Six years ago the faculty of Iowa State’s Greenlee School of Journalism streamlined its curricula to offset student debt via timely graduation, retention and job placement, and those efforts are evident today, with three-year graduation rates at almost 10%.
Latest data show 9.4% of Greenlee degree majors graduated in three years, up from 5.6% the year before. That compares to less than 3% for ISU and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Greenlee’s four-year graduation is at 60%, significantly higher than ISU’s and LAS’s mid-40% range, as the table below illustrates:
Combined three- and four-year rates put the School’s graduation rate at almost 70%.
Greenlee retention rates also surpass the norm, with 89.6% of majors returning to the School after the first year, compared with 87.8% for ISU and 83.3% for LAS.
Retention and graduation rates prepare students for the workplace, with placement rates between 95% and 100% within six months of commencement in Advertising, Journalism and Public Relations.
The School’s curricula features lower and upper core courses with most other courses serving as electives with as few pre-requisites as possible, to facilitate graduation. Incoming students must submit four-year graduation plans and master grammar, style and other basic skills. That also helps prepare them for future coursework.
Latest exit surveys show that seniors needed an average 7.75 semesters to graduate, or less than 4 years.
With more than $200,000 in scholarships and internship support, many graduates are able to focus on their studies and work for student media.
Another reason for high placement is the 400-hour, required, capstone internship, supervised by a faculty member.
Last year the School set an enrollment record with 844 majors, up from 612 in 2011. You can find more statistics about the Greenlee School on its transparency website.