Employability, work readiness and job alignment among Qatari STEM graduates of international branch campuses: evidence from a graduate survey

International branch campuses (IBCs) deliver foreign science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) qualifications inside host economies, yet how graduates’ reported educational experiences relate to their professional outcomes has received little attention in the Gulf. This study examined employability, work readiness and job alignment among Qatari nationals who completed a bachelor's degree at one of two United States IBCs in Qatar. A cross-sectional survey of 75 employed graduates, recruited purposively through professional networks and snowball referrals, was analysed using Fisher exact tests with exact odds ratios and effect sizes, together with parsimonious binary, ordinal and Firth penalised logistic regression with Wald intervals for coefficients and bootstrap percentile intervals for average predicted probabilities; responses to one open-ended question were categorised descriptively. Most graduates worked in roles related to their major (86.7%) and entered employment immediately after graduation (61.3%). Labour-market preparedness was associated with very high perceived employability (odds ratio 4.9, 95% CI 1.6–14.7) and with a very smooth transition to work (Firth odds ratio 13.9, 95% CI 3.5–54.8), and professional ability development was also associated with very high employability (odds ratio 6.5, 95% CI 1.9–22.4). Job alignment corresponded with smoother transitions, though imprecisely (odds ratio 8.6, 95% CI 1.0–73.0). Women were less likely than men to report being very well prepared (adjusted odds ratio 0.11, 95% CI 0.03–0.45); other gender comparisons were inconclusive. Graduates most often requested internships and practical exposure and locally grounded labour-market knowledge. The findings suggest that monitoring preparedness and occupational alignment alongside employment rates offers a more informative account of the professional experiences reported by graduates of international STEM programmes delivered locally.