It’s time to celebrate our summer graduates
We are celebrating our biggest graduation on record – with a total of 3922 students graduating in one of 10 ceremonies over the next four days. Prior to the first ceremony on each day of graduation our graduands will parade in full regalia from Albert Park, along Queen Street through Auckland CBD, finishing at the Town Hall where the ceremonies will take place.
AUT’s School of Engineering is graduating more than 150 bachelors and masters engineering students at the summer ceremonies, which is more than double the number of masters and a 44% increase on the number of bachelors degrees awarded in at the same ceremony in 2011. With 100 new engineering places available in 2013, we are heeding the call from government and industry for more engineers.
The December ceremonies also mark the celebration of the first ever group of graduates from AUT’s Manukau Campus. This is a significant milestone in the journey of the campus and an important event in the life and development of Manukau and the greater Auckland area.
We are the only New Zealand university to conduct an annual survey of student employment outcomes after graduation. In 2011, 92% of graduates were in employment or further study six months after graduating. All respondents that qualified with a doctorate were employed after graduating. This bodes well for the recipients of the 28 PhDs being awarded at graduation this week.