Engineering

Gain Experience

To confirm your interest in a field, to develop the skills and knowledge needed for graduate study, and to prove your abilities to graduate schools, you’ll need to prepare academically and obtain relevant practical experience.

• Explore your field of interest through relevant classes, majors & minors at UC San Diego
• Talk to faculty, graduate students, and alumni in your field
• Pursue research opportunities on or off campus
• Get a relevant job or internship
• Consider doing a Computer Science, Environmental Studies, or other relevant minor
• Investigate engineering internships or an academic internship
• Join a student organization UC San Diego Center For Student Involvement - Student Organization Registration or professional associations in your field
• Do an independent project i.e. develop a mobile app

Prep for Graduate School

Before applying to graduate school, you want to consider whether graduate school is right for you. You want to ask yourself if you actually need a graduate degree to do your ideal job. To explore that, try looking at some job descriptions of the types of positions you want and see what they are asking for in an applicant. Once you've determine if graduate school is necessary then you want to select and apply to the program that best fits your professional goals. Below are some tools which can help you explore and prepare for graduate programs:

• Gradschools.com
• Peterson's
• Attend our Graduate School Fair to learn about programs from school representatives
• Attend an Idealist Grad School Fair
• Pay for graduate school

Get the Job

To get a job or internship, make sure to prepare in advance:

• Write a well-crafted resume and cover letter
• Speak to an alumni through the Alumni Advisor Network for professional development, questions, and as a resource
• Create a LinkedIn account and update it to reflect your skills and strengths
• Attend a Career Fair on on-campus information session
• Come up with a list of 3-4 professional references
• Apply for research opportunities, jobs and internships, or the Team Internship Program
• Consider the Academic Internship Program