Innovative incorporation of industry certifications to enhance recruiting and retention in civil engineering

Recruiting and retention are common challenges that engineering programs deal with on a regular basis. To address these challenges, universities seek innovative ways to market their programs while simultaneously improving their curricula to align with industry standards. With this in mind, the Department of Civil Engineering at Lawrence Technological University is incorporating standard industry certifications in its undergraduate curriculum to enhance students´ educational experience and increase the value proposition of the curriculum. The certifications provide students with an advantage when searching for internships and are offered through the regular curriculum saving students time and money. In addition, incorporating industry recognized certifications as part of the standard curriculum establishes the relevance of their coursework and demonstrates the Department is responsive to industry needs. The goal of this Work-in-Progress study is to collect data from certified students to determine the impact the certifications have on retention and how they can be used to recruit new students.