Purdue Ranked 4th in Wall Street Journal’s Job Recruiter Rankings

PurdueLogo.jpegA Wall Street Journal survey of corporate recruiters released Monday (Sept. 13) ranks Purdue University fourth in the nation in preparing its students for the work force.

"This confirms that Purdue gets students ready to succeed in the real world," said Timothy Sands, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. "Companies are hiring the whole student, and ours have a solid work ethic, strong leadership skills and real-world experience. Job recruiters recognize our emphasis on internships, learning communities, study abroad, writing in the disciplines and other programs that give our students a well-rounded education."

In the survey's specialty rankings, Purdue was ranked first in management information systems, second in engineering and eighth in computer science.

In the overall rankings, Penn State University was No. 1, followed by Texas A&M University and the University of Illinois.

The newspaper surveyed 842 top recruiting executives to find the schools that best prepare students to land satisfying, well-paying jobs that also have growth potential. Responses from 479 recruiters were received. As a group, the survey participants hired more than 43,000 new graduates in the past year.

A sample of recruiter comments about Purdue, mentioned in the Wall Street Journal story accompanying the ranking, included "Longstanding relationships, great deal of executive involvement, well-rounded programs."

"This is consistent with feedback that we receive from employers," said Timothy Luzader, director of Purdue's Center for Career Opportunities. "Employers have told us that they know they are getting solid students who have a proven track record. The timing of this ranking is interesting because it coincides with one of the busiest weeks for job fairs on campus."

Those events include the 31st annual Industrial Roundtable on Tuesday (Sept. 14) and Wednesday (Sept. 15) and the Krannert School of Management Undergraduate Fall Career Fair, which runs from Wednesday (Sept. 13) through Friday (Sept. 17).

Sponsored by the Purdue Engineering Student Council, the Industrial Roundtable will feature more than 265 companies and 5,000 students in an outdoor job fair on Purdue's Memorial Mall. Participating companies are recruiting for full-time, co-op and internship positions.

To see the complete Wall Street Journal recruiter rankings, go to http://online.wsj.com/public/page/rankings-career-college-majors.html