Alumni Study
The alumni study of the Institute for Sociology and Demography, conducted by Kathrin Morosow and Manuela Schicka at the Chair of Sociology - focus on Family Demography (Prof. Dr. Heike Trappe), is dedicated to the question of how the professional and educational careers of the Rostock students of Sociology and Demography develop after completing their studies. Particular attention is paid to how the entry into working life is structured and how well the Rostock study prepares for the demands of working life. In addition, it will be examined how the new study programmes, which were converted to Bachelor's and Master's programmes in the course of the Bologna reforms, are accepted and assessed.
The graduate survey of the Institute of Sociology and Demography at the University of Rostock was carried out as part of a research internship in the summer semester and winter semester 2009/2010. The following questions were in the foreground:
What do graduates of the institute do after their studies?
How long does it take to find their first job?
What are the chances of a successful career entry? What competencies have you learnt?
How satisfied were the students with their studies?
Research Practical Course for the study courses BA Social Sciences and BA Sociology on the topic "Implementation of a graduate study at the Institute for Sociology and Demography of the University of Rostock", conducted by Prof. Dr. Heike Trappe and Dr. Christian Schmitt.
Research Practical Course lasts two semesters and gives students the opportunity to conduct their own research project under supervision. The research internship deals with the whereabouts of Rostock graduates in sociology, demography and social sciences and their transition into the labour market. The didactic aim of the Research Practical Course is to familiarise students with the formal structure, practical preparation and implementation of a scientific research project.
The content of the graduate study focuses on the analysis of graduate transitions into working life. Particular attention is paid to the dissemination of typical or atypical transition patterns, the stability of initial career paths and the temporal variance of transitions to work in different groups of graduates. Attention is paid to the subjective experience of the transition to work in confrontation with individual preferences and career plans. Furthermore, the experiences of the interviewees with occupational uncertainties and mobility in the course of employment integration is examined in more detail.
The aim of the Research Practical Course is to determine the whereabouts of Rostock graduates in sociology, demography and social sciences since 2004 in appropriate detail and in relation to the specific study programmes on the basis of an online survey. With the available data, future study guidance for these degree programmes should also be considerably improved, especially with regard to job-related guidance.
Currently, data collected during a research practical course in 2017 by the Chairs of Sociology - Family Demography and Empirical Social Research are being evaluated. The results of the current study are expected in the winter semester 2018/19.