As members of Class of 2015 crossed the stage on May 30, many of them were already thinking ahead to their future plans following Commencement.
Many graduates will continue their studies after graduation. Among the schools that graduates will be attending are: Albany Medical College, American Film Institute, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Kent State University, Lehigh University, Louisiana State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, Northeastern University, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Stanford University, University of Toronto, Yale University, and, of course, Rensselaer.
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Today, preliminary results indicate that Rensselaer students—in all areas of study, including management, humanities, social sciences, science, architecture, information technology, and engineering—are landing good jobs.
“In addition to strong grades, leadership and the ability to work in a team environment are attributes that employers seek from recent graduates,” said Jennifer Walters, director of the Center for Career and Professional Development at Rensselaer. “Many Rensselaer students gain and augment such skills while in school through internships, co-ops, and other experiential learning experiences. Top employers continue to seek out Rensselaer graduates not only for their disciplinary expertise, but also for their critical thinking abilities and scientific and technological perspective.”
Top employers continue to seek out Rensselaer graduates not only for their disciplinary expertise, but also for their critical thinking abilities and scientific and technological perspective.”—Jennifer Walters
Heading from the stage to offices and locations within the Capital Region, across the nation, and also overseas, Rensselaer graduates will work at Barnes & Noble, Bell Helicopter, Boeing, Cisco Systems, Ernst & Young, EYP Architecture & Engineering, Facebook, GlobalFoundries, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lam Research, Lockheed Martin, Marathon Oil, MathWorks, Merck, Microsoft, Pay Pal, Schreiber Foods, Tesla, Turner Construction, and UTC.
Job market news continues to look positive in all regions for Class of 2015 graduates. According to a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), “employers expect to hire more new college graduates this year than they did last year.” Backing up their projections, employers also reported they had posted more jobs for the Class of 2015 than for the previous class. On average, respondents posted 148 jobs for new college graduates in the 2014-15 academic year, up from an average of 99 posted for 2013-14. Among responding employers, new graduates with degrees in engineering, business, and computer science are most sought after, the organization noted.
Walters also said that Rensselaer graduates continue to enjoy overall higher starting salaries compared to national averages. To date, the average starting salary reported for members of the Rensselaer Class of 2015 is $70,047. Last year, the average starting salary for all reported Rensselaer undergraduate bachelor’s degree candidates from the Class of 2014 was $66,467.
According to NACE, employers were also asked about their hiring intentions for the Class of 2016. Early indications are positive, with more than two-thirds saying they expect to increase or maintain current hiring levels for the Class of 2016.