The Changing Profile of University of The Bahamas Graduates

Abstract

This paper uses graduation data to show the changes which have occurred in the profile of the University’s graduates from 1976 to 2023 as it enters is 51^st year of operation. The data demonstrate the rise and fall in the number of graduates receiving Associate degrees. The decline in the number of graduates obtaining Associate degrees can be connected with the rise in the number of graduates receiving Baccalaureate degrees.  While the Strategic Plan 2009-2019 of The College of The Bahamas (College of The Bahamas, 2009) considered the College era to be associated with two phases, “Creation and Early Growth: The College of The Bahamas: 1974-1995” and the “Transition Era: From College to University, 1995-2009”; the graduation data show a complex ongoing picture of change and consolidation since the College was granted university status in 2016. The 2019-2024 Strategic Plan stated that it “builds on the previous plan by recognising the institution’s responsibility to the growth and development of the individual and the nation, its commitment to sound undergraduate and graduate programmes” while at the same time acknowledging the institutions’ heritage by reinforcing “ the foundation upon which University of The Bahamas continues to be built.” (University of The Bahamas, 2019, p9).