TCU Students Explore Engineering Consulting in Brand-New Course

Before the spring semester of 2025, few students at Texas Christian University’s College of Science & Engineering knew much about consulting engineering and their many post-grad employment options. As part of our partnership with the university, Freese and Nichols Electrical Engineer Dan Koss led a new, senior-level elective to broaden students’ knowledge about the field: Introduction to Consulting Engineering.

Because engineering programs are focused on technical skills, universities tend to emphasize research or industrial applications of engineering and don’t teach the soft skills involved in consulting engineering, said Janelle Casey, Freese and Nichols’ Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist.

Only a small percentage of engineers are engaged in consulting, but it’s an industry that operates in a way that resembles doctors’ and lawyers’ practices, Dan said.

An engineering consulting company typically hires engineers, architects, accountants, drafters, clerks and various support staff. Large firms might hire hundreds, or even thousands, of engineers of all kinds: chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, nuclear and others.

“The goal was to broaden their perspective and better prepare them for the range of opportunities available in the field,” Assistant Division Manager Vimal Nair said. “Dan took the initiative to develop a course, and I am very thankful for that.”

Broadened industry perspective

Hands-on activities in class allowed students to learn new topics through experience.

Students learned about career paths beyond traditional industry roles, the importance of early career preparation, real-world problem solving and the value of professional licensing and certification. Example assignments:

  • Sizing a backup generator through the philosophy of consulting design

  • Addressing client needs through navigating codes and standards of motorized gates

  • Coordinating cross-functionally with other disciplines (architectural, mechanical, electrical, etc.) to navigate a high-level project for a welding shop classroom

Guest speakers from across Freese and Nichols and the industry covered topics such as ethics, project management and consulting. Speakers included Freese and Nichols Board Chairman Bob Pence, Development Specialist Stephanie Buckingham, Stormwater Engineer Matt Giglio, Group Manager Wade Zemlock and Electrical Engineer Teresa Castillon.

“The encouragement from someone outside of the regular faculty explaining why pursuing professional licensing is so important is something they gained from taking this course,” TCU Engineering Department Chair Stephen Weis said.

The course provided insights that students might not see on their first job after graduation, including:

  • Components of a project handled by a consulting engineering firm

  • The licensing process

  • The importance of contract documents

  • The construction phase of an infrastructure project

  • Codes of standards and ethics

“Learning is often achieved after doing something poorly,” Steve said. “Universities exist so students can make mistakes and have them corrected before there are severe consequences — so this course allows a student to improve before they arrive at their first place of employment.” 

New understanding and a pipeline

Before this class was available, roughly two of every 10 TCU engineering graduates entered the consulting field, Dan said. But the Class of 2025 reversed that: Nine of the 13 graduates with an electrical engineering emphasis accepted employment in the consulting industry. 

Also, six students took — and passed — the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, and another six plan to take the test soon. The FE designates an Engineer in Training, the first step in the process of becoming a licensed Professional Engineer.

Overall, the class received positive feedback, and Steve said the department plans to start offering it yearly. He said at least three students who are now working in the consulting industry said they wouldn’t have considered it had they not taken the class. 

A sample comment from anonymous course reviews:

I appreciated the time Professor Koss took to provide detailed comments on my work. He was understanding when most of us were not familiar with consulting, but the comments helped me take note of what to improve on in the future as well as get another perspective on how someone else would approach the problem.