Question - How satisfied were you with your exposure to one of more specializations in the MUP program?2
N=40 1
1 Non-responses for individual questions have been removed from the results and N updated accordingly.
2 Responses are aggregated for “Highly satisfied, “Satisfied” and “Somewhat satisfied.”
3.3 Satisfaction with Practice-Based Learning Experiences
Survey Question - How satisfied are you with the studio course(s), final project, or other practice-based MUP learning experience? 2
N=401
1 Non-responses for individual questions have been removed from the results and N updated accordingly.
3.4 Satisfaction with Collaborative Learning
Survey Question - MUP graduates from UB are prepared for collaborative practice and client/ community participation: 3
N=401
1 Non-responses for individual questions have been removed from the results and N updated accordingly.
3 Responses are aggregated for “Strongly agree & “Somewhat agree” and for “Somewhat disagree” &
“Strongly disagree.”
3.5 Satisfaction with Ethics and Justice Learning
Survey Question - MUP graduates from UB have learned to consider issues of ethics and justice.4
N=401
3.6 Satisfaction with Data Analysis Skills
Survey Question - MUP graduates from UB have learned to analyze data quantitatively and qualitatively.4
N=401
1 Non-responses for individual questions have been removed from the results and N updated accordingly.
4 Responses are aggregated for “Strongly agree & “Somewhat agree” and for “Somewhat disagree” &
“Strongly disagree.”
4. Engagement
4.1 Participation in Community Service Activities
Survey Question - Are you currently involved in volunteering or community service activities
(whether related to planning or not related to planning) formally outside of your employment?
N = 40 1
1 Volunteer work include volunteering as a docent for Explore Buffalo, working in the community to advance racial justice, building community parks, and serving as board members for local non-profits, the Buffalo Niagara LGBTQ History Project, Community garden organizations, and YNPN of Greater Buffalo.