Where does higher education in media and communication lead?

The Umea university Faculty of humanities offers programs, courses, cross-disciplinary educations and post graduate studies. The university mentions on their website that newly graduated students rapidly establish themself in the labour market. Meanwhile a survey made by statistics Sweden (Statistiska centralbyrån) shows that graduates in humanities i general and graduates in journalism and media particularly experiences the longest gap between graduation and permanent employment. The labor market of media and communications branches off in a variety of businesses and the ever so fast development of technologies has created an evenly fast developing anticipation in the employees. The purpose of this study is to use the program of media- och communication in Umea university as case, and study the graduates entrance in the labour market. Furthermore the purpose is to build understandings for how the graduates value the expertise they have acquired and how this is to be understood in relation to the development of the industry. The study is based on an online survey in which 11 years of graduates answers 11 questions. In total 104 respondents answered the survey and the main conclusions interrelates to theories of the implications of competences, and how the information society has restructured the circumstances of the labour market. The main conclusions summarizes that the graduates rapidly establishes themself in the labour market, an that even though 50% of the graduates has chosen to complement their studies they generally experience satisfaction with the choice of subject. Furthermore the results shows that the workers assignments has changed over time, however only in some areas