This spring, at two packed convocation ceremonies, a crowd of newly minted engineers ebulliently cheered under a rain of fireworks, balloons and confetti as the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence extended congratulations to 1,824 computer science graduates — one of the largest classes in the country.
It was also the largest computer science class in the history of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. As the students celebrated, they also prepared for their futures.
“This was a challenging degree and there were many times I questioned if I could pull it all off,” says Emily Williamson, a 2024 graduate who received her degree in software engineering and recently started in her new role at GoDaddy. “But I have now secured a job at a company I used to dream about, and I see endless possibilities for the future.”
The class of historic size honors the commitment at ASU and the Fulton Schools to fill the engineering jobs pipeline.
Graduating greatness
Sending a record number of graduates into the workforce is both a point of pride and focus of concern for Ross Maciejewski, director of the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, who is keen to see students connect with good job opportunities.
“The vision of the New American University is all about broad access to quality education,” Maciejewski says. “But, of course, we hope that our students’ efforts here ultimately lead to work they find meaningful and fulfilling.”
ASU continues to rank highly among top U.S. institutions for employable graduates. And students in the Fulton Schools have the coding chops to succeed. ASU placed high on CodeSignal’s annual University Ranking Report, which ranks the top 50 national universities based on technical skills. The same report also urged employers to look harder at ASU students when searching for strong engineering talent, naming the university as one of the top five schools under-targeted by recruiters.
Toward that end, Maciejewski and his team convene regular meetings of an industry council, a group of advisors from companies such as Intel and Amazon, that provides feedback on how students can remain competitive in the jobs market.
Anthony Tam, business development director in the Fulton Schools, says the team is focused on building bridges with industry partners to ensure graduates have the necessary skills to access top job opportunities.
“We are developing relationships with both local and global employers,” Tam says. “While our goal is to foster lifelong learners, we also strive to equip students with industry-relevant experiences and ensure they feel confident in their skills.”
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