SINGAPORE - For at least the second year running, graduates from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) earned higher starting salaries than their peers from other local autonomous universities.

Results from a graduate employment survey released on Tuesday (March 26) found that the 2018 batch of SUTD graduates in full-time permanent positions earned a median gross monthly salary of $3,850 last year.

That is also higher than their seniors from the previous batch, who had recorded a median gross monthly starting salary of $3,700. The survey involved 285 out of 334 SUTD graduates last year.

SUTD, which was established in 2009, offers degree programmes with a focus on engineering, innovation and design.

In February (2019), the results of a joint graduate employment survey found that the median gross monthly starting salary of the 2018 batch of graduates from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) was $3,500.

About 11,200 graduates from these four universities participated in the survey, and compared with STUD graduates, came from a wider range of disciplines, including the arts and social sciences and the creative disciplines.

The latest findings also show that almost all of SUTD's fresh graduates were employed within six months of completing their final examinations.

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The overall employment rate for its graduates was 94 per cent, up from 91.4 per cent in 2017, while 86 per cent secured full-time employment - a rate that was similar to the 2017 batch.

SUTD said top hiring sectors for its graduates included information and communications, finance and insurance, and scientific research and development.

For example, its information systems technology and design graduates received a median salary of $4,400, with a full-time permanent employment rate of 93.3 per cent.

SUTD president Chong Tow Chong said: "This is further affirmation that SUTD's multi-disciplinary, design-centric education nurtures our students with strong critical thinking, innovation and problem-solving abilities, preparing them well for the jobs of tomorrow."