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| Learn About Graduate School Alumni |
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Purdue University has an outstanding history of graduate student alumni that have achieved extraordinary accomplishments and successes throughout their careers and lives. Since its inception in 1929, the Graduate School has awarded more than 90,000 degrees.
Alumni make a difference both around the country and around the world. You can review this page to answer:
Who are the top employers of Purdue Graduate School alumni?
Purdue Graduate School alumni benefit from Purdue’s reputation as a premier institution, which helps launch them into exciting careers in their area of interest. Graduates from the Purdue University Graduate School enjoy exciting careers from some of the world’s top employers (see Table 1).
Table 1. Some of the top employers of Purdue Graduate School alumni*
| Alcatel-Lucent |
Hewlett-Packard Company |
| AT&T Corporation |
Intel Corporation |
| Boeing Company |
International Business Machines |
| Cummins, Inc. |
Lockheed Martin Corporation |
| E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. |
Motorola Incorporated |
| Eli Lilly and Company |
Pfizer Incorporated |
| Exxon Mobil Corporation |
Procter & Gamble Company |
| General Electric Company |
Sandia National Laboratories |
| General Motors Corporation |
Walgreen Company |
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What do graduate alumni say about their experiences at Purdue?
One of the best resources you have to determine which graduate school is right for you are the graduate students that came before you. Review what some alumni say about how Purdue helped them advance to a higher degree and why they selected Purdue as their graduate institution of choice.
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Dr. Jeff Butts
Assistant Superintendent, M.S.D of Wayne Township
2005 PhD Graduate, Education
Purdue’s focus on quality research and the national recognition that the University has earned resulted in a Ph.D. degree that opened up unlimited opportunities for me upon graduation.
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Anna Gilbert
Consultant, Trinity Consultants
2005 MS Graduate, Mechanical Engineering
Purdue offered a wide variety of research, along with approachable professors. I was able to approach most professors to seek help and he/she always found time to help despite busy schedules.
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Dr. Juan Andrade
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
2005 PhD Graduate, Foods and Nutrition
Purdue has a diverse and well suited group of interdisciplinary programs that maintain the formula to face increasingly changing markets, societies, and countries.
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Dr. Nithyakala Karuppaswamy
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development Counseling
University of Illinois at Springfield, IL
2005 PhD Graduate, Marriage and Family Therapy
Purdue is a great place to pursue an advanced degree. It has a reputation for providing a world-class education in many fields. This has increased my credibility and value in the job market, which has opened many doors of opportunity for me. And, its emphasis on the holistic development of students both challenged us and pushed us to grow and evolve both as individuals and professionals. Purdue also provided me with research and teaching assistantship opportunities that financed my education and living expenses.
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Kristian Bruce
Process Improvement Manager
The Citigroup Private Bank
2005 MBA Graduate
My wife and I, both from Costa Rica, were looking for a master’s program that had both great diversity and focused on the main areas we wanted to develop. I was looking for operations and she was looking for human resources. The choice was obvious. Krannert offered both a top-MBA program and the unique MSHRM degree. And with 40 percent international students the program was even more appealing since we were looking at being exposed to different cultures.
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Garrett Buhr
Chrysler Institute of Engineering, DaimlerChrysler Corporation
2005 MSE-MBA Graduate
The dual degree program from Purdue and Kelley allowed me to obtain both the MSE and MBA from two reputable schools while maintaining a full-time career. As an executive-sponsored Manufacturing Trainee with DaimlerChrysler, the program made it possible for me to augment my education by applying both fields of study to daily issues at work. These degrees will also equip me with the knowledge to advance through various organizations within DaimlerChrysler or any corporation. Individually the degrees are valuable, but combined they offer a global perspective for educated decision-making within an organization.
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Dr. Pete Ward
Assistant Professor
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
2005 PhD Graduate, Basic Medical Sciences
Purdue has prepared me to walk into a faculty position without missing a step. Not only do I have the necessary intellectual knowledge in my topic, but I have also made connections with important members in the professional community.
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Dr. Wind Goodfriend
Assistant Professor
Boise State University, Idaho
2004 PhD Graduate, Psychological Sciences
Purdue has changed my life and my perspective on my field (psychology). I understand professional issues, how to navigate conferences and colleagues, and how to pursue my own career goals. Purdue has everything you need to be a stellar success -- all you need to do is make the decision to go!
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Ellen Chow
Supervising Dietitian
Sacramento County Health Department
2004 MS Graduate, Foods and Nutrition
My advisor gave me enormous support throughout my studies at Purdue. I know I was an individual, not just another student who passed through the program.
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Dr. Steven A. Stofferhan
Assistant Professor of History
Indiana State University
2004 PhD Graduate, History
As a world-class institution, Purdue earnestly seeks to provide its students with the essentials for a successful graduate career: dedicated faculty, high expectations, individualized attention, reliable funding, solid infrastructure, and a commitment to help them make the best of their training—all at a vibrant university in a great community.
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Tia Cummings
Marketing and Communications Strategy Manager
Applied Technologies Group for Pratt & Whitney
A United Technologies Company
2004 MBA Graduate
Because of the emphasis put on teamwork and networking at Purdue, I have established myself as a team player at Pratt. I know how to meet the right people and get them involved in active, productive teams.
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Carrie Lapaire Harmon
Assistant Director, Southern Plant Diagnostic Network
Assistant-In faculty Department of Plant Pathology
University of Florida
2003 MS Graduate, Botany and Plant Pathology
Purdue University provided me with the tools and connections to succeed. My training in plant pathology began in a successful laboratory, under the advisement of highly-recognized faculty. The Purdue University Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory provided me with hands-on practice of the knowledge gained in the classroom. In my position now with the University of Florida, I draw on all of these facets to deliver basic and applied plant pathology research information to diagnosticians, producers, and extension faculty in Florida and across the Southeast United States.
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Jennifer Karas Montez
Global Strategy Manager
Shell Oil Company
1994 MS Graduate, Statistics
My degree in statistics from Purdue has proven absolutely invaluable.
The ability to think through complex problems – from defining the problem to solving it – is a skill that employers strongly value. In fact, this skill was a key factor in my progression through varied roles in Shell and the companies I worked for prior. Moreover, Purdue's statistics program is one of the best in the country, which gave me the technical tools and confidence I needed. |
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What areas of study did Purdue Graduate School alumni pursue?
Purdue graduate students choose from over 70 highly ranked programs of study, including several innovative interdisciplinary options. Purdue University is organized into 10 academic colleges and schools, each with its own departments and areas of specialization. Table 2 shows the number of graduate alumni from each of the colleges and schools. Click on the college or school name for more information about its programs of study.
Table 2. Number of graduate alumni holding advanced degrees by college/school*
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Where do Purdue Graduate School alumni come from?
Purdue students hail from all fifty states, nearly 130 countries, and 60 nations. Purdue University ranks second in international enrollment among all public U.S. colleges and universities. View this world map from the Office of the Registrar to learn about Purdue alumni from all over the world.
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Where do Purdue Graduate School alumni live?
Purdue Graduate School alumni are literally around the globe. Alumni live in all 50 states and
nearly
140 countries. Table 3 shows the top 25 states with over 700 living alumni each. Table 4 shows the top 15 international countries where alumni reside, with over 100 living alumni in each.
Table 3. Top 25 states with the largest number of Purdue Graduate School alumni*
| 1. Indiana |
14. Colorado |
| 2. California |
15. Massachusetts |
| 3. Illinois |
16. Washington |
| 4. Michigan |
17. Wisconsin |
| 5. Texas |
18. Georgia |
| 6. Ohio |
19. Arizona |
| 7. Florida |
20. Minnesota |
| 8. Virginia |
21. Missouri |
| 9. Pennsylvania |
22. Tennessee |
| 10. New York |
23. Connecticut |
| 11. North Carolina |
24. Oregon |
| 12. New Jersey |
25. Kentucky |
| 13. Maryland |
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Table 4. The top 15 international countries where Purdue Graduate School alumni live*
| 1. Taiwan |
9. Thailand |
| 2. India |
10. Mexico |
| 3. Canada |
11. Indonesia |
| 4. South Korea |
12. Turkey |
| 5. China |
13. France |
| 6. Germany |
14. United Kingdom |
| 7. Japan |
15. Singapore |
| 8. Brazil |
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*Information is self-reported by Purdue alumni.
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