Graduates' satisfaction as a measure of quality: Evidence from two programs in three Chilean universities

In Chile as elsewhere, there are no direct measures of a university's impact on learning, that is, the quality of education provided. Parents and prospective students, and university administrators, rely on various indirect measures, including student satisfaction. This paper assesses the satisfaction levels of graduates from two degree programs offered in three universities in Chile, focusing principally on the graduates' perceptions of the quality of their training programs. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire of a sample of three cohorts of graduates in Psychology and in Teaching. Levels of satisfaction varied according to particular aspects of their degree program as influenced by prior education and later by employment. Global judgments of the quality of one's degree program are influenced by work experience after graduation; judgments of curriculum and teaching practices pertain to what was experienced as a student or before.