Graduate Courses or Degree

[cancmm]

I'm currently taking my first graduate course while I continue working full time. My primary goal was to advance my knowledge in areas I lacked, specifically dynamics, earthquake engineering and finite element analysis, while keeping the thought of pursuing a full master's degree in my back pocket. Unfortunately, I can only find about 3 or 4 courses that will actually be useful to me. Other courses I could take would reiterate a lot of what I already taught myself or be relatively useless all together. With 10 courses being required for a masters, that's a lot of fluff.

I know that a master's degree is definitely good to have, but unfortunately times are tough and my employer isn't reimbursing tuition for the time being. On top of that, I'm paying out-of-state rates so it ain't cheap, especially on a temporarily reduced salary

From a resume perspective, I was thinking that I could simply list the courses I took, and any future employer might look at these to see I got the important ones knocked off. Is this realistic?

Bottom line is that I want to do what's best for my career but I don't want to spend a lot of time and money if it won't get me where anywhere.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[KENAT]

Well, there'll always be some people that wonder why you didn't go further and get the full masters, maybe see it as a sign you don't finish things.

Of course, there may be others that wonder why you spent all that time & money on stuff you didn't know.

You can't please everyone.

However, your plan seems reasonable to me.

Surely BS + a few targetted courses simplistically beats just a BS.

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[TheTick]

Talk to your advisor or dean. If you want more meat, I'm sure they will accomodate you. I was able to rearrange a fair portion of my undergrad requirements by such negotiation.

 

[KENAT]

"didn't know"

should be "didn't need to know"

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[KirbyWan]

While you may have learned on your own most of what a class has to teach, that doesn't mean that there is no value in taking the class. With a strong knowledge base going into a class you have the oportunity to dig deeper and explore the fundamentals which most people strugling through a class don't have time look. Besides the value of the sheepskin that comes with completing a MS. Some Masters programs have a non-thesis option that has more classes. Perhaps you could go for a thesis option and cut down the number of classes you need.

Just my thoughts. I think either way you are making a good choice.

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

 

[HgTX]

They also may not be repeats. Undergrad "fundamentals of steel design" and grad "fundamentals of steel design" are quite likely not to be the same thing.

Hg

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[MiketheEngineer]

You could alwasy say you were "working" on your Masters.....then times got tough.... and maybe down the road you will finish it up??

 

[B16A2]

If you can only find 3 or 4 courses useful to you as an out of stater, then you should reconsider where you're taking classes.

I was/am in a similar boat as you except that I quit my job of 5+ years altogether and went back full time for the MS doing research. There should be plenty of courses to fulfill 30 hours (10 courses) for a coursework only degree.

Advanced Concrete
Advanced Steel
Advanced Analysis
Dynamics
Earthquake
Prestress
Concrete Behavior
Steel Behavior
Fracture Mechanics
Finite Element

If you honestly only want to take a few then probably listing them on the resume wouldn't hurt, but probably wont get you the same effect as saying you have a MS degree because the employer wont be able to market you as one.

 

[Lion06]

I'm going to just state that I'm in the process of completing the MS. I have 4 of 10 classes out of the way, and will likely be looking for a new job before I'm done with the program (probably in 12-18 months). I wouldn't list the classes - unless you're not going to state that you're in a grad program - but be prepared to list them if asked.

I would also try to make it a condition of employment that the new job pay for grad classes. I wouldn't go somewhere that they did pay for classes. Even after I'm done with the MS, I'll still look around at local universities (I'm lucky that I live in an area where there are a number of good engineering schools with a wide variety of interesting grad courses) to take courses that interest me.

The program I'm in now has a lot of classes I'm interested in, but lacks a few that I'd really like to have. Some of these are a class dedicated completely to plates and shells (we covered some basics in the last month of an advanced analysis course), a class dedicated completely to stability (I can't get very far into Timoshenko's Theory of Elastic Stability on my own! and have been unable to get a recommendation on a good - and practical - stability book), and I wouldn't mind having a class on deep foundations.

 

[mtu1972]

Also remember that most Masters programs have time limitations for completing the degree. You may have to retake some of those 4 classes if you decide at a later date to get the MS.

I completed 37/45 term credits at the beginning of my career, and then moved out of the area. The school did track me down and tell me I was running out of time - but I was not in close proximity and with a young family was not in position to quit and go back to finish.

When I applied to an Eng. Outreach MS program much later, there was no question that nothing could be transfered in.

gjc

 

[cedent]

I have an undergraduate degree in engineering (mechanical speciality). However, I started working for a structural engineering firm as a sophomore in college. I completed 4 of 10 graduate structural classes in order to further myself in my career and to pass the SE1. It worked; I passed; and I did not finish my masters work. Family and a heavy work load got in the way.

I do not work for a large firm with a pay scale... so having a master's degree does not necessary help me in my current situation. I will continue to further my education as much as I can for as long as I can through any means I can easily access.

Most employers and clients (especially engineers) can get a good handle on your knowledge base from a brief conversation with you... regardless of the extra bells and whistles on your resume.