Beyond the Final Examination – What Do Industry Experts Look For?

An MSc final examination is not only an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge. For the industry representatives serving on the examination committee, it is also a valuable opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the preparedness of the next generation of engineers. We spoke with János Dániel Füzesi from Robert Bosch Ltd. and Zoltán Somogyi from AVL Hungary about their impressions of this year’s examinations, the qualities they look for in early-career engineers, and how they assess the students of the Department of Automotive Technologies at BME.

According to both industry representatives, a final examination reveals far more than a student’s ability to deliver a polished presentation.

For János Dániel Füzesi, the most important aspect is the candidate’s way of thinking.

“A well-structured thesis clearly demonstrates how the candidate approached the problem, how systematically they worked through it, how they arrived at their solution, and whether they maintained an engineering mindset throughout the entire process. That tells us much more about their real capabilities than presentation skills alone.”

He also pointed out that confidence by itself is not enough.

“Some people are naturally excellent presenters, while others are quieter and more reserved. What defines a good engineer is not personality, but the ability to stand behind their own work with credibility and solid technical substance.”

Zoltán Somogyi highlighted another equally important aspect.

“Engineers are often naturally introverted. Nevertheless, today it is essential that they can communicate and defend their own results. Modern automotive development is fundamentally teamwork, so communication is no longer an ‘extra skill’—it has become an integral part of engineering.”

He also emphasized the importance of systems thinking.

“We wanted to see whether students could step beyond the details of their thesis and place their work into a broader engineering context. That is why many of our questions went beyond the specific technical results.”

Positive surprises

Both experts agreed that the students exceeded their expectations in several respects.

For Zoltán Somogyi, the quality of the presentations was particularly impressive.

“When I graduated, presentation skills received far less attention than they do today. This time we saw presentations with clear structure, well-designed slides and effective visual communication. AI tools are probably helping students prepare more professional presentations as well.”

For János Dániel Füzesi, one of the most inspiring aspects was the diversity of perspectives brought by the international students.

“It was fascinating to see how students from different countries approached different challenges. One thesis, for example, explored the second-life use of electric vehicle batteries in residential energy storage systems. These different perspectives always enrich engineering thinking.”

What does industry look for today?

When asked to identify the single most important quality in a young engineer, both experts gave remarkably similar answers.

For Zoltán Somogyi, it is systems-level analytical thinking.

“Today, AI can provide enormous amounts of information within seconds. What distinguishes a good engineer is the ability to understand relationships, think systematically and approach problems in a structured way.”

János Dániel Füzesi focused more on personal qualities.

“Curiosity and the desire for continuous learning are probably the most valuable characteristics. It is equally important to have the humility to recognize that earning a degree is not the end of learning—it is the beginning of a new stage of professional development.”

Being an engineer in the age of AI

Naturally, the conversation also turned to artificial intelligence.

Both experts agreed that AI will fundamentally reshape engineering work, making it increasingly difficult to predict which tasks will remain exclusively human in the long term.

However, they were equally convinced that identifying the right problems, asking the right questions, and defining development goals will continue to be core engineering responsibilities.

“AI can become an excellent professional assistant, but engineers must still decide which problems are worth solving and what constitutes a successful solution,” said Zoltán Somogyi.

Why does industry participation matter?

Towards the end of the discussion, we also asked why it is important for industry representatives to participate in final examination committees.

According to János Dániel Füzesi, their presence sends an important message in itself.

“Having industry representatives on the examination committee demonstrates that the final examination extends beyond the university. It not only adds further recognition to students’ achievements but also creates an opportunity for mutual learning between academia and industry, strengthening the partnership between them.”

Zoltán Somogyi added that these examinations also provide valuable feedback for industry.

From this year’s experience, he found it particularly encouraging that the thesis topics addressed challenges currently faced by the automotive sector, while students demonstrated increasing confidence in using simulation environments, programming tools and advanced engineering software.

By the end of the examination day, it was not only the students who received valuable feedback on their performance. The industry representatives also left with a clear impression that the Department of Automotive Technologies at BME is educating engineers who are working on relevant, up-to-date topics, are capable of systems-level thinking, and are becoming increasingly confident in presenting and defending their own engineering work.