Do you recommend getting a master's? 1

[abusementpark]

Hi guys,

I am just curious what a lot of you guys think about the value of a master's degree in structures. Obviously, with companies starving for engineers, it isn't necessary to get a well-paying job, but will having an advanced degree reap long-term benefits? I'd like to hear what you think...

 

[JedClampett]

A looooooooooooooong time ago, when I got my BS, there were no jobs to be had. So I stuck around, got my masters and got a job after that. The masters degree got me an additional $1.00 an hour, which in those days was about 12% more than a new bachelors.
But of course, that was the salary one year of experience would have got me.
But in the big picture, the masters gave me a lot of confidence. My employer liked it on my resume and in further job hunting, it set me apart from other candidstes.
There's also a lot of noise that a masters is going to be considered the minimum level for engineering graduates, like for architects.

 

[bridgebuster]

I found that the MS filled in the gap for things that either weren't taught in undergraduate school or I was exposed to at work.

I agree with Jed it does give one a sense of accomplishment; whether it brought me more money is hard to say. If you decide to pursue it, I hope your employer foots the bill.

 

[271828]

The last two companies I worked for were moderately high-end structural firms and they required a MS. They got very desperate and hired 3 BS people and encouraged them to get their ME or MS from a local university. They all did that while they worked full time.

Grad school is A LOT more fun than undergrad and you should be able to get it paid for, plus a small salary, if your grades are good. Unless it's financially crippling for some reason, I wouldn't consider NOT going ahead and getting it.

 

[connect2]

I think that a few years of work would be a good thing. Its amazing how out of touch acadamie is with the as-built project. We've hired a number of bachealor individuals, always stunned by how far removed they are from the construction process. Having said that, education is the best thing. Your knowledge is all you have and it can never be taken away from you, it goes way beyond 'market value'. 'Market Value' will only come with time. If you can find a consulting firm that will hire you and then encourage, read pay for your master then this would be the best of both worlds, the real world, ie., application and money, and the world of modeling and theory. Your away then, the future is bright!

 

[JStephen]

Go for it.

 

[civeng80]

Well I remember when I was finishing my bachelor degree I was so tired of academia I couldn't wait to start work and do something a bit more productive. When I did engineering about 25 years ago it was a hard slog, lots of hard work.
My idea is if you like it do it, in my case I just needed a real break, maybe in hindsight I would do it now, but I didn't, so be it, Im still here and still designing and building structures.

Interested to know what others in my vintage think about this topic !

Merry Christmas to all !

 

[JLNJ]

I had to explain last week to a guy with a Master's in structural engineering how there is leeward wind load on a screen wall. I had had similar experiences with two other of our somewhat young engineers with Master's degrees. They all lack some basic understandings and basic ability to problem solve.

All that said, I still would recommend a Master's. I'm just not convinced that it equips one better for the consulting world than one year's experience does.

 

[SperlingPE]

I am not sure that a master's degree is the end all for a structural engineer.
If it is something you want to pursue. investigate several school's programs. They are not the same and a good BS program does not guarantee a good MS program.

We have hired two engineers with MS degrees from the local university. Both of them did their research in prestress concrete girders for bridges. None of which was very relevant to our work. Neither of which was really trained for designing buildings. Both wanted to get into building design when they went and got their MS degrees. Both have said that they woul dhave gone else where had they known what they were getting into.

 

[enigma2]

Perhaps my opinion is biased because I do have a masters degree in structures. However, my BS is in a different branch of engineering and to be up to speed on even the basic civil coursework, a masters degree was purely essential if I wanted to grasp the tasks my work required.

In my experience, the best way to go through grad school is to have an employer pay as you go. This way, your main investment is time, not money, and you can structure your coursework to focus on topics that best suit your day job and make it that much more fulfilling. I think this is more beneficial than completing a masters directly after a BS with little to no work experience.

Be aware, as most academia, post-graduate studies often get a bum wrap for being too theorhetical or too focused on a niche topic. My former grad school advisor would be proud if he could read this, because I fought him tooth and nail about coursework being too theory based. I wanted to learn practical applications. Yet, he repetitively reminded me that you don't learn theory on the job, so it's best to learn it in school. In hindsight, I see the beauty in learning higher engineering theory, because it helps make everything click so much faster.

So, if you already have a BS and have a little experience and your employer is willing to help you out, I'd say you have nothing to lose by going for it.

 

[JAE]

I have a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in structural. The MS was and is incredibly valuable to me. Not in $$ terms but due to the fact that it made me a much better engineer. Without it I would have struggled to truly understand structural engineering.

I have been in the role of hiring in a structural engineering department for many years. All of the MS grads I hired were very good. The few BS grads were good, but there was a noticable difference in ability, understanding, etc. Even after 1 year of experience, the BS - MS difference was apparent.

 

[frv]

I'm encouraged that so many of you are so positive about pursuing a masters. I am precisely in the position many of you are describing as the "ideal" in that my company is paying my way.

My excitement about pursuing a masters would not have diminished if the general sentiment in this thread would have been to discourage it, but I'm all that more excited to know that my colleagues encourage and respect this pursuit.

Happy studying, all!

 

[abusementpark]

Yea, I guess I have close to what some of you guys would consider the ideal situation. I just graduated and the company I've been interning with will let me get the master's while working part-time. Sometime in the past year, I decided that I should go to grad school to fill in the gaps and develop a great level of confidence in my work. However, it is kind of disheartening when you see classmates with much lower GPAs, that are going out and getting jobs paying >60k with a bachelors degree. It makes you wonder if it is worth it.

 

[JAE]

There's more to being "heartened" with your job than the salary it presents to you. Over the years, having in my head that I know what I'm talking about has been a huge blessing.

 

[renko]

I got my BEng 3 years ago and at that time I couldn't stand the thought of more lectures, tutorials, coursework etc.

I found the first 2 years working in a consultancy invaluable as has been mentioned in this thread a few times.
My bosses have been encouraging me to go for a Masters and this year I got hungry again, so I'm starting a distance learning (on-line) MSc in Renewable Energy in February. I know this veers away from structures but I believe there will be a useful knowledge overlap when I get working on some projects.

Anyway getting some experience has worked well for me, but having the support of my bosses to go on for the Masters is great.

If you're not working for a company that will help, try to find one.

 

[KennyCM]

A few years ago, while I was an undergrad, I had spoken to quite a few structural engineering firms. None of them would hire people without a MS or who had no plans of pursuing a MS in the immediate future.

 

[271828]

JAE wrote: "Over the years, having in my head that I know what I'm talking about has been a huge blessing."

I think this is very true. Thinking back to the various design subjects: steel, concrete, masonry, wood, lateral loads, etc. I learned some of these on the job, but never to the depth that I learned the ones I had in school. Of course, going through a good MS program gives the opportunity to take several more of these classes.

 

[graybeach]

I worked as an structural engineer for 3 years after getting my BS; then I went to grad school full time and got my MS in one year. I know not everyone can do it this way, but the intensity was great. Having a Master's has been valuable to me, not only because it gave me a deeper understanding of structures. All the papers and presentations I had to do helped me become a better writer and speaker.

 

[archeng59]

graduate school gave me an opportunity to study various topics in greater depth than I was able to do as an undergrad and the time to study I would not have as a worker bee. I recommend getting the masters degree to increase your knowledge of engineering, not just to earn more $$. The $$ will come as your employers, and most importantly your clients, recognize that you have more knowledge.

 

[Grizzman]

If your BS program didn't establish a strong structural foundation, then you should definitely pursue a Masters.
If you have a good mentor, this will only enhance what you can take from him as your knowledge base with be that much broader for him to expound upon.
I like others was tired of full time school and full time working after 4.1/2 years, so emhraced the opportunity to enter the work force. Thus I only have a BS in Architectural Engineering. When I do find the time to go for a Masters, it probably won't be in structural engineering.