A look to the future : MIT Alumni and their Course 2 and 2-A educational experience

Data was gathered and analyzed through a survey of the Mechanical Engineering Course 2 and Course 2-A Alumni to analyze the impact of their choice of major on their current career path and to investigate the career paths of mechanical engineering majors. Data was gathered on their jobs taken, confidence level compared to their peers, preparation and importance abilities, experiences, and reflections. Over 350 graduates completed the survey and several differences were found. Course 2-A students had more transfers from other majors, engaged in a wider variety of career options, and found their elective classes more useful. Course 2 students reported to have a greater importance for technical skills and a higher confidence level with respect to their peers in their profession. There was little difference in most abilities, and what was missing in their MIT experience. Overall, Course 2 and 2-A reported being better prepared for technical subjects and less prepared for communication-related subjects than was required in their job. Moreover, all respondents mentioned missing the same courses in their curriculum that was needed for their job. Finally, Course 2 and 2-A respondents held widely divergent impressions of the other's program. Empirical data suggests that each major possesses qualities to satisfy the specific course's individual needs. This resulted in the conclusion that the Mechanical Engineering Department was on the right path by supporting the Course 2-A major and by recognizing and catering to two separate populations, one with an interest in depth and one with an interest in breadth.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Batra, Neha, S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Anette E. Hosoi.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59891

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/59891