15% Improvement in Employment Rate for SUTD’s Third Batch of Graduates

09 Sep 2017

• More than 60% of engineering graduates already secured jobs prior to graduation)
• First batch of eight PhD students graduate

 
The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) celebrated the graduation of its third batch of undergraduate students today. Another significant milestone for SUTD is the graduation of its first batch of eight PhD students. In total, over 300 students attended the ceremony and 62 graduate and 267 undergraduate students received their degree certificates (Annex B).
 
SUTD students continue to be well-received by employers as over 60 per cent of undergraduates have secured jobs prior to graduation, a 15 per cent increase compared to last year’s employment rates at point of graduation, despite the challenging economic conditions. About one in four graduates received return offers from their internship companies. Among those who secured jobs, around 75 per cent of them will be working in jobs or companies that contribute towards the Smart Nation initiative, with the top three sectors being Information and Communication, Financial and Insurance and Public Administration and Defence.¹
 
Of the 62 graduate students, eight are from the pioneer batch of the SUTD PhD programme. These PhD students have done cutting-edge research in areas such as alternative network management technologies, improved batteries, shared mobility, with the aim to address societal needs.
 
Engineering Product Development graduate, 26-year-old M Sabareesh Nair, said: “I envision a future where technology, design and liberal arts will converge together to better aid in understanding and solving societal needs and I believe SUTD’s unique pedagogy incorporates some of these elements. Apart from my stimulating undergraduate programme, I also had the opportunity to go overseas to MIT and Zhejiang University for exchange and even represented SUTD to attend the European Innovation Academy (EIA) entrepreneurship bootcamp in Italy. Besides travelling, I also pursued my passion for research and knowledge sharing by undertaking two undergraduate research projects and being a teaching assistant. These experiences, plus the myriad overseas opportunities I was exposed to, equipped me with a strong technically grounded education that enables me to be well-prepared to face the challenges of my future working environment.” Sabareesh will be working with Spring Singapore after graduating.
 
One of SUTD’s pioneer PhD graduates, Huang Zhixiang, 29, said: “Over the past four years under the SUTD PhD programme, I conducted materials engineering research where I designed, synthesised and studied nanomaterials with the aim of improving the performance and safety of Lithium-ion batteries. The PhD project was conducted as part of an industry collaboration between Airbus Singapore and SUTD through an Industrial PhD programme supported by the Economic Development Board. The industry-relevance and importance of the research project led to findings that brought about the filing of two patents, multiple journal publications as well as academic poster awards from conferences.” Zhixiang has joined A*STAR’s Science and Engineering Research Council, where he is part of the team that plans and promotes research and development in the physical sciences and engineering.
 
SUTD President, Professor Thomas Magnanti said: “Time has flown and we are now celebrating the graduation of our third batch of undergraduate students and our first batch of PhD students. Employers continue to be very receptive to our students as we saw a 15 per cent increase in employment rate compared to graduation last year, despite the challenging economy. SUTD has also prepared our students with the relevant skills aligned with Singapore’s push towards becoming a smart nation, with three out of four students securing jobs with companies in this area. With our unique pedagogy, our graduates are groomed to become technically-grounded leaders and innovators who can help create a better world through technology and design.”