James Madison University graduates are helping Virginia meet the need when it comes to careers that are significantly understaffed including teachers and nurses.
JMU’s annual career outcomes report found that more than 200 graduates from the class of 2023 found jobs in the teaching profession in Virginia, and another 167 reported that they were working in nursing in the state.
“With K-12 teacher vacancies in the thousands, a healthcare system still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, and an aging baby boomer population, it is critical to provide Virginians, now and in the future, with these skilled workers,” said Charlie King, JMU interim president.
Locally, graduates can be found in Harrisonburg City Public Schools, Rockingham County Public Schools, Sentara and Valley Health.
In total, more than 2,500 JMU undergraduates from 2023 found work within six months of graduation, and 1,500 of them filled jobs in Virginia.
The report also includes data from 476 graduates who earned advanced degrees with more than 90 percent of those reported having jobs within six months of graduation.
Breaking down the report
- A majority of JMU bachelor’s degree recipients are working in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland and New York
- In Virginia, 43 percent of respondents found work in Northern Virginia, 26 percent in Central Virginia and 20 percent in the Shenandoah Valley
- Of the respondents who earned advanced degrees, 32 percent work in the Shenandoah Valley, 30 percent work in Northern Virginia and 25 percent work in Central Virginia
- The university conferred 4,434 undergraduate degrees and 751 graduate degrees to the class of 2023
- 3,378 bachelor’s-degree recipients (76 percent) and 476 graduate degree recipients (63 percent) were included in the survey
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Crystal Graham
