What employment evidence should I compare before choosing between two engineering universities?
Do not compare only headline employment rates. Check, by faculty or department, the number employed and the denominator, the share of job-seeking students who obtained employment, how closely jobs relate to engineering fields and occupations, destinations by industry and employer, and how graduate-school entrants are treated. Compare recent years using the same definitions and population, and review career support and the range of vacancies in official materials to understand the figures.
Key points
- Check whether the rate uses graduates, job seekers, or another population as its denominator.
- Review industries, occupations, employers, and the connection to engineering work for each faculty or department.
- Compare treatment of graduate-school entrants, multi-year trends, career support, and available job opportunities.
Things to check
- Definitions and classifications for employment rates and destinations vary by university, faculty, and academic year, so check the definitions and population in official materials.
- Outcomes can vary by year and by students’ career and further-study choices, so do not rely on a single year’s figure.