Charlotte colleges that will get you a job, ranked

Once the caps and gowns come off, the real world hits. The Agenda had found that graduates of some of Charlotte’s colleges clearly have an easier time finding work than others.

Job placement rate definitions can vary, but in this list we generally refer to full-time employment in the student’s field of study, or full-time enrollment in a higher degree within a year of graduation. I’ve tried to link to the source for each school.

But don’t get caught up on the placement rate. The other numbers here are important, too. What good is a job placement rate if the graduation rate is abysmal? Or if you can’t pay off your loans anyway?

Federal loan default rate data comes from the U.S. Department of Education. Graduation rates can be found through the National Center for Education Statistics. The most popular majors come from the Common Data Set or the NCES.

1) Central Piedmont Community College

Job placement rate: 87.6 percent, based on a survey of 2,157 graduates over two years
Graduation rate: 13 percent (48 percent if you include transferring out)
Federal loan default rate: 20.2 percent
Most popular major: Associates degree – arts
Website

2) King’s College

Job placement rate: 85 percent
Graduation rate: 71 percent
Federal loan default rate: 10.8 percent
Most popular major: Health professions
Website

3) Queens University of Charlotte

Job placement rate: 82 percent (but the school counts a 97 percent “satisfaction” rate)
Graduation rate: 53 percent
Federal loan default rate: 5.8 percent
Most popular major: Health professions (28 percent)
Website

4) Carolinas College of Health Sciences

Job placement rate: 79 percent
Graduation rate: 81.1 percent
Federal loan default rate: 3.8 percent
Most popular major: Registered Nursing
Website

5) Charlotte School of Law

Job placement rate: 78.6 percent
Graduation rate: 90 percent
Federal loan default rate: 1.3 percent
Most popular major: JD
Website

6) UNC Charlotte

Job placement rate: 75.4 percent
Graduation rate: 53 percent (73 percent if you count transfers out)
Federal loan default rate: 5.4 percent
Most popular major: Business/marketing (18.2 percent)
Website

7) Carolina School of Broadcasting

Job placement rate: 88 percent for full-time students. 100 percent for part-time students.
Graduation rate: 67 percent
Federal loan default rate: 16.6 percent
Most popular major: Digital Media Technology
Website

8) Southeastern Institute

Job placement rate: Between 65 percent and 71 percent, depending on program
Graduation rate: Between 74 percent and 85 percent, depending on program
Federal loan default rate: 12.1 percent
Most popular major: Massage therapy
Website

9) The Art Institute of Charlotte

Job placement rate: 69.3 percent
Graduation rate: 28 percent
Federal loan default rate: 23.1 percent
Most popular major: Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations
Website

10) Johnson C. Smith University

Job placement rate: 37 percent
Graduation rate: 46 percent (77 percent if you count transfers out)
Federal loan default rate: 19.4 percent
Most popular major: Business/marketing (20 percent)
Website

11) University of Phoenix Charlotte campus

Job placement rate: 11 percent for the business degree
Graduation rate: 14 percent
Federal loan default rate: Not reported
Most popular major: Business Administration and Management
Website

…..

No job placement data available:

Johnson & Wales University – Charlotte

Job placement rate: Not reported
Graduation rate: 49 percent
Federal loan default rate: 11 percent
Most popular major: Culinary Arts/Chef Training

Charlotte Christian College

Job placement rate: Not reported
Graduation rate: 19 percent
Federal loan default rate: 17.9 percent
Most popular major: Biblical Studies

(Photo credits: Photos come from the colleges’ Facebook pages. The UNC Charlotte photo was shot by Wade Bruton. The Southeastern Institute photo comes from Google Maps.)