The Engineering School placed 11th in a list recently published by website NerdScholar, ranking universities with the highest salaries for engineering and computer science graduates. The University was pegged higher than any other school in the state.
The rankings take into account data self-reported by more than 130 of the nation’s top universities for the past three years, which consistently reflect salaries well above the reported national average.
“NerdScholar reviewed the senior surveys of the top 100 national universities and the top 30 liberal arts colleges from U.S. News and World Report’s list of top colleges,” NerdScholar communications specialist Danielle Lichliter said. “Only those schools that had publicly available senior surveys on their site were included in the study.”
Data released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows recent computer science graduates annually earn about $61,741 while engineering graduates earn $62,719. According to the NerdScholar article, at a No. 11 ranking, University students are reported to make $65,890 annually.
“University of Virginia School of Engineering & Applied Sciences has about 2,688 undergraduates, about 31 percent of whom are women, higher than the average in this field,” the publication’s website reads. “What’s more, the highest starting salary among Class of 2013 graduates was $130,000.”
Director of Engineering Career Development Julia Lapan emphasized that the presented numbers are subjective.
“As the article pointed out, the salaries reflected in this piece are self-reported and only represent part of the overall engineering population,” Lapan said in an email. “Each university collects their data and measures outcomes in a slightly different way. I do think the fact that U.Va. is on this list speaks to [the] extent that U.Va. students are getting their names out there and impressing employers in the interview process.”
Lapan said that what made University students stand out was their ability to communicate, collaborate and lead.
“It is a national trend for engineers to reap some of the highest starting salaries of any major,” Lapan. “However, what makes U.Va. Engineering unique is not only our students’ quantitative skills, but also their interpersonal communication and leadership skills. Students [in the Engineering School] are often described as having this ‘complete package’ of skills that makes them very attractive to potential employers.”
The Center for Engineering Career Development works with students to formulate career goals, as well as pursue internships, full-time jobs or graduate schooling. Students have the option of personally meeting with career advisors to develop personalized career action plans.
“We also help students connect with employers and alumni and teach students the skills necessary to be successful throughout their professional career,” Lapan said. “CECD partners closely with University Career Services to meet all the career development needs of students, through individual career advising, group workshops and career communities, and making connections through On-Grounds interviewing and job postings in CavLink.”
However, Lapan said, higher salaries do not necessarily equate to a successful and satisfying career.
“The numbers only tell part of the story,” she said. “The figures represented in the [NerdScholar] article do not tell us how many students enjoy their jobs and how many continue in those careers. As a profession, we need to be doing better research on these variables to determine how to help position our graduates for overall life, career and professional success.”
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