Outcomes & Careers

After Davidson Forge Your Own Path

Davidson prepares students and alumni to fulfill their life-long educational and professional pursuits by connecting them with tools, resources and networks, and fostering the development of critical competencies that build on the liberal arts experience.

Career Development at Davidson

Career Outcomes Report

96%

of 2022 grads were employed or enrolled in post-grad education 6 months after graduation

80%

of recent Davidson alumni anticipate enrolling in a graduate program in the next five years

26%

of 2022 grads were enrolled in continuing education within six months of graduation

Graduate & Professional School

While many Davidson students choose to pursue graduate study directly following their Davidson education, many more apply and are accepted to graduate programs after working for a few years. Our advisers, as well as faculty members throughout the college, are here to help you explore options for graduate and professional school. Top destinations for graduate education include healthcare, law, technology and engineering, math, biotechnology and lab sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Your Alumni Network Career Connections

Your relationship with Davidson lasts long after you step off the front lawn at the close of commencement. Stay connected through alumni events at more than 40 local chapters, campus reunions, volunteering, and serving as a mentor for Wildcats to come.

Career Connections

Fellowships

The Office of Fellowships connects students and recent alumni to world-renowned programs across all disciplines, including the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, Rhodes Scholarship, and more. The program focuses on identifying and developing potential scholars, one-on-one advising, and providing resources to guide applicants through processes from start to finish.

Office of Fellowships

Individual Career Advising & Assessments

To maximize your success, we recommend you treat your job search as if it were another class in your academic schedule–set aside hours each week to manage the process beginning early in your senior year, take advantage of all available resources and meet with a Betty and B. Frank Matthews II ’49 Center for Career Development (Matthews Center) adviser to review and refine your job search strategy.

Career Exploration & Assessment

The People Behind the Numbers

Theatre & Social Justice Lori Pitts '12

Founder of Voices Unbarred, an organization working to creatively reimagine the prison system and advocate for social and policy change through theatre and justice workshops, script writing, and interactive performances.

Space Tom Marshburn ’82

Physician, NASA astronaut and veteran of three spaceflights to the International Space Station, he holds the record for the oldest person to perform a spacewalk at 61 years old.

Sustainability Azella Markgraf ’21

Farmers’ market manager at the non-profit organization, Countryside Food and Farms, in Akron, Ohio.

Data Science Owen Bezick '21

Data science researcher for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and Founder-Entrepreneur of GatherWare, a software development organization that leverages data to align healthcare with resources.

Activism & Diplomacy Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja ’67

Civil rights activist, academic and United Nations ambassador and permanent representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Nonprofit Leadership Liz Clasen-Kelly '00

CEO of Roof Above, Charlotte's leading nonprofit focused on eradicating homelessness.

Journalism AJ Naddaff '19

Award-winning journalist, translator and social science researcher whose work has focused on religion, politics, race and economics in the United States and across the Middle East.

Film & TV Laeta Kalogridis ’87

Screenwriter and producer for multiple multiple television series and films, including Avatar, Shutter Island, Alexander, Alita: Battle Angel, School for Good and Evil, and Altered Carbon.

Music John Huie '78

Founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Nashville, an industry powerhouse representing musicians such as Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Sugarland and the Zac Brown Band.

Medicine Sallie Permar ’97

Professor of pediatrics, microbiology and immunology at the Duke University School of Medicine, Permar also conducts research in vaccines and practices pediatrics.

Politics Grier Martin '91

Senior Advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Jill Marcus ’86 brings the tastes of the world to Charlotte with her latest endeavor, Mariposa.

Food & Culture Jill Marcus ‘86

Restauranteur and owner of some of Charlotte's hottest restaurants including Mariposa and Fern, she also runs Something Classic, a farm-to-table catering company.

Social Justice Lindsay Kallman '10

Public health specialist and co-founder and executive director of Community Spring, a nonprofit in Florida working to dismantle structural poverty and spur economic mobility at a grassroots level.

Archaeology & Photojournalism Matt Stirn '11

Archaeologist and photojournalist who specializes in understanding how humans adapted to high-elevation landscapes around the world. He has been involved in excavations on four continents.

Marine Biology Virginia Gilliland '22

Fulbright grant winner who researched how climate change impacts marine habitats in Australia. Using cutting-edge technology, she studied the relationship between reef erosion and fish diversity amid pressures of both large- and small-scale fishing.

Racial Justice Clint Smith '10

Bestselling author, educator and scholar, Smith's work tells the stories of Black oppression and white supremacy in American history and how modern reckoning can happen.