Graduates’ perception of the honours programme and the influence it has had on their careers and employment options.

Abstract

The study explored the experience of the honours graduates in psychology and industrial psychology at a South African university. It focused on how they experienced the transition from being a postgraduate student to an employee in the workplace. The necessary information was acquired through a qualitative method of data collection and analysis; semi-structured interviews were conducted, involving eight graduates who had previously completed the honours programme. The findings indicated that graduates perceived that they had benefited from the programme, the exposure and the understanding of human behavioural sciences and other skills acquired during their honours study period was acknowledged by the participants. Although they were generally happy with the programme they did, however, feel that there was room for improvement in some areas. The study concluded that the programme was perceived to equip students with essential knowledge, behavioural habits and skills that prepare graduates for endeavours after completion of study especially in the workplace. However, they may not have all the necessary skills to be immediately effective when entering the workplace and may require workplace training prior to full completion of the learning process. In addition, in order to constantly improve the post-graduate honours Programme, the university needs to be mindful and engage with both the students and the workplace alike. This may be challenging considering that the Health Profession Council of South Africa has an influence on curricula in South African universities; nevertheless the voices of students need to be heard.