Career Readiness
At Purchase College, we don’t prepare you for a single career, we prepare you for a lifetime of careers.
Let’s face it, the world changes quickly.
What you now plan to do when you graduate, may change before you leave Purchase, not to mention over your lifetime. In studying the liberal arts, you’ll learn how to learn, so you’ll be prepared for whatever comes next.
We value study within the context of a liberal arts educational model.
That’s why we emphasize the skills you’ll need to succeed at any time, in any field:
- using creativity to solve problems
- collaborating across disciplines
- thinking and analyzing critically
- communicating clearly
We believe in listening with your head and your heart and contemplating how you play a role in making a positive impact on the community you live in and beyond.
And Employers Agree
In a comprehensive survey of business executives and hiring managers by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the skills they deem most important include “oral communication, critical thinking, ethical judgment, working effectively in teams, written communication, and the real-world application of skills and knowledge.”
We’re on the same clearly written page.
Our career experts are ready to help.
We offer robust services through our Career Development Center to help you craft your resume, polish your interview skills, find an internship, and land your first job. Their services are also available to all alumni.
Learning is never confined to the classroom at Purchase.
We know the lessons of the classroom become ingrained when put into practice. Read more about Hands-On Learning at Purchase.
Our graduates are working.
That’s according to statistics gathered in our most recent Life After Purchase: First Destination Survey
92%
2022 graduates are employed, enrolled in graduate or professional school, or both
12.5%
Enrolled in graduate or professional school
86%
Employed full or part-time including self-employment, performance, or artistic freelancing
66.23%
Working in a field directly or somewhat related to their academic study
Fields Where Graduates Found Employment
Field |
Percentage |
| Arts and Entertainment/Visual Arts | 22.13% |
| Business | 23.5% |
| Education/Human Services | 16.67% |
| Public Services and Law | 16.94% |
| Media Arts and Communication | 6.56% |
| Healthcare and Health Services | 5.46% |
| Arts Administration/Management | 6.83% |
| Science, Technology, and Environment | 1.91% |
“It’s crucial that your children learn how to learn, not just in the classroom but also on a do-it-yourself basis because they’ll need to continuously reskill to keep up with technological change.”
—Alexandra Samuel, “How You Can Raise Robot-Proof Children,” Wall Street Journal (April 2018)
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Hunter Hollingsworth ’22 Makes Broadway Debut
For his senior project, Hollingsworth created a show to expand musical theatre
opportunities for actors on the spectrum. -
The 2023 Startup Competition Awards $5,000 in Prizes
The Economics Program’s Shark Tank-style event invites entrepreneurs to judge the inventive ideas of students from all majors.
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First Annual BioBlitz Records 317 Different Species
A collaboration between the Environmental Studies program and the Sustainability Office sparked a search for species on the Purchase campus.
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Voice and Dialect Coach Thom Jones ’91 Visits Campus
Jones shared his expertise on working with the likes of Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Hudson and on the power of acting training.
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Junior Experimental Film Screens in US and UK
Caught the Bug (2022), an experimental film made by Amelia Wyeth Ponirakis ’23 in her junior year has screened in London and New York.
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Crossover Goals: Pollinator Garden Signage
The interpretive signs in the Purchase Native Pollinator Garden resulted from collaboration between environmental studies, arts management, and graphic design.
