An investigation of alumni perceptions of the Industrial Technology undergraduate program at Mississippi State University and its transferability to industry

Industries have changed over the years and the necessary skills required for a person to obtain a position in industry have become more challenging. This study examined alumni perceptions regarding the Industrial Technology program at Mississippi State University and expanded on the literature that is currently available as there is limited information and literature regarding the perception of how alumni view the transferability of knowledge and skills gained in Industrial Technology programs to industry. Information on alumni perception's of their skills and knowledge gained would add pertinent facts to the limited research that is currently being published. There were 35 alumni participants, ranging in age from 23 to 41.;The study used several questions to guide the study of alumni perceptions of the Industrial Technology program at Mississippi State University. What are the alumni perceptions of the transferability of the skills acquired from their Industrial Technology program to industry? What are alumni perceptions of the support services provided in the Industrial Technology program? Does a relationship exist between alumni perceptions of the Industrial Technology program and various demographic characteristics? Do differences exist between alumni who have gained employment in the field of Industrial Technology and those who did not gain employment in Industrial Technology related jobs? The research design was a survey that was a questionnaire adapted from Latif and Sutton's (2001) questionnaire as well as Zargari and Hayes. (2001) questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, simple frequency distribution and percentages were used to analyze data and to interpret the perceptions of the alumni.;Overall, the alumni perceptions of the program were positive and their perceptions also showed that the program met their need to obtain and maintain employment. Over 80% of the alumni perceived that the support services met their needs through advisement, instruction and facilities. Based on the results of this research, alumni have been very useful in identifying the perceptions of the Industrial Technology program at Mississippi State University.