Collaborative Research: Professional Engineering Pathways: A Longitudinal Study of Early Career Preparedness and Decision-Making

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

The proposed project examines retention of diverse, engineering graduates in engineering careers by investigating how students perceive their career options, engineering skills, and educational experiences relate to their plans and to engage engineering educators and industry professionals in using our research findings to reform undergraduate engineering education. Undergraduates at six institutions from their junior year to their first year post-graduation will be evaluated using qualitative and quantitative research. The community of practice element will convene stakeholders at each partner institution who are invested in translating the results from this project into educational practice. A Professional Pathways Model that explains how students beliefs about their career options and their own abilities affect their career decisions will be proposed.