I will be graduating with my BS in Chemical Engineering Degree later this year. I really enjoy engineering and have some good job offers, but am wondering whether I am making a poor decision by not going for a graduate degree right out of school (as my professors seem to indicate). I wouldn't mind getting a masters degree but academia seems to have been phasing these out in the field of chemical engineering. ChE depts seem to push people straight to PhDs. There is no way Im going for a degree that takes 5-6 years, not to mention that I have no interest in ever working in a university, either as a post-doc or prof. I plan on going for an MBA once i pass my PE, but how much will not having an engineering masters degree hurt me? Any opinions or comments on this would be appreciated.
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Graduate Degree in Engineering? 5
- Thread starter regalia
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It would depend on the employer and industry I suppose.
Bell Labs
Xerox PARC
As to what employer still value a PhD, maybe 3M?
I am sure there are others out there.
Just because not many of us have a PhD, it doesn't mean it doesn't have value.
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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Bell Labs
Xerox PARC
As to what employer still value a PhD, maybe 3M?
I am sure there are others out there.
Just because not many of us have a PhD, it doesn't mean it doesn't have value.
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
SomptingGuy
Automotive
The doctors almost outnumber the patients in my department. Most of them are CFD software developers though, which seems the norm in that field.
DrillerNic
Petroleum
As a couple of people further up have said, it depends on the industry (and the country). In the UK, if you want to work in the upstream oil & gas sector (ie petroleum enginieer, drilling engineer, production engineer) you pretty much have to have a Petroleum Engineering MSc. But the subsea sector doesn't really care about Subsea Engineering MSc's!
You say you have a Chemical Enignering BSc; what area of Chemical Engineering do you want to work in? Are there any MSc's that could nudge you in that area- ie make you more attractive as a prospective process engineer/ environmental engineer etc.
Talk to prospective employers in the areas that you're interested in and see what their recommendation is- once you have your first job, the next job is largly based on your experience and skill rather than your qualifications!
You say you have a Chemical Enignering BSc; what area of Chemical Engineering do you want to work in? Are there any MSc's that could nudge you in that area- ie make you more attractive as a prospective process engineer/ environmental engineer etc.
Talk to prospective employers in the areas that you're interested in and see what their recommendation is- once you have your first job, the next job is largly based on your experience and skill rather than your qualifications!
SylvestreW
Mechanical
My $0.02
I finished my undergrad and went straight into the working world. After 2 yrs, I realized I did want to learn more and started my masters part-time (while maintaining my full--time job). Part-time is by no means easy and I'd honestly not recommend it (but I did have a mortgage to pay), but from the moment I started my classes, I knew I was much further ahead that those with only "academic" experience.
For one, my field of study was directly related to my job and it was incredibly interesting to me, so that provided more motivation than anything. Another was that marks didn't matter (since I was already employed) and surprisingly I did better because of that.
I personally got the masters as 1)career move and 2) because I wanted to know more (and yes, that was the order of priority).
Don't think that work/grad school are mutually exclusive. It's tougher after you start working, but by no means impossible.
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Aercoustics.com
I finished my undergrad and went straight into the working world. After 2 yrs, I realized I did want to learn more and started my masters part-time (while maintaining my full--time job). Part-time is by no means easy and I'd honestly not recommend it (but I did have a mortgage to pay), but from the moment I started my classes, I knew I was much further ahead that those with only "academic" experience.
For one, my field of study was directly related to my job and it was incredibly interesting to me, so that provided more motivation than anything. Another was that marks didn't matter (since I was already employed) and surprisingly I did better because of that.
I personally got the masters as 1)career move and 2) because I wanted to know more (and yes, that was the order of priority).
Don't think that work/grad school are mutually exclusive. It's tougher after you start working, but by no means impossible.
-
Aercoustics.com
I did it the same way as SylversterW, except I waited 12 years before starting night school. Everyone in classes with me were also working as Engineers while in grad school and we all had the "treat it like a job" mentality. All of us brought relevant experience to the class work and the discussions always went way beyond the syllabus. I'm glad I waited to start grad school, just wish I hadn't waited quite so long.
Right before I retired from a Major Oil Company, we hired an Engineer that got a BS in ME, and then stayed at a great school (Texas A&M) and got his MSME and MSEE. He did great in every program and his cum grade point average was nearly perfect. He was personable, a native English speaker, well spoken, and it took him over a year to get a job. People wouldn't interview him because he was "over qualified". People that did intereview him were afraid he would be "a big fish in their little pond" and wouldn't offer him a job. It was a sad story and he was pretty discouraged when the job he finally did get paid slightly less than the average of BSME students at A&M the year he graduated. I don't know if this story is typical, but I have heard somewhat less drastic versions of it from several people.
David
Right before I retired from a Major Oil Company, we hired an Engineer that got a BS in ME, and then stayed at a great school (Texas A&M) and got his MSME and MSEE. He did great in every program and his cum grade point average was nearly perfect. He was personable, a native English speaker, well spoken, and it took him over a year to get a job. People wouldn't interview him because he was "over qualified". People that did intereview him were afraid he would be "a big fish in their little pond" and wouldn't offer him a job. It was a sad story and he was pretty discouraged when the job he finally did get paid slightly less than the average of BSME students at A&M the year he graduated. I don't know if this story is typical, but I have heard somewhat less drastic versions of it from several people.
David
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1
- #26
I had a conversation this weekend with an ME professor at a university. He had an interesting perspective on this topic after seeing many years of new graduates and on-campus recruiting.
He says that a graduate degree is an excellent "additional relevant experience", but that no one accepts it as "primary relevant experience". His point is that the only experience that counts as "primary relevant experience" is jobs with titles like "Challenger", "Entry Level", or "Engineer in Training". Once you've satisfied that requirement then "additional relevant experience" starts adding up in a big way.
He says that in ME (and he thinks in ChemE, but he's not certain), having "additional" experience without having "primary" experience is valued somewhere between zero and a significant negative. His point is that potential employers see new grads as an investment in the future of the company and see people with "additional" experience as over-qualified for the entry-level and inadequately qualified for the experienced level. In ME, having an MBA, MSME, or PhD without "primary relevant experience" is a detriment to getting a first job.
On the other hand, he says that once you have "primary relevant experience" then every "additional relevant experience" item you can list just jacks up your asking price.
His counsel to his students is to get a BS, get a job with a company with a formal new-engineer mentoring program, get an MS after finishing the formal program, re-negotiate salary or go elsewhere.
I thought his views were worth sharing.
David
He says that a graduate degree is an excellent "additional relevant experience", but that no one accepts it as "primary relevant experience". His point is that the only experience that counts as "primary relevant experience" is jobs with titles like "Challenger", "Entry Level", or "Engineer in Training". Once you've satisfied that requirement then "additional relevant experience" starts adding up in a big way.
He says that in ME (and he thinks in ChemE, but he's not certain), having "additional" experience without having "primary" experience is valued somewhere between zero and a significant negative. His point is that potential employers see new grads as an investment in the future of the company and see people with "additional" experience as over-qualified for the entry-level and inadequately qualified for the experienced level. In ME, having an MBA, MSME, or PhD without "primary relevant experience" is a detriment to getting a first job.
On the other hand, he says that once you have "primary relevant experience" then every "additional relevant experience" item you can list just jacks up your asking price.
His counsel to his students is to get a BS, get a job with a company with a formal new-engineer mentoring program, get an MS after finishing the formal program, re-negotiate salary or go elsewhere.
I thought his views were worth sharing.
David
Twoballcane
Mechanical
A star for you zdas04 for relaying that information. I think it is so true that the more "credentials / additinal relevant experience" you have the more value you will have in the company and in the job market. Im not in the position to chase down my Masters deg yet, but one day.
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
I agree wholeheartedly with zdas04 - in our line of work (civil) I haven't seen a basic BSCE with no "adders" come by in two years or so. Lots of "something else - then tag on an MSCE", but that isn't terribly useful in what we do.
Most of the American students in my graduate civil engineering program had come right out of undergrad. None of them had any trouble finding jobs.
Maybe it depends on how snazzy the grad program is. Ours was pretty snazzy.
Your mileage, as they say, may vary.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376
Maybe it depends on how snazzy the grad program is. Ours was pretty snazzy.
Your mileage, as they say, may vary.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376
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