4 global schools that engineer employable graduates

The field of engineering is one of the oldest in existence, but that certainly doesn’t make it any less relevant today. In fact, engineers are constantly in demand; a fact that’s unlikely to change, since this field harbours some of the most sought-after professionals.

Engineers develop sustainable solutions to many of the most pressing issues and global challenges of the modern age and the value of a postgraduate degree is growing as quickly as the sector advances.

Instead of watching the world go by, engineers are shaping the future, working towards a better world for generations to come. With robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), biomedical engineering, additive manufacturing, nanotechnology, cybersecurity, wireless communications, connectivity and the internet of things, the engineering field is speeding up at advancing rates.

It makes sense a growing number of graduates harbour a desire to continue expanding their knowledge with a postgraduate degree in the field. Ensuring your knowledge is up-to-date and your mind is sharp and ready to tackle ever-evolving technology is crucial for advancement as an engineer.

Your postgraduate engineering qualification will make you a desirable employee in almost every country. Few careers offer such a varied and exciting working life where you could see yourself working within a multinational company, exploring the world and bettering peoples’ lives. The higher your qualifications, the higher likelihood of you being trusted on the most exhilarating projects. Forget 9-5 office work – you’ll be in among the action, making things happen.

And it’s not just an exciting, rewarding and challenging career you’ll get out of a postgraduate degree in engineering; you’re also likely to take home a pretty healthy-looking paycheque.

Engineering is one of the most well-paid careers in the world. Approximately 40 percent of top paying majors are taken up by degrees in the field, with a salary which can accelerate to over US$180,000 depending on experience and further study, according to Top Universities.

But in the modern world, competition is tough even for in-demand jobs. It pays to expand your opportunities with a masters or PhD designation in an industry sector that is aligned with your engineering passion. Today’s engineers benefit greatly from a postgraduate qualification, allowing them to further their professional skillset and really make an impact on a global scale.

As an engineer you really do get to change the world. Consider these four schools to advance your working knowledge of engineering and excel your career…

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING – UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Want to study and collaborate with world-renowned experts in the engineering field, and conduct research in today’s most disruptive technologies? The University of Waterloo could be your perfect fit.

Waterloo has a proven track record for research and teaching excellence, and offers world-class labs and facilities. As the Canadian leader in engineering graduate studies it has granted the most engineering PhD degrees in Canada over the last five years.

The Faculty includes the leading researchers in the field of biomedical engineering, operational artificial intelligence, intelligent robotics, connectivity and IOT, 5G and wireless systems. Their work has attracted research partnerships with the world’s most innovative companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Ripple, GM and Toyota.

One thing that really makes Waterloo unique is their entrepreneurial spirit. Here, an integrated start-up culture is an unstoppable force, with “companies literally springing up overnight”. And unlike many institutions, Waterloo leaves business success in the hands of creators, granting them 100 percent ownership of their intellectual property.

There’s a reason Waterloo is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the north! Here, researchers and students work closely with industry to find new solutions for existing problems and are then given the support to commercialise their ideas.

Why not join Waterloo’s strong and passionate network of outstanding alumni and accelerate your future?

ALLEN E. PAULSON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING – GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

A graduate degree in the fields of engineering and computing should not only give you an academic foundation, it should also give you the experience to enter your career as a leader.

Students at the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing at Georgia Southern University benefit from hands-on learning in the lab. Students use state-of-the-art equipment, and work alongside world-class faculty with industrial experience.

Georgia Southern students present scholarly papers and research, and network with industry professionals at national conferences. When you pursue a graduate degree in the College of Engineering and Computing, you aren’t just getting an education, you’re forging an exciting career path.

Explore a wide range of graduate program concentrations including Master of Science in Computer Science; Data Mining, and Data Warehousing, or Master of Science in Applied Engineering; Civil Engineering and Construction, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Information Technology, Energy Science and Mechatronics.

Students create motion-tracking animatronics, use big data to track political sentiment, and work with university partners to create cutting-edge biomedical devices. More importantly, they’ve found amazing careers at Disney, General Electric, Gulfstream, and many other international corporations.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES – UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE (UNH)

Ambitious people from all over the world come to the UNH College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) to tackle real-world problems, working alongside award-winning faculty in state-of-the-art facilities.

The school is known to host a global student community. Sid Nigam ’16 of India, for example, led the design of a new sustainable aquaponics system and traveled to a Costa Rican community to implement it.

Then there’s Salimah Hussien ’18 of Ethiopia, who became a student leader before traveling to South Africa to mentor young girls at a summer tech camp.

Also Zhiming Zhang, a master’s student from China, who led a team from UNH to a third-place finish in the world’s longest-running embedded security challenge.

An interdisciplinary approach to education gives you the opportunity to study in a range of fields across the science and engineering spectrum.

The college has full-time staff members dedicated to ensuring all students have access to internships, co-ops and research opportunities. Recent CEPS graduates now work as engineers, software designers, chemists, science and math teachers, physicists and geologists, while 90 percent of recent graduates are either employed or enrolled in a graduate program.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (CoE) – GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (GEORGIA TECH)

Combine the know-how and resources of a major university with all the perks of a small, tight-knit urban campus and you get Georgia Tech.

Graduates leave this institution with internationally-recognised postgraduate qualifications along with the skills, knowledge, and global awareness to thrive in the working world of engineering.

CoE is all about “preparing tomorrow’s leaders”, readying students for whatever engineering career they wish to pursue while enabling them to lead the way into the future.

Here, many students launch businesses, conjure up ground-breaking inventions and design solutions to problems faced all over the world before their studies even come to an end.

At Georgia Tech, you don’t have to stay in one place. Each year, the institute sends over 1,600 students overseas to expand their knowledge through field trips and exchange. There are also many opportunities to undertake international internships abroad, earning them valuable work experience and even foreign-language skills, making CoE grads stand out among the crowd.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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