UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science has been transforming to better serve students. In the last few years, the college has followed a strategic pathway to modernize facilities, programs and services to provide students with the experiences, tools and resources they need for successful careers.
Dean Ying Shang, who joined the college in July, said, “I am extremely honored and humbled to join UCCS at this exciting time. The college has a bright future ahead with recent updates, including several new academic programs, and completion of the three large building projects: the Anschutz Engineering Center, Design and Prototyping Center, and Cybersecurity Building. Looking forward, the main Engineering Building renovation begins in early 2025.”
These improvements set the stage for student success in the workforce.
In 2017, the college created an embedded career office to provide focused career advising and strong relationships with employers. The college’s career office helps students explore internships and careers, understand recruitment trends and prepare for student-to-employer engagement.
Kinzy Pearson, an undergraduate student in Aerospace Engineering, says, “In my personal experience, going to the college’s career advisor, talking through my resume and discussing career advice helped set me up with expectations of what the aerospace industry was looking for and how to appeal to employers with my unique experiences.”
Megan Mrkonjich, an experienced STEM advising professional, took over the college’s career office in June. Thinking creatively, Mrkonjich plans to provide students and employers with new online and in-person opportunities while building up existing opportunities. Students in the college have always been encouraged to gain skills in hands-on experiences, typically through undergraduate and graduate on-campus and industry-sponsored research experiences, and in for-credit or non-credit internships. Mrkonjich says, “Employers continue to find the best talent by engaging early and creating real-world experiences. In return, students look for internships that provide meaningful opportunities to develop their skills.”
Dean Shang adds that career experiences top off critical degree curriculum.
“Key industries in Colorado include defense, aerospace, medical devices, modern automobiles, advanced manufacturing, distribution, and e-commerce,” she said. “New academic programs around these industries will be essential in preparing the next generation of workers in our region. Traditional knowledge-based curriculum provides students a broad understanding of traditionally defined subject content, while competency-based curriculum emphasizes achieving the learning outcomes such as knowledge, skills, and abilities. Now and in the future, competency-based education will better serve the purpose of training new workforce talent. Higher education institutions should prepare students to be adaptive and be ready for jobs that are not in existence yet.”
Many students participate in a variety of career exploration activities like competitive and professional clubs in cybersecurity, engineering or computer science, independent research projects, conference attendance, part-time jobs, and the semester-long senior design program course, where graduating bachelor’s student work teams are paired with sponsoring employers to solve real-world problems, giving students work experience prior to graduation.
The college’s career office serves all students in the college – undergraduate through Ph.D., including online-only students. Online career resources allow students to utilize career resources any time, whether during the day after class or late into the night after a study session. Mrkonjich is passionate about letting students know of the benefits of using a career advisor.
“While it depends on the student, I think career services are underutilized by college students,” she said. “Often, I hear about students not wanting to ‘bother’ someone with their career journey. But what I want students to know is that these services are here for them because it is really important, and we want to help! A dedicated career advisor in the college is wonderful because it allows them to specialize in a certain industry, in this case, engineering and computer science. I would love to see more students utilizing services, and early on in their academic careers! It is never too early to get the conversation started about career.”
New this year, are micro-internships, for employers to hire students to do 10- to 40-hour projects that create value for employers needing smaller technical projects completed, like coding, updating a website, or creating a CAD design from specifications. Micro-internships develop student skills while allowing students to engage in a career-building learning experience with their available time. These micro-experiences also result in real-world experience that companies value, explains Mrkonjich.
Mrkonjich is inviting employers to meet students in the building every Tuesday, in addition to participating in the large college hiring fairs, industry resume reviews, tech talks and being club mentors.
“Table Tuesday is a great way for students to meet a lot of employers throughout the whole year instead of once at the Career Fair,” said Mrkonjich. “I want to think outside the box on employer events – it is awesome when we can get employers on campus to talk with students.”
Pearson appreciates the ability to meet employers as a student. She said, “the organization of multiple career fairs from the engineering college to bring industry to the students makes networking for busier students still possible, assisting them in their next steps towards internships and careers.”
The College of Engineering and Applied Science Career Office is staffed M-F during business hours. Students and employers may contact [email protected] for more information.
About the UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science
The College of Engineering and Applied Science enrolls more than 1,700 students and offers 24 engineering and computer science degrees, ranging from bachelor to doctoral. The college is a Department of Homeland Security / National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and works closely with the National Cybersecurity Center and with more than 250 aerospace and defense, information technology, cybersecurity and engineering organizations in the Pikes Peak region. Learn more about the College of Engineering and Applied Science at UCCS.