The multiple lanes filled with information booths at this winter’s career fair served as a two-way street paved with opportunities for the visiting companies and graduate schools, along with the Rose-Hulman students that are ready to apply their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills in real-world situations.

As one company recruiter stated: “It’s the ultimate win-win situation.” 

For Blake Johnson, multiple internships during his four years as a computer engineering major have provided a pathway to the future. He lined up with other students to meet company representatives in search of another position this summer. “I’m hoping to settle where my career interests are in the future. I’ve had a lot of experiences in many areas. Now it’s time to really focus in what I want to do,” he said. 

Senior engineering design student Austin Clarke is in a similar situation after spending time as an intern with Mueller, a manufacturing company with production facilities across America, and Kalogon, a successful startup in smart seating technology based in Melbourne, Florida. He was distributing resumes with other companies to help settle post-graduate employment plans.

“My internships have been distinctly different and at the same time very interesting. That along with my Engineering Design program experiences have guided me about the type of job that I’m interested in pursuing,” he said. 

By their junior year, 90% of Rose-Hulman students have had at least one internship, co-op, or research experience. The Institute ranked first among private colleges for providing the Best Value Colleges for Internships and ninth among private colleges for Best Value Colleges for Career Placement, based on student surveys for the Princeton Review’s 2024 Best 389 Colleges guide.

“Co-ops are a way for students to get to know us and what we do while we get to know what they can do and if they’re a good fit for us. It’s like a 10-week interview,” remarked Elanco Animal Health Automation Engineer Zack Watson, who was helping colleagues collect resumes for future consideration. “We really give our co-ops opportunities to work throughout our operating process. They’re given a project and allowed to take things from scratch to implementation, with assistance from an experienced mentor. It’s a great experience.”

Interns and co-op students also have an important role with Mueller, according to Research & Development Lab Supervisor Andrew Jacobs. “We’re looking for students as early as their freshman year to come in and get to work on real-world manufacturing projects and learning about our processes. We want it to be as valuable of an experience for the students as it is for us,” he said.

Other companies coming from across the country to accept resumes from students at this year’s Winter Career Fair included Caterpillar Inc., Texas Instruments, Collins Aerospace, Honda, GE Appliances, International Paper, Toyota Material Handling, Steel Dynamics, Naval Surface Warfare Center (Crane, Indiana), BorgWarmer, Cleveland-Cliffs, Abbott, Epic, and Cook Medical.

This list adds upon relationships established at the Fall Career Fair and other on-campus recruiting activities. The last of three career fairs will be hosted during the spring academic quarter.

In the meantime, the Office of Career Services points out that several other companies have posted multiple full-time, internship, and co-ops positions online for Rose-Hulman students to review and file applications.

“There are lots of opportunities out there for our students. Companies value Rose-Hulman students and the skills that they bring to full time, internship, and co-op positions,” said Scott Tieken, director of career services and employer relations.

Rose-Hulman maintains strong career placement for its graduates. The Class of 2023 had a 99% placement rate – the third straight year that the mark had been 99% within six months of graduation. The average starting salary for the Class of 2023 was $79,126, with a $144,000 high accepted salary. That showcases Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s strong value, return on investment, and career opportunities that have earned top marks this year in several college guides.