Student success is assessed using a variety of performance indicators, including Student Retention Rate, Graduation Rate and Job Placement Rate. The Graduate School uses this information in ongoing planning and assessment activities that guide improvement efforts within the school.
Metrics for Student Success
St. Jude Graduate School Mission Statement: To fundamentally advance global health and to find cures for pediatric catastrophic diseases by enhancing education across disciplines and training future leaders and innovators, including researchers probing the molecular basis of disease and therapy, medical practitioners conducting clinical and translational research, and health professionals improving health care systems worldwide.
| Success Measures | Threshold of Acceptability | Goal | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Retention Rate: Entering graduate students will complete the first year and remain enrolled in the second year. | 80% | This outcome will be met when 90% of students successfully complete the first year of the program and return for the second year. | 96% |
| Graduation Rate: Graduate students will earn their degree in a timely manner. | 70% of doctoral students will earn their degree within seven years; 66% of master’s students will earn their degree within four years | 70% of doctoral students will earn their degree within seven years; 66% of master’s students will earn their degree within four years | The Graduate School cannot yet report a graduation rate as its first cohort of the doctoral and master’s programs have not yet met the expected graduation time. |
| Job Placement Rate: Graduate students will proceed to subsequent occupational andeducational endeavors for which their graduate program was designed to prepare them. | 80% | This outcome will be met when 90% of students successfully obtain gainful employment or matriculate into another academic program within one year of graduation. | 100% |
First-to-Second Year Retention Rates
| Cohort | Threshold | Goal | First-Year Enrollment | Second-Year Enrollment | Retention Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biomedical Sciences PhD Program | |||||
Cohort 1 (2017) |
80% | 90% | 12 | 11 | 92% |
| Cohort 2 (2018) | 13 | 13 | 100% | ||
| Cohort 3 (2019) | 13 | 12 | 92% | ||
| Retention Rate for Biomedical Sciences PhD Program | 95% | ||||
| Global Child Health Program | |||||
| Cohort 1 (2019) | 80% | 90% | 10 | 10 | 100% |
| Retention Rate for Global Child Health MSc Program | 100% | ||||
| Overall Retention Rate | 96% | ||||
Job Placement Rate
| Number of Graduates | Threshold of Acceptability | Goal | Employment |
Continuing Education | Job Placement Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 80% | 90% | 1 | 1 | 100% |