Understanding the careers of the alumni of the MIT Mechanical Engineering department

Abstract

This research seeks to understand the careers of MIT mechanical engineering alumni. Data was collected to determine the knowledge and skills that graduates from the classes of 1992 through 1996 make use of in their professions. Data was collected on many topics in four areas: technical knowledge and reasoning, personal and professional skills and attributes, interpersonal skills, and engineering skills. The topics were ranked in terms of expected proficiency, frequency of use, and source of knowledge. The data is presented and implications for improving the mechanical engineering curriculum are discussed.