Employment Data
Where do Patterson School alumni work?
Patterson School graduates are employed by a broad range of institutions in the public, private, non-profit, and multilateral sectors. Aside from clusters in a few select US government agencies (State Department-USAID, Intelligence Community), Patterson alumni are widely scattered across the nation and the globe. The greatest concentration of graduates is in and around Washington, DC.
The Employment Outcomes Report breaks down how recent graduates are employed by sector and provides some sense of what they initially earn. Only mean salary figures are provided. Professional salaries vary greatly by position and across sectors. Specific individuals' salaries are also highly dependent upon prior work experience, unique skills, geographic location, and the current global employment market.
While some students line up career employment before graduation, many spend months on a job search, or winding through the lengthy selection process to enter the Foreign Service or join other US government agencies. Positions in the public and private sectors requiring a Top Secret security clearance can also entail a considerable delay in employment. Patterson School graduates engaged in further study are often participants in dual-degree programs with UK Law School or the Gatton College of Business and Economics.