What Can You Do with an IPE Degree?

With an IPE degree you can do anything that you want to do. The IPE major equips you for a life of writing, speaking, critical thinking, and learning. We have kept in touch with many of the 795 alumni who graduated from our program between 1996 and 2019. Here's some of what we have learned from them:

• Most work in business, government, non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions.
  • Some of the most popular fields of business that IPE majors enter are banking and finance, information technology, online startups, business consulting, healthcare, retail and corporate sales, and marketing. Nearly 18% of our alumni have started or owned a business.
  • Nearly 9% of alumni are currently working in government at the city, county, state, or federal level. Roughly 29% of majors have at some point since graduation worked for a government agency.
    • 36 IPE alumni have served in the Peace Corps
    • 54 have worked for AmeriCorps
    • 23 have worked for a Senator or Congressperson
    • 11 have served in the U.S. State Department.
  • 6% of all IPE graduates since 1996 are currently practicing attorneys.
  • Nearly 12% of IPE graduates are currently working for an American or international non-profit organization focused on poverty alleviation, development, political advocacy, human rights, or charitable work. Since graduating, 37% of IPE majors have at some point worked for a national non-profit or international non-governmental organization.
  • 6% of IPE graduates are currently K-12 teachers or university professors; another 5% currently work for an educational institution. 28% of IPE majors have at some point after graduating been employed as a teacher or coach.
• 43% of all IPE majors who graduated between 1996 and 2019 have attended graduate school or are currently pursuing an advanced degree. The percentage of IPE alumni who ultimately complete graduate school rises to 56% (of those who graduated from Puget Sound before 2009). The most common areas of study are:
  • Law -- 71 JD degrees (Juris Doctor)
  • Political Science, Economics, and Public Policy -- 81 MAs/MScs, MPAs, and PhDs (Master of Arts or Science, Master of Public Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy)
  • Business and Finance -- 50 MBAs (Master of Business Administration)
  • Teaching -- 35 MATs, MEds, EdD, and PhD (Master of Teaching, Master of Education, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Philosophy)
  • Public Health -- 15 MPHs (Master of Public Health)
  • Other Fields -- More than 60 Masters degrees in fields including environmental studies, geography, social work, nursing, architecture, history, microbiology, plant pathology, linguistics, and religion.
• Many alumni have a strong international element in their career path. Since graduating, 36% of IPE majors have worked, lived, or studied outside of the United States for a substantial period of time. The most popular places to work or study have been the United Kingdom, China, Mexico, India, Japan, and Central and South America.
• Alumni report that their IPE education has been a distinct advantage in meeting post-graduation challenges. Alumni who have attended graduate school say that they were very well prepared to compete at this academic level. Alumni working in business, government and the NGO-sector report that the critical thinking and strong research and writing skills they honed at Puget Sound have been valuable in their career.
• Many alumni comment on how well the senior thesis experience prepared them for the real world. IPE faculty have observed a strong link between senior thesis research and post-graduate careers. It is not uncommon to find alumni who are working today on aspects of the problem at the center of their senior thesis!