Acquired Knowledge, Skills and Abilities of Graduates of Business Administration of Graduate Education of Neust

This study was done to find out the current employment status of graduates after acquiring Masteral and Doctorate in Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology for A.Y. 2013 -2019. It also described the schooland work-related factors which might affect their employability after getting the degree from NEUST. It also assessed the extent by which work knowledge, skills and abilities thru education have bearing with their current work. Findings showed that the majority of graduates were employed and got promoted. They studied the course primarily for professional advancement, as an institutional requirement and gain management skills. Entrepreneurial and problem-solving skills were the foremost competencies acquired from school. They also found very important the teacher communication skills, professionalism and mastery of the subject to be very relevant too in their education. Keywords— knowledge; skills; abilities; Graduate Education.


INTRODUCTION
A tracer study is a research that involves tracing the alumni of an institution to find the alumni's current situation, and how the knowledge they attained helped them in their daily lives and the skills enhanced from the education they were given [1].In addressing the emerging and complex nature and challenges of the 21st century, higher education stands out as one of the major keys to cope with reforms. Through its essential functions of instruction, research, extension and production, higher education makes -up a vital and strategic part in development [2]. Tracer study can also be used in evaluating the results of their education because it reviews the transition between the educational and the professional world, how high a position in the work place they can attain the worth of the condition of educational institution of their career [1].Recognizing the reality in today's academic world, the role of higher education institutions can not only be limited to impart knowledge, but also to contribute to maintain a competitive economy and most important of all, to secure the dream of graduates to get jobs and become socially recognized and successful in their respective field of endeavors. On the other hand, one of the major factors for underemployment and the difficulty in finding jobs is the inability of graduates to meet the necessary skills and competencies required by the industry [3]. Master of business administration (MBA), a masteral degree in business administration can be achieved at a university or college that provides theoretical and practical training to help graduates attain a wider understanding in the functions of general business management. The MBA degree has different focuses such as accounting, finance, or marketing. While the Doctorate in philosophy (Ph.D.) in business addresses substantial accounting issues with theories and methods. In this study, the respondents are the graduates of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology A.Y. 2013-2019. The goal of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is to add value to the graduates andprovides them with certain competencies to make them better managers and leaders [4].It has assisted participants in developing basic management and administration skills [5]. This is seen in increased managerial skills, self-confidence and several aspects of career development [6]. Ph.D. graduates. Determined the school-related factors that affect the graduate's employability and promotion [3].

III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Method.
Descriptive research design was used to trace the graduate's employability and employment status, and the impact of acquired knowledge, skills and abilities of the respondents who were chosen purposively based on the following criteria [7]:They have finished their Master of Administration and Doctor of Philosophy in Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology Graduate School during 2013-2019.Out of the total 125 graduates, 92 or 73.6% were surveyed. They are broken down as follows: The figure 1 shows that 92 of respondents were equivalent to 100%, MBA graduates got a total number of 81 or 88.04% and Ph. D. respondents consist of 11 or 11.96% were able to finish the course. Instrument. The main instrument used in the study was a questionnaire with an unstructured interview, the educational background, employment history, and the checklist as follows; reasons why the respondents decided to study at NEUST, competencies and skills attained from school to job placement of the respondents.
Procedure. Names of the graduates from 2013-2019 were obtained from the office of registrar of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology. The said questionnaire was personally distributed by the researchers to the respondents.
Data Analysis. The collected data were categorized, tabulated and coded for analysis. The following statistical tools were employed using frequency and percentage.

IV. FINDINGS
The data gathered from the respondents about the research objectives are as followed.    Table 3 shows that the contractual status decreased from previous to current employment, while those regularly employed retained the employed and at the same time promoted in work.

International Journal of Advanced Engineering, Management and Science (IJAEMS)
[  More of the Respondents were in temporary status and the rest of them were either regular or permanent and there some who practiced their major in the field of business because of the experienced and more preferred. The bracket P10,001 -above salaries received by BSBA alumni could indicate that they are already in regular employment status. Only a few could be considered in managerial position above this scale. It could also signify competency (qualification) on the part of these graduates. Skills and experience play a vital role in one's promotion, according to respondents. According to Table 4, nine respondents are currently self-employed with no fixed income due to this, the nine respondents are not imputed in Table 5. Majority of the graduates' reasons were professional advancement, the reputation of the school/training institution, institutional requirement. It implies that graduates want to be more competitive in our society. Also, the graduates know that NEUST have good records and reputation in education and it trains the students to make accurate decisions given available information [8] which they can utilize in their workplace. The skills acquired in NEUST were found very useful. Skills include critical solving skills, managerial skills and entrepreneurial skills. The graduates became more creative and able to solve problems, formulate processes and understand the relationship between ideas, concepts, patterns, and symbols. Also, the graduates turned to be competitive, good managerial skills and can assume the risks in business aspects. These characteristics were very beneficial to the respondents since employers always like an employee that is skilled. Thus, this will help them to have a good and reliable source of income [9]. Likewise, professional advancement, the reputation of the school/training institution and institutional requirements were the top reasons why they studied in NEUST. Further, competencies/skills like critical solving skills, human relation skills and conceptual skills which they considered very useful.A school-related factor such as teacherrelates subjects to the practical corporate situation; teacher conducts himself in a professional manner and the teacher has a good communication skill, were considered very important by the respondents. The finding shows the competitiveness of NEUST as an educational institution where faculty are qualified and competitive. The MBA-Ph.D. contributed much to the professional growth in the graduates' career. Nonetheless, a follow-up investigation to study and explore the performance [10] of the MBA and PH.D. graduates in their workplace was recommended by the researchers to further strengthen the findings of this research.