Applied Engineering Sciences (AES) stands out at Michigan State University. The interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program combines the technical strengths of engineering with business expertise resulting in one of the highest placement rates in the College of Engineering at MSU.
AES students choose from six concentrations - business analytics with data science minor, business law, computer science, packaging, supply chain management or technical sales.
“Our unique curriculum complements a broad foundation in engineering science with business fundamentals to develop the next generation of business and industry leaders,” said AES Director Laura Genik. “As our students pursue their interests and passions, they become particularly well suited to contribute within the workforce.”
Genik noted that AES is focused on developing strong problem solvers with excellent people skills, students who bring an integrated approach to understanding and managing complex business and engineered systems.
Third-year student Tyler Crockett said the diverse concentration options create a beneficial scenario for students by bringing different mindsets into the same classroom. Crockett’s interests are in supply chain management and technical sales.
“In AES, you can curate engineering and business as much as you want. For instance, I have three minors – sales leadership, entrepreneurship and business. The confidence you gain, and the presentation skills you learn, become very important.”
Crockett said AES majors seem to have certain characteristics – they are comfortable in learning new materials and tend to learn quickly. Those student traits especially carry over to the AES student club, the Society of Applied Engineering Sciences (SAES), he said.
Crockett is the current SAES president.
“Being part of SAES is an opportunity to grow in your major. SAES’s goals are to provide high quality professional development opportunities while promoting the AES major and strengthening our community,” he explained.
Recent SAES events included a mock interview where AES alumni joined students on Zoom for practice interviews and feedback. “AES alumni are extremely committed to the growth of the major. They are a truly amazing group,” Crockett continued.
SAES also hosted a networking event in collaboration with MSU’s Center for Spartan Engineering. “This event was a smaller version of a career fair, where we had six or seven companies come in to speak primarily with AES students. The event was open to all MSU majors. The mock interviews and the networking event were an aggressive step up from typical SAES Mixers in the past, which usually had four companies participating.”
The current SAES E-Board members are:
- President: Tyler Crockett
- Vice President: Ben Busch
- Director of Internal Relations: Evan Berry
- Director of External Relations: Trevor Tognetti
- Director of Public Relations: Michael Khzouz
- Events Director: Rosie Miller
- Committee Director: Kyle Zavinsky
- Treasurer: Kaylyn Nuttall
Leaders in training are:
- President Chair: Aidan Verble
- Vice President Chair: Caden VanderBerg
- Director of Internal Relations Chair: Benjamin West
- Director of External Relations Chair: Ashley Sleeva
- Events Director Chair: Isha Patel
“Together, we all work to keep our students at the top of the hiring pool,” Crockett added.
Written by Patricia Mroczek.
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page