Students graduating from the state’s public colleges and universities this month likely will find full-time jobs in Maine.

Although it is too soon to determine exactly where the new graduates are headed, recent trends indicate that most will be employed in their fields of study within six months of earning their diplomas.

Seventy-five percent will be employed full time and 12 percent part time, while one in four will be enrolled in graduate school. Seven percent of students will be unemployed – often because they have intentionally delayed their careers.

“I suspect some will be traveling around Europe, don’t you?” said Phil Pratt, associate director of the University of Maine’s Office of Institutional Studies.

Pratt based his predictions on surveys of University of Maine students who earned diplomas in 2003 and 2004. The recent trends are applicable to the other six university system campuses as well, according to administrators.

The job picture looks just as rosy for graduates of the Maine Community College System, where many programs have 100 percent placement rates. Systemwide, 95 percent of graduates are placed in jobs or continue their education. And 96 percent of employed graduates find jobs in Maine.

“Every year, welding students from both the one-year and two-year programs get jobs before they’re out the door,” said Candace Ward, associate dean of students at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor. Also in demand are students in the machine tool industry. In some cases, graduates of the nursing and radiography programs receive a signing bonus from their employers, she said.

Meanwhile, the number of MCCS students transferring to four-year programs continues to increase.

Students with bachelor’s degrees in engineering, business, accounting and nursing, among other fields, likely will find a strong job market this year, said Cathy Marquez, assistant director for employer relations at UM’s Career Center.

Education majors are sought after, both in and out of state, and the insurance industry has increased its recruiting efforts, seeking students who majored in liberal arts as well as in business, she said. The demand for computer science majors also is growing. “Not everything has been outsourced to India.”

Students in other areas of the state also seem to be faring well. At the University of Maine at Machias, graduates of programs in social and human services, education, recreation management and business are finding jobs, officials said.

Brenda Frey, UMM’s career development coordinator, said that so far seven students out of the 115-member graduating class have decided to go on to graduate school, while 35 have lined up jobs in their chosen fields – including a few with family businesses.

Ellen Hoster, UMM associate professor of biology, said she is noticing this year that students are keeping a sharp eye on their budgets and seem to be making decisions on which jobs to take and whether to enroll immediately in graduate school based on their debt load.

At the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Barbara DeVaney, director of career services, said this year there are more employment opportunities in education, social work and in the medical field, as well as in law enforcement, recreation, and accounting and insurance.

“We’re starting to see the effect of baby boomers retiring or maybe employers are more confident in the economy,” she said.

Farther north, nursing students at the University of Maine at Fort Kent are having no problem finding employment, according to officials who said public safety and criminal justice students are seeing an increase in job availability.

Maine Community College System officials said that while the demand for various programs and majors tends to be cyclical, the need for students in health care and the trade programs is steady.

At Washington County Community College in Calais, graduates of the mechanical and construction technology and medical assisting programs are in high demand. Last year’s graduates from Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle who majored in programs such as nursing, emergency medical services and precision metal manufacturing had nearly 100 percent job placement rates – and that trend continues this year.

Students with bachelor’s degrees who stay in Maine may earn less. The median salary in-state was $30,000 compared to $35,000 elsewhere, said UM’s Pratt.

MCCS graduates can expect to earn salaries that range from $26,000 to $38,000 statewide. Top wage earners include graduates of nursing and other health programs ($48,000); architectural and engineering design ($44,000); and business administration and management ($32,000).

But some students aren’t ready to say goodbye to academia. “The overall trend is that more and more students are going on to graduate school,” said Scott Delcourt, associate dean of UM’s graduate school, noting that applications to the flagship campus are up 10 percent from last year. The number of doctoral students is at an all-time high – up 25 percent from several years ago, he said.

Based on 2003 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Labor, a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn $900,000 more in a lifetime than a high school graduate, while the same person with a master’s degree will earn $1.3 million more. With a doctorate, the gap widens to $2.2 million.

Some graduates aren’t thinking about income just yet and instead are looking to become involved in humanitarian efforts in Africa and other countries, according to UM’s Marquez.

“We have many students who have a strong volunteering bent and want to do well by doing good,” she said.