Graduate engineering professional development

Abstract

Effective focus on professional development in graduate engineering programs benefits students, academia, and industry. Formal communication skills, such as writing and presentation skills, are integral to professional development and are an asset for engineers in both academia and industry. However, graduates destined for careers in industry also benefit from informal professional development skills, sometimes called "soft skills" or "people skills" that help them effectively promote ideas and negotiate engineering project concepts with peers inside and outside of the field of engineering. Although industry leaders have noted the lack of soft skills in engineers, even those graduate engineering programs that include instruction in formal communication skills often neglect to include the professional development skills that are so crucial for success in industry. A n engineering program that includes both professional development and communication skills at the graduate level truly prepares students to succeed as engineering professionals in the 21st century.