What should I do next? How advanced engineering students decide their post-baccalaureate plans

To describe how advanced engineering students decide their post-baccalaureate plans, we conducted a mixed-methods study with engineering students at a large public university in the Midwest. According to the surveys, there were no statistically significant differences between men and women in their choices of post-baccalaureate plans. Students who had positive undergraduate research experiences and students who felt attached to their departments as undergraduates were more likely to enter graduate school immediately after graduation. Students who had industrial internships were more likely to enter professional practice immediately. From the interview data, we defined eight decision style archetypes that characterize how students make post-baccalaureate plans.

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