South Dakota Mines Hosts Largest Career Fair on Record

South Dakota Mines hosted the largest career fair in university history on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Mines routinely hosts some of the biggest career fairs in the state, and the large number of employers and organizations that attended this year reflects the high-value Mines graduates bring to the marketplace.

An upwards of 220 vendors lined up to hire Mines' students for internships and full-time positions. Vendors and employers come from across the county; many are also local employers who will contribute to the growing high-tech economy by keeping Mines' students in state.

The vendors that attended the Mines 2022 Fall Career Fair include companies, military, governmental organizations and universities. Businesses and organizations attending include 3M, Caterpillar, Nevada Gold, Hecla Mining Company, Daktronics, Emerson, Garmin, Kiewit, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nucor, Omnitech, POET, Raven, the US Navy and many, many others.

Mines career fairs are generally attended by over 1,500 students who spread out across two gymnasiums to meet with employers. Mines students remain in high demand with 97% of recent graduates employed in their field of study or attending graduate school. Mines graduates enjoy an average starting salary of $68,685.  While in school, over 70% of Mines students land at least one paid major-related internship before graduation. Mines student interns make an average of $20.96 per hour. Many students use this money to offset their tuition. The cost of attending Mines is lower than many competitors, and the university has been ranked the number one engineering school in the nation for return on investment.

South Dakota Mines' career fairs are open to Mines students and alumni only.