More than a degree: BCoE grads have Bulldog Engineering power

Many schools offer degrees in engineering. They all boast similar classes, facilities and extra-curricular activities. So, what makes one school different from another?

In most cases, there's not a lot of basis for differentiation except maybe cost, location and admission standards. However, in a world of homogeneous choices, the Bagley College of Engineering and its students and alumni have proven time and again that they are a different breed. They're Bulldog Engineers.

Bulldog Engineers stand out from the pack and not just because they look so sharp on Maroon Fridays or have the most unique office decorations—cowbells. These men and women possess a unique spirit, a down to Earth mentality that allows them to get things done and find solutions to the world's problems. And people both in and out of the Magnolia State are beginning to take notice.

This fall, more than 108 companies attended the annual Mississippi State Career Fair in order to specifically recruit Bulldog Engineers. Landon Summers, a senior coordinator at the university Career Center, said that BCoE graduates have gained a reputation for being valuable employees.

"Mississippi State engineers graduate with great practical experience in their field of study and are more prepared for the real world," Summers said. "I believe it is because of our students' sense of practical application and strong work ethic, which is often developed through the cooperative education program."

Michael Barton, former president of the Engineering Student Council, described Bulldog Engineers as being task-oriented and very competent in their fields. He said he believes this stems from the culture of the college, whicssh encourages hands-on learning and scholarly discovery.

"The size of the BCoE allows the departments to be close-knit," Barton said. "Our faculty members are very helpful to students, and even undergraduates have the opportunity to get involved in many different projects including co-op, student design teams and research."

It's these experiences that shape the Bulldog Engineer giving him or her the ability to develop a theory, conduct an experiment, or get down to the nuts and bolts of a project without delay. It seems like common sense, to be able to apply your knowledge upon graduation, but don't take it for granted. It's this skill that makes BCoE graduates, from every level and every major, a hot commodity in the engineering industry today.

You might be a Bulldog Engineer if you've…

• Calculated how much duct tape is required to hold a freshman to a wall

• Done laps around The Hump, in business attire, in order to hand your resume to as many potential employers as possible

• Worked on homework during halftime of a football game at Scott Field

• Spent more time with your classmates than your roommates

• Felt a sense of loss during school breaks because there was no homework to do

• Stopped to talk shop with a professor in an aisle at the Piggly Wiggly

• Made a list of the most comfortable chairs in the library

• Devised a new theory while in traffic on Engineering Row

• Bragged about your calculator to a group of friends while hanging out on the Drill Field

• Bailed on Super Bulldog Weekend because you had plans to attend a voluntary lecture

 

Are you a Bulldog Engineer? Share your Bulldog Engineering stories on our Facebook page or on Twitter using #bdawgengr. Download our certificate to show the world that you got more than a degree. You have the mind-set of a Bulldog Engineer.

Special thanks to Wesley Holland, Bruce Mainka, Andy Odenthal, Dennis Truax, and Steven C. Waller for contributing ideas for this list.