A not-so-secret St. Thomas fact - that Tommies get hired - is getting a major shout-out: Zippia, an online career company, named St. Thomas the best in Minnesota as part of a nationwide study to determine the top colleges and universities in each state for graduates securing employment. With a placement rate of 94.38 percent, St. Thomas is among the best institutions in the nation in preparing students for their post-undergraduate careers.
"As the unemployment rate continues to shrink to figures not seen for nearly half a century, it’s becoming more and more important for college graduates to prepare for a competitive workforce. This means picking the right major, having great internship and work experiences, but most of all, choosing the right college to attend in the first place," the study's authors wrote.
St. Thomas earned its spot among that list in a study that used figures from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), looking particularly at employment rates for students 10 years after graduating, the authors wrote.
The Star Tribune highlighted St. Thomas' place among those top schools, and social media channels have seen Tommies celebrating their alma mater's recognition.
"As a Tommie living in California I believe my education at [St. Thomas] has helped my career," wrote Laura McKinney on LinkedIn. "I don't get the same advantage of networking and school reputation as I would if I lived in Minnesota still, but the quality education and critical thinking skills I gained at [St. Thomas] have definitely helped me in my career."
"As a Tommie, I can attest to to this!" wrote Amy B on LinkedIn. "[St. Thomas'] executive MBA program helped me to earn a promotion prior to program completion."