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...

 

[3doorsdwn]

If the opportunity is there: I would say it was worth while. I went back and got a masters after I got my P.E. (while working full time). (So it was a great way to get PDH hours to maintain my license.) It was kind of funny how that developed: I originally just wanted to cover a few classes (i.e. Structural Dynamics, Advanced Mechanics of Materials, Earthquake Engineering, and Finite Element Analysis (which I dropped)). But by the time I finished taking what I wanted to take I was half way towards earning an M.S. anyway (and work was slow due to the recession), so I decided to just go ahead and finish.

 

[J1D]

I totally agree that MSc is a necessary pursuit. What I have been curious is the assessment of PhD persons in engineering firms.

I got my BSc and MSc consecutively and worked a few years before moving to Canada. I started a program for a PhD degree, but in the third year, for mixed reasons, I "downscaled" (as it was called, although I did the same thing as planned) to a MSc program. I am glad that all my degrees are on the same major.

I have worked in differet companies afterwards, from commercial to industrial, from size of a few to a few thousand employees. And I worked with many PhDs in engineering companies. It seems to me that companies regard PhD a great deal and blindly assign important jobs. For example, automatically grant them to be specification writer, technical supervisor, QC personnal, etc. I don't know if this is common practice.

 

[crossframe]

I haven't seen P.E. licensing requirements mentioned in this thread. ASCE and others are recommending post-baccalaureate studies as a requirement for licensure. To my knowledge no state licensing boards have yet adopted this requirement, but it appears to be the way things are going.

Since abusementpark is structural, a professional license will probably be necessary (or at least desireable) for career progression. I would encourage this be a consideration as well.

 

[jt12]

I heard something at a structural seminar a while back where the presenter was saying that students don't really learn what they need to enter the job market in a bachelors degree anymore. The masters is where they get the knowledge to prepare for work. I don't know why this is, but it somewhat seems to be true. Personally, I wouldn't have minded skipping some of the `weed out' calculus and science classes to have the opportunity to learn more structural engineering in my bachelors degree, but that is a different subject.
I don't have one, but would recommend a Masters. Your career lasts a long time, and the more applicable knowledge you can obtain, the more valuable you'll be over your entire career. The good / valuable structural engineers are always learning new stuff and advancing their knowledge base and capabilities. I don't know that you necessarily need to obtain the knowledge from a masters degree, but it is a sure way to assure yourself that you'll be presented some of that knowledge - without learning it all yourself.

 

[jike]

I went to graduate school at night while working and my employer paid for it. I wasn't going to pass up this benefit.

Everything seemed to become much clearer and working gave me additional insentive to pay more attention to what was being taught. I would often ask the prof what the practical aspect was of what he was teaching us or call him on something that was not practical.

I am with the others....go for it!

 

[UcfSE]

Some companies will not hire a structural engineer without a graduate degree. In addition to the above posts, educating yourself can give you more job opportunities.

 

[BigH]

To be a bit of a curmudgeon, why not an MBA instead? Seems that is the wave at present.

 

[structuralaggie]

Note you need to have 18 semester hours of structural analysis and design courses for NCEES model law structural engineer designation. You may need additional course work anyway to meet this requirement.