Catalog for The School of Engineering

Procedures and techniques used to obtain information regarding positions initially accepted by graduates:

Different procedures are employed by the different departments in obtaining this information. The department of chemical engineering uses a straightforward, one-page questionnaire for this purpose. The departments of civil and mechanical engineering write a letter to recent graduates asking them to provide information on their employer (or graduate school), as well as on their educational experience in the School of Engineering.

How data is compiled concerning the professional advancement of graduates

The department of civil engineering has developed a one-page employer questionnaire to be sent to the graduate's employer and completed by the graduate's immediate supervisor. The chemical engineering questionnaire described above also provides some data of this nature for that program. Also, the response to the letters written to civil and mechanical engineering, described above, provides some data on professional advancement for graduates of those programs.

How the opinions of graduates regarding their educational program are taken into account

The University of Mississippi Graduating Student Survey is administered at each graduation period (August, December, and May). Students are given survey forms when they pick up graduation applications and asked to submit the completed form. Results are compiled and forwarded to the different departments annually. The survey is comprehensive, having a scale of opinions from strongly agree to strongly disagree and from very satisfied to very unsatisfied, covering a broad range of educational program concerns.

The concerns and opinions of students graduating from the different engineering programs that are highlighted by the above survey are considered by the faculties an important input into the continuing process of curriculum assessment. Additionally, input from graduates through their response to questionnaires and letters of inquiry is factored into the active assessment policies of the individual departments. Also, the chairs of the departments of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering conduct informal exit interviews with graduating seniors to solicit suggestions for undergraduate program improvements.

Placement and salary surveys

The University Office of Career Service and Placement maintains records on all graduates. These records include employer, and in some cases, salary information. Some of the engineering departments have developed salary surveys in order to establish a database, primarily for undergraduate student recruitment purposes.

Fundamentals of Engineering Examinations

The departments of chemical, civil, electrical, and geological engineering require all students in those programs to take the Fundamentals of Engineering examination prior to the awarding of the baccalaureate degree, but they are not required to pass it. The department of mechanical engineering does not have this requirement, but strongly encourages the mechanical engineering students to take the examination. Categorical results from these examinations are used to assess the program curricula with regard to meeting EAC/ABET standards.

Performance on Graduate Record Examinations

There is presently no vehicle in place for determining the performance of graduates of the different engineering programs on Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). For graduates who attend graduate school at The University of Mississippi, this information is directly available, since both general and subject examinations are required. However, due to the widely ranging requirements of the different graduate schools throughout the country with regard to the GRE, this information is not readily obtainable.

Admissions records of graduates entering postgraduate study

Accurate records are kept on those graduates of all the engineering programs who enroll in graduate school, by each of the individual departments. Information with regard to applications that are rejected, however, is not available and cannot be obtained except in cases where the graduate volunteers it.