Alumni Survey 2021

Graduates of the HECTOR School of Engineering and Management validate the direction of the Master's programs and the quality of teaching with best marks.

The HECTOR School's five-year alumni survey confirms the excellent teaching, service concept, and the importance of life-long learning with continuing education formats. 93% of the HECTOR School alumni say that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their Master's program, 96% would recommend the HECTOR School to others.


Major commitment

Every five years, a comprehensive alumni survey is conducted for the Technology Business School of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the HECTOR School of Engineering and Management, as a fundamental component of quality control and further development. The alumni survey for 2021 took place between January and March. The response rate of 58% is considered as extremely positive. The graduates of the continuing education Master's programs were asked to evaluate the content, orientation, and benefits of their degree in retrospect. These alumni were divided among all Master's programs and years of the HECTOR School in a similar proportion of participants of the Master's programs, and therefore the survey can be considered representative.

High levels of satisfaction

The alumni were asked to indicate in retrospect, how satisfied they were overall with their Master's program. 93% of the answers stated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their program. A big success for the HECTOR School Master's degrees was the response to the question of whether the respondents felt that their Master's degree was important for their professional success. 73% agreed that it was important, while a further 29% even rated it as "very important".

Teaching content and methods rated positively

Survey participants were asked to use a five-point scale to rate ten aspects of their program, ranging from "teaching state-of-the-art technology and management know-how in the lectures", to the "methodological, educational, and organizational quality", and "connecting theory and practice in lectures". Eight from ten of the aspects of the Master's programs were rated as good to excellent with over 90%. This result once again reinforces the quality of the Master's programs.
Particularly noteworthy were the very good ratings of the timeliness of technology (94%) and management knowledge (93%) in the teaching. The educational and organizational aspects were also rated with 93% between good and excellent. This confirms the HECTOR School's commitment to teaching close to the needs of industry and with a high level of service orientation.

In a follow-up step, the alumni were asked to indicate to what degree their Master's program contributed to the development of their hard and soft skills.
In addition to the consistently positive rating, the transfer of knowledge was particularly noteworthy, with 97% reporting it to have had a large or very large impact on this development. This emphasizes a specific strength of the HECTOR School as a technology business school. With ratings for interdisciplinary thinking (95%) and intercultural competence (94%), the HECTOR School demonstrates that its approach of bringing together different industries, cultures, and disciplines is at the cutting edge and promotes professional and personal development.
The survey participants were also asked how relevant the hard and soft skills taught in the HECTOR School, such as interdisciplinary thinking, intercultural skills, problem solving skills, and knowledge of scientific methods, are to what is required in everyday working life. Here too there was a clear consensus that the HECTOR School teaches in a practical manner and in line with industry needs.

Transfer to the profession

The HECTOR School Master's programs convey both engineering and management expertise. This combination prepares participants to develop future-oriented technologies and then implement them in the company. The survey participants were asked to what extent they apply the knowledge gained during their studies in the two areas in their career, based on a five-point scale. 86% responded that they put the technological expertise they had acquired into professional practice "to a moderate extent" or "to a great extent". The results for the area of management know-how are almost identical with 85%.

Higher career levels and broader range of fields

As a technology business school with numerous international participants and the commitment to generating innovations in socially relevant technological fields, the career development of graduates was also surveyed. Since graduation, the international orientation of 55% of the respondents has increased.

A sustainably positive effect of the degree can be seen in the salary development. 82% stated that their salary has increased since obtaining their Master's degree. This was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in budget and personnel responsibility for 65% each. These figures show that development in exciting and future-oriented professional fields is also possible.

First class service

The service orientation of the HECTOR School was rated as very positive. Especially notable was "Information on lecture and exam schedules", and "Social events during the Master's program", each with a 99% positive rating (adequate to excellent). It is particularly worth noting that the aspect of social events was rated with 53%, thus reflecting the claim that studying at the HECTOR School also provides the opportunity to build a strong personal network.
The second highest rating was given to "Responding to individual requests" with 44%. This underlines the high service character of the HECTOR School and the customer-centered approach of the Technology Business School.

Clear recommendation

Confirming the focus on continuing education programs in the sense of lifelong learning are the 83% who said they would choose a part-time program for continuing education again. Even those who remember the exhausting time of studying alongside their jobs, friends, and family are convinced by the teaching of the HECTOR School: 96% would recommend the HECTOR School to others.

The excellent results from this alumni survey motivate the HECTOR School to further expand the high quality of their Master's programs, to provide their graduates with the best possible starting position for their individual professional development.

Find more information about the last alumni survey from 2016 here.

We will be glad if you write to us: alumni∂hectorschool.kit.edu