Case study in Mexico: the civil engineering students give opinion about their weaknesses at the time they leave the university

Abstract

This research deals with the problem of the perception, that the civil engineering students have, about the profession at the time when they conclude their studies. The research methods used are based in a qualitative and exploratory approach in order to get the students perceptions of their professional weaknesses at the time they leave the university. These perceptions are complemented and contrasted whit those coming from professors and employers that interact with the students during their studies and when they get involved in the professional practice, respectively. The results showed that, accordingly to their experiences, the students have a narrow vision of their profession. In addition, the student’s opinions about their weaknesses when they started their professional studies and about the curricular contents they considered as low in utility and high in difficulty was also explored.