Alumni Survey Reveals Strength and Variety of Options Available to CEE Grads

With a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree from CEE, Carnegie Mellon graduates are well-equipped to achieve their career and continuing education goals, according to results from the University’s First Destination Career Outcomes survey.

“Our students are able to pursue their passion because the CEE department trains them so well,” says Marcie Foy, Director of Graduate Engineering & Computer Science Career Consultants at Carnegie Mellon’s Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC).  “Students can pivot out of their program into their area of interest, and, within whatever niche or field they decide to pursue, they can choose to look at industry, to look at nonprofits, to look at academia, or to pursue a graduate degree.”

The annual First Destination survey asks new grads each year to report whether they’re employed, earning another degree, volunteering, or on the job hunt. Employer, title, location, and salary details are also collected, or, for those furthering their education, the program and institution.

For CEE, over 20% of our undergraduates and master’s students go on to seek another degree, while employed graduates at all levels represent an impressive range of roles, companies, and specialties. In the four most recent reporting years, most new graduates have accepted jobs in industry, but others have joined nonprofits, academia, and government organizations. Over 15% of new CEE grads have found employment internationally (a percentage that grows when you look exclusively at CEE MS and PhD alums), while others have landed jobs across the US. 

“Our programs have strong student outcomes,” says Foy. “You have options to fulfill what you’re looking for, whether that is to be a traditional civil or environmental engineer, or doing consulting, or working with data in the engineering field. It could be getting that additional degree or, for PhD students, a faculty or research position. Whatever the goal, CEE students at all degree levels have options in the public, non-profit, and private sectors.”

While the strength of our programs is a major factor in CEE student success, the CPDC is also key. CPDC career consultants provide comprehensive career services, programs and resources for Carnegie Mellon students and alumni. To ensure that they can provide in-depth and industry-specific support, each career consultant specializes by college. Workshops and other events are often customized by college and sometimes by department.

“We do a lot of coaching and providing structure for students to then feel empowered to search for internships, jobs, and other opportunities on their own,” explains Amanda Halula, a CPDC Assistant Director and Career Consultant for the College of Engineering. “We provide the tools and the guidance that students need to tackle everything from writing a resume and building a cover letter to contacting recruiters, talking about your skills, and nailing your interviews.”  

CEE master’s students even have access to a career and professional development mini-course, where they can refine, practice, and get feedback on career readiness skills and professional presentation.

Backed by these career resources and CEE’s renowned programs, the data shows that CEE students can graduate confident that they are ready for what’s next.