Summer 2005

Career Update

A significant increase in on-campus recruiting, higher salary offers and a 92 percent placement rate 30 days after graduation all point to an improved job market for 2005 Rose-Hulman grads.

Campus recruiting by companies increased 20 percent to 25 percent this year, reports Kevin Hewerdine, director of career services and employer relations at Rose-Hulman.

Salary offers are up 3 to 7 percent with average starting salaries increasing to $52,000. The top salary offer accepted was nearly $76,000. Many seniors received multiple job offers from different regions of the country.

Another indication of the improved job market for college students was the record 55 companies from throughout the country that attended Rose-Hulman’s spring job fair.

“At least 300 jobs were available at the spring job fair,” estimates Hewerdine. “Companies came here looking to hire.”

Gregg Greathouse, systems lead engineer/customer engineering division for Cummins Inc., was among those attending, “Rose-Hulman graduates have a lot of hands-on experience and are solid technically. Alumni from this college have a proven track record of success with Cummins. That's why we keep coming back for more.”

More than 200 companies sent recruiters to campus during the academic year, Hewerdine reports. Seniors in civil engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and software engineering were the most heavily recruited.

“The number of job opportunities for Rose-Hulman graduates is directly related to the current market conditions,” Hewerdine said. “We were slightly impacted by the bust of the dot-com companies earlier in this decade, but job opportunities for our graduates have re-emerged in other high-tech areas.”

Even students not graduating saw improved job opportunities, Hewerdine noted “The prospects for internships and co-ops also increased, which opens the door for students to receive permanent job offers from summer employers in the future.”

Alumni continue to have a vital role in the success seniors have in their job search, Hewerdine emphasized. “I want to thank our alumni for everything they do to identify job opportunities, promote the quality of our students, and increase their company’s involvement with Rose-Hulman.”

Hewerdine reminds alumni that May graduates included the first group to receive Bachelor of Science degrees in biomedical engineering. “We need to develop increased job leads for the graduates of this new undergraduate program,” he said.

May graduates interested in pursuing a master’s degree rather than enter the job market were also successful in being admitted to the graduate school of their choice. Hewerdine said approximately 18 percent of Rose-Hulman’s 2005 graduates planned to attend graduate school in the fall.

Dates for the fall, winter and spring campus career fairs are Oct. 19, Jan. 25, and April 19.