CANTON -- St. Lawrence University is claiming a 95 percent placement rate in jobs or further schooling for member of the class of 2011.

The university said the rate shows the first increase since 2007.

SLU’s Career Services office conducts an annual survey, which had a response rate of nearly 77 percent.

Of those responding, 77.6 percent are pursuing a career, while those primarily pursuing advanced degrees through graduate or professional school totaled 16.7 percent of respondents.

The report notes an increase in the number of graduates who obtained jobs through participation in internships, by about four percent.

In addition to being asked in which field graduates are employed, the survey also sought information about what job functions they were primarily performing. Most prevalent were teaching/coaching/training, sales, administration/management and customer service.

Respondents said that education was the top field for employment, followed by finance/banking and retail/wholesale.

Education, business and social sciences were the top three fields of study for respondents enrolled either full-time or part-time in graduate or professional school.

Carol Bate, assistant dean of student life and director of career services, noted that the results “highlight the need for students to engage on multiple levels and to participate in internships during their time at St. Lawrence.”