Students graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering can expect to be in high demand and receive a well-paying salary, said Debra JohnyBear, assistant chair of the mechanical engineering department.The major is one of the “five hottest” recently released by Collegegrad.com and the Job Outlook 2005 survey. Other top majors are business management, economics, electrical engineering and accounting.”The job market is actively seeking these students,” said Melissa Ridgway, a career counselor at Career Services. “There are now more job opportunities than in previous years.” Mechanical engineering students go into many different career fields, such as medicine, law and business. The technical background of our graduates is valuable, Johny Bear said. “Economics and business majors develop logical reasoning skills,” said Jeffrey Monroe, a junior in economics and math. He said learning how our economy works is important for everyone.”The knowledge students can gain from a business major is both applicable and practical to understanding how companies function,” Monroe said. Thomas Novotny, a senior in economics and philosophy, said preparation in business exposes students to analytical reasoning skills and is a good foundation for graduate school. He plans to attend law school after earning his undergraduate degree.