English A graduate salary figure can look like a forecast of what a degree will pay. Before using it to compare courses, identify whose salaries are represented and how the number was calculated. A precisely printed median can still answer a narrower question than the one you have in mind.
Read the population beside the amount
The notes to Singapore's 2024 SMU Graduate Employment Survey publication describe the median as the central graduate's salary among full-time permanently employed graduates when ordered by salary. This is a definition for that publication, not a universal definition of all graduate-outcome measures.
A reader should therefore retain the employment category, survey population, time after graduation and salary definition. An employment rate and a salary median can have different denominators. Do not assume that a reported salary describes every graduate, including those outside the salary population.
A median does not reveal the full distribution
These are invented monthly salaries in one fictional currency, with five observations in each group:
| Group | Ordered observations | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3,000; 3,500; 4,000; 4,500; 10,000 | 4,000 | 5,000 |
| B | 3,800; 3,900; 4,000; 4,100; 4,200 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
Both groups have the same median. A has a much higher top observation and a higher mean. A single central value does not show how tightly outcomes cluster. It also does not identify the job types, working hours or individual circumstances behind the observations.
The exercise is a mathematical illustration, not a description of the SMU results or a proposed salary range for a course.
Compare compatible measures before comparing amounts
Create columns for country and currency, survey year, course label, qualification, employment category, basic or gross salary, and mean or median. Add any published response information and source caveats. A missing field should remain missing rather than being filled from another year because the title looks similar.
Avoid converting two currencies at today's rate and then declaring one course a better investment. That operation neither aligns living costs nor identifies career paths, employment access or individual outcomes. A currency conversion can be useful for a clearly stated purpose, but it cannot solve those other differences.
Keep course choice broader than one outcome
Use the salary table to formulate questions about the roles represented, the observation period and the range of outcomes. Examine the current curriculum separately. A historical result does not show that the course caused every salary difference, and it does not confirm the opportunities available to a future international applicant.
The Research hub connects outcome interpretation with costs and course-fit methods. Save the original publication beside your comparison and write a limited conclusion: “This is a historical salary measure for this employment group.” That wording is more useful than treating a population statistic as a personal offer.