There are distinct advantages for those graduating from one of the five oldest engineering programs in America, and one that is consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally. By graduation each May, 85% of The Citadel School of Engineering students are employed, with 99 percent employed within two months of graduation.

“The combination of a highly relevant engineering curriculum combined with four years of required leadership training makes a Citadel educated engineer a highly desired addition to many teams,” said Col. Ron Welch, USA (Ret), Ph.D., PE. and dean for The Citadel School of Engineering. “The Class of 2020 is no exception and finished with outstanding results.”

The breakout of 2020 graduates from the five Bachelor of Science degree programs and the four Master of Science programs is as follows:

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South Carolina Corp of Cadets Bachelor of Science

• Mechanical Engineering: 66
• Civil and Environmental Engineering: 31
• Electrical Engineering: 15
• Construction Engineering: 9

Degree Transfer Undergraduate Programs (non-cadet)

• Mechanical Engineering: 11
• Civil and Environmental Engineering: 11
• Electrical Engineering: 9

Master of Science Programs

• Project Management: 20
• Civil and Environmental Engineering: 2
• Electrical Engineering: 2

Where are they working?

Here is a look at what some members of The Citadel School of Engineering Class of 2020 shared about their next steps and about their Citadel experience.

Christian Brackett

Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Campobello, South Carolina
Destination: Lockheed Martin, Greenville, South Carolina

“The Citadel makes you become the kind of person everyone wants to be. You become reliable and honorable.”

John Croft

Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Destination: HITT Contracting for HITT Future’s Program as a project engineer based out of Falls Church, Virginia.

“The Citadel will mold you into the man or woman that you will want to become and set you up for your future. The value of the ring goes beyond that of any other college.”

Second Lt. Preston Dawes, USA

Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Milton, Georgia
Destination: W.M. Jordan Company in Wilmington, North Carolina

“I got a 4-year Army ROTC scholarship my senior year of high school which solidified my choice to go to The Citadel to make myself the best leader possible.”

Second Lt. William Durnan

Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyoming
Destination: U.S. Army

“The Citadel provides a realistic experience of life. You learn to deal with difficult people and situations, the kind that you cannot back out of. It teaches you to remain humble always and understand the power of being a leader. For those that choose to pursue a leadership position in the Corps, you’ll know the challenge of juggling school, the duties of your position, physical exercise, extracurricular activities, and a social life. Ultimately you learn sacrifice, you can’t do everything or be everywhere and applying yourself in one place means you won’t be giving all your effort somewhere else. The Citadel will force you to prioritize and for many it will be a gut check but will likely make you a more mature person upon graduation.”

Ensign Ethan Eich

Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Simpsonville, South Carolina
Destination: United States Navy

“The Citadel challenges every many and woman to be something more than just an individual.”

Second Lt. Jon-Scot Gilstrap, USAF

Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: York, South Carolina
Destination: Working as an engineer in the U.S. Air Force, Join Base Charleston

“The Citadel’s attention to detail really develops you and teaches you how to prioritize time. Going forward, I hope to make a lasting impact on those around me, to do my job to the best of my ability and to make myself available to anyone who needs help. Also, I hope to keep the friendships which I made here at The Citadel for life.”

Nicholas Harington

Degree: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Hometown: Conway, South Carolina
Destination: Mead and Hunt working as an aviation civil engineer planning and designing airports

“I really liked the small size of The Citadel and the class sizes.”

Second Lt. Dennis McCann

Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Long Island, New York
Destination: Civil engineer at Naval Information Warfare Center; U.S. Army Reserves

“The best reasons to attend The Citadel are the sense of community, the friendships and the connections.”

Thomas Murray

Degree: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Destination: Working as a civil designer for Dennis Corporation in Columbia, South Carolina

“At The Citadel you will make friends that will last a lifetime. Also, you will learn what it takes to develop yourself into a professional in your chosen occupation.”

Zacarias Neu

Degree: Construction Engineering
Hometown: Smyrna, Georgia
Destination: Project engineer with Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in the Charleston operation

“I will be working my way up to become a project manager on constructions sites. To me, the best reason to attend The Citadel is the lifelong family you gain.”

Gabriel Ramos

Degree: Electrical Engineering
Hometown: Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Destination: SAIC, Charleston

“The small class sizes give students access to a highly professional and knowledgeable staff. The professors’ backgrounds — which includes career military officers, industry executives, researchers, and academics — provided insight into my many options after graduation. As a bonus, The Citadel is in Charleston and you can’t beat that.”

Samuel Santiago

Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Powell Butte, Oregon
Destination: United States Coast Guard

Dawn Wells, The Citadel Graduate College

Degree: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Destination: Mead and Hunt working as a transportation engineer with a focus on drainages design.

“I love The Citadel’s small class sizes, great professors, and the excellent, well-rounded curriculum.”

Master of Science in Project Management Graduates

Professional project managers work in almost every industry and work as leaders who plan and execute projects and are key contributors to the success of that venture. The Citadel’s Project Management Program, operated by the School of Engineering, is accredited by the world’s leading specialized accrediting body for project management programs, Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs.

Working professionals from many job sectors study project management.

“I will continue my work for the Naval Information Warfare Center as a security specialist, working my way up the ranks of leadership,” said Michael Popovich, The Citadel Graduate College Class of 2020. “My duties include deployment of a physical enclave into a cloud environment and maintaining management, operational, and technical security controls to protect critical medical health information for US service members.”

Popovich has a son who is a member of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, which is one of the reasons he considered The Citadel for his master’s degree.

“My hope is to build a meaningful family legacy rich in tradition. My younger brother graduated from the Corps of Cadets in 2008 and my oldest son is currently part of the 2022 class. I have two other boys and I intend for them to both attend The Citadel in the future. My dream is for the family table to be full of Citadel rings during future holidays.”

The full list of the college’s new Master of Science in Project Management 2020 graduates is as follows:

• Christina Soyden Arnold
• John Zachary Burchfield
• Jay Baxter Caldwell III
• Daniel Alexander Curlee
• Stephen Pablo Fernandez de Bobadilla
• Martin James Fosberry III
• Kara Marie Klein
• Mary Frances Mace
• Jeremy Stephen Mackey
• Patrick Dennis Magnum, Jr.
• Sara Moeller Massey
• Scott Owens
• Matthew Kellard Paiva
• Brian Benjamin Parker
• Benjamin Franklin Parmenter II
• Michael Jacob Popovich
• Gabriel Omar Ramos
• Thomas Adam Schaefer
• John Lucas Semsar
• Devon Lambert Wall

To learn more about The Citadel School of Engineering, please visit this website.