Picking a major is a no-brainer for some students. But for many 1st years, deciding on a major is a gut-wrenching decision. We've put together some resources to help you make a good, well-thought out decision. And of course, you can always make an appointment with our office to discuss your options.What do engineers do?
Many of the engineering associations (Association for Computing Machinery, American Society of Civil Engineers, Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers, etc.) have excellent information on the type of work engineers do. Often it's part of their mission to educate students interested in their field of study.
Employers and Job Titles of recent UVA Alums
See which employers hire UVA engineering students by major and what the variety of job titles are. You'll likely notice that many employers hire across a number of different majors!
Alumni spotlights from our Blog
Take a look of some of the interviews done with recent UVA Engineering alums. They have great stories to tell about how they chose their current job and advice for students who are still deciding.
Use LinkedIn to search for alums by major.
You can filter the 153,000 UVA alums in LinkedIn by major, where they work, where they live, skills, or keyword.For example, here are the UVA alums in LinkedIn with degrees in Mechanical Engineering. You can look at their profiles to see their career paths and I think you'll see that no two are alike!
Join VAM (Virginia Alumni Mentoring).
Find UVA alums in the majors you're considering and have a conversation with them about what they do. These alums have registered with VAM because they want to share their experience with students. The system makes it easy to ask just one question or schedule a time to talk on a regular basis whichever works best for you.It even provides sample wording for us to use when you compose your message!
Browse our Collab Site
Our Collab site has a resource folder called “Major and Industry Specific Resources” that includes links to resources, job boards and skill development suggestions from around the web that will help you gain insight into the variety of engineering related career fields.
Roadtrip Nation
The folks at Roadtrip Nation have recorded interviews with everyone from Supreme Court Justices to lobstermen in an effort to help students figure out what to do with their lives! Search their database of over 1,000 interviews in every field imaginable to find the stories that line up with your interests.
Salaries for UVA Engineering grads by major
It's important to know what you can expect to make after you graduate. We've provided the average and the median salary for each major.
Vault Guides:
Found in the resource section of Handshake (Career Center -> Resources).The vault guides provide detailed information on a variety of career fields. A good place to start is their IT and Engineering Career Guide.