Careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are hot, as evidenced by the more than 100 companies from throughout the country that came on a cold winter day to interview students for full-time, internship and co-op work opportunities at this year’s Winter Career Fair.

And, they found that nearly 50 percent of Rose-Hulman’s Class of 2019 is already spoken for, deciding among multiple offers, or planning to attend graduate school upon graduation.

Nineteen percent of those companies recruiting at the winter event had never recruited on campus. The Office of Career Services and Employer Relations has sought to expand career options for students by reaching out to companies that may be new or are expanding to meet current/future market demands.

Rose-Hulman is the first college at which Means Industries of Saginaw, Mich., has recruited outside its home state. The company is a global leader in automotive propulsion system technology.

Joyce Hynes, Means’ corporate human resources manager, says, “We know the kind of professionalism and quality that [Rose-Hulman] produces and we want to tap into this rich talent pool to enhance our company. Many of our industry partners have Rose-Hulman graduates and speak very highly about them. We also have been very impressed with extensive skills and abilities on students’ resumes that we reviewed before coming to the career fair.”

Director of Research & Development for Advanced Manufacturing Brice Pawley adds, “It’s a great time to be an engineer. There’s lots of opportunities and exciting things happening—now and on the horizon—in so many engineering fields.”

San Francisco-based Shift came more than half way across the country in search of software engineering and computer science majors to help produce new online user experiences that are changing the way people buy and sell cars.

“We’re wanting to diversify our growing engineering team and have heard great things about Rose-Hulman and its students,” says Matt Stephenson, head of Shift’s recruiting. “We like the smaller-school environment, where students really benefit from the curriculum and teaching.”

Other companies new to recruiting at Rose-Hulman included Tata Consultancy Services, an India-based leader in information technology services; Dematic Corp., an Atlanta-based supplier of integrated automated technology; OppLoans, RWS Design & Controls and Shure Incorporated, all from the Chicago area; Material Handling Systems, from Louisville; Metavention, from Lexington, Ky.; and GIRD Systems, from Cincinnati. First-time recruiters from the Indianapolis area were BSA LifeStructures, DoubleMap, EMCS Inc. and Wood-Mizer.

Milwaukee Tool of Wisconsin has increased its campus recruitment efforts in recent years and for the past two years has become one of the top employers of Rose-Hulman graduates. The company hosts several special campus events to attract students’ attention about employment opportunities.

Design engineer Peter Heath states, “The caliber of candidates we get from Rose-Hulman is far superior to other places. We have been extremely satisfied with the employees we have recruited in the past and keep coming back for more.”

This was the second of three career fairs organized by Rose-Hulman each school year.

Ninety-eight percent of Rose-Hulman Class of 2018 had found or started full-time employment, were enrolled in graduate school or were commissioned military officers within six months after receiving their diplomas, according to the Office of Career Services and Employer Relations. The number is especially significant because it accounts for all members of the graduating class, not just those who have used the office’s services and participated in career- or graduate-school events on campus.

That continues the 96 percent-or-better career placement of graduating classes from the past seven years
The average accepted starting salary for Rose-Hulman’s Class of 2018 was $69,493—an increase of $2,052 over the average for 2017 graduates. The highest starting salary was $120,000 for a computer science graduate, while majors in chemical engineering, computer engineering, optical engineering and software engineering also started jobs with salaries in excess of $100,000.

Rose-Hulman has been ranked fifth nationally in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings of students rating their U.S. colleges and universities for helping secure internships for career preparation. The Princeton Review’s 2019 Best 384 Colleges Guide ranks the institute No. 17 for best career placement and No. 10 for providing internship opportunities. (Historically, 94 percent of Rose-Hulman students have at least one internship, co-op or research experience before graduation, and 80 percent have had two or more experiences, according to the Office of Career Services and Employer Relations.)