DSU placement rates at 99.7%
June 20, 2023
Dakota State University is excited to announce the Class of 2022’s placement rates are at 99.7%.
Placement rates are the number of graduates who report finding employment, volunteer work, military service, or continuing education after graduation.
“We are so fortunate to have the students we do,” said Kelly Greene, Director of Career and Professional Development. “They are motivated, driven, and passionate about their career path, which makes our job even easier. They understand the importance of seeking out experiential learning opportunities, extended learning, and working on major related projects before graduation, which only aids in their success of being offered a full-time opportunity prior to graduation.”
Prior to graduation, the Career and Professional Development Department helps students prepare for their future through career and internship fairs, résumé reviews, mock interviews, dressing for success, and much more.
“All of our events, resources, and services are available online and in person,” Greene explained. “We want to ensure our online students have access to all that our on-campus students do. We offer virtual employer information sessions, employer interviews, résumé reviews, mock interviews, and more. Online students can look at the employer list for one of the career and internship fairs, and we will connect them with those employers.”
The department also developed an Adulting 101 series a few years ago, which provides sessions on topics like finances, communication, conflict resolution, and tips for the interview process.
“We must keep current with the trends and continuously enhance and develop new career development opportunities for our students,” Green said.
Additionally, they offer nearly 30 different resources, such as resume writing and salary negotiation. Students and alumni can learn about internships and job openings nationwide through the student support application called Handshake.
“It’s about networking, and we want to network with you,” Greene said. “We’re reaching out to employers, faculty, advisors, and alumni to build those connections and help our students build those relationships.”
Greene finds satisfaction in hearing from students who are graduating with multiple job opportunities, enabling them to choose which one they want to take. “To see students work so hard, utilize all the many college to career path opportunities and then receive that offer they have been hoping for – makes it all worth it, and that is what we are here for.”
Graduates of DSU have gone on to work at Amazon Web Services, Epic, Federated Insurance, IBM, the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade, Dropbox, Lockheed Martin, Kraft Heinz, Viacom CBS, Oracle, U.S. Department of Defense, Verizon, and more.
“Our end goal is for our students to walk across the stage with an offer in hand,” she said.