Photo by David Crenshaw

It's great to be an engineering graduate entering the job market. To quote the New York Times (5/24/98), "Engineering Degree is Again a Hot Ticket."
The past year has been the strongest market in years for new graduates. This has been an exceptional year for our Vanderbilt engineering students seeking employment, and 1999 may be better. "Opportunities for the engineering class of 1999 should far outpace anything we've seen in many years," says Linda Bird, director of the Career Center at Vanderbilt. "Recruiting activities on campus are booming."
Nationally, the salary data have been amazing. The average starting salary for chemical engineers in 1998 was $45,591 ($50,000 at the 90th percentile); for electrical engineers $42,629 ($48,000 at the 90th percentile); and for mechanical engineers $40,750 ($46,600 at the 90th percentile). In addition, a number of students have received "signing bonuses." "Salary offers to Vanderbilt engineering graduates tend to exceed the national averages," Bird says. And nationally, engineers average about $8,000 more than graduates with liberal arts majors.
This high demand can be attributed to a strong economy and to an overall shortage of engineering talent. Our economy is driven by rapidly changing technologies envisioned and created largely by engineers. Engineers provide the technical innovations, the engineering designs, the manufacturing methods, the analysis, and the problem solving that is needed to keep our technological economy strong. Due to a multiplicity of factors, the U.S. experienced a shrinking engineering workforce in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This apparent loss of opportunity influenced engineering school enrollments nationwide. As a result, only about 65,000 students earned bachelors degrees in engineering in 1996--a decrease of almost 15 percent in a decade.
The current national demand is, of course, great for many Vanderbilt engineers. However, I believe that an engineering degree from Vanderbilt has always been a "Hot Ticket." The School of Engineering has always tried to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences--particularly the problem solving and analytical abilities--that will prepare them for whatever career path they pursue. The School has always produced engineers who will lead technically and are prepared to lead in business, in industry, or in the professions.
So, here's to the success of all of you with a Vanderbilt "Hot Ticket" -- our recent grads and all of our great alums.

Kenneth F. Galloway
Dean

Engineering News Home | School of Engineering Homepage | Vanderbilt University Homepage
Copyright © 1999, Vanderbilt University.