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Electrical/Mechanical Engineering at UVA & VT – How Are the Job Prospects?
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Anonymous
| DC is considering UVA and Virginia Tech for an undergraduate degree in electrical or mechanical engineering. After reviewing their career fair data, I noticed that relatively few Fortune 500 companies seem to recruit on campus — the majority appear to be government contractors or federal consulting firms. For those who have graduated from these programs, what was your experience with on-campus recruiting and post-graduation outcomes? Did you feel limited by the types of companies hiring, or were there still strong pathways into industry? |
Anonymous
|
DC works hard to get internships (key*) in field before graduating, they should be fine. Below are some recent lists though.
https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-engineering (New for 2025) https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=top-20-best-career-placement-public-schools https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=top-50-best-value-colleges-public-schools |
Anonymous
| Blacksburg is def out in the boonies.. agree with OP. |
Anonymous
| Where did you get this idea that only government entities recruit at these schools. Top companies recruit at both. |
Anonymous
| Just looked at the top employer for electrical and mechanical graduates from UVA. It's Amazon. |
Anonymous
Top internships of the same group were at: Northrop Grumman Rolls-Royce Applico Lockheed Martin MITRE Dominioin Energy ANDI Clark Contstuction DPR Construction |
Anonymous
| those def look like govt contracting firms!! |
Anonymous
|
OP, why do you think your kid needs to work in a Fortune 500 firm in the first place? Is that your wish or your kid's. Are you really, seriously concerned about your kid getting a good and high paying job with an engineering degree from either Tech or UVA??
You need to land the helicopter. If your kid gets into and graduates from either in engineering they're set. |
Anonymous
I’m not OP but I assume her kid has a good chance at both and they are just trying to compare relative advantages of each and as compared to other schools. Kids have to make choices and just saying “it’s all good” is not really helpful. I find engineering challlengjng because the college counselors really don’t know much about it. So crowdsourcing makes some sense. |
Anonymous
| I'll make this simple. Electrical and Mechanical engineering are very employable, being in high demand. UVA is one of the best public schools in the country with solid engineering. VT is ranked in the top 15 for undergrad engineering. If your student graduates from one of these schools and has a modicum of hustle, then employment is highly likely. UVA is the better school, but VT has better engineering. Either one should get the job done. |
Anonymous
The 2 construction firms and Dominion Energy are looking for engineers who want to get their PE. Rolls has a factory that makes aircraft engines in VA. So looking for a hands-on engineer who wants manufacturing. MITRE and Lockheed are govt contractors. Don't know ANDI or Applico. |
Anonymous
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At UVa, and at GMU, and probably also at VT, many students end up at major tech firms that are NOT govt contractors. Examples I know about that are widely known brands include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Meta.
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Anonymous
| For a new grad with no dependents, trying a silicon valley startup likely would be a more interesting job than at a Fortune500. |
Anonymous
I mostly agree with this. Hiring manager. |
Anonymous
We are not talking about internships. We don't care about your kid's internship exp. |