Masters in Energy Engineering 3

[huda79]

Hello everyone,

I came across this site a few days ago and have learned a lot already. I graduated with a BSEE in 2002 and have been working in product safety compliance engineering since. I was accepted to the Masters in Energy Engineering program for this Fall at University of Illinois-Chicago.

Here is the link to their program:

http://www.mie.uic.edu/programs/mee.htm

1. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with this program and if they have any thoughts on it.
2. I considered an MBA but like most people on this forum, I enjoy being technical and if I do end up moving up to middle management, I should be able to do fine with the in house training programs we have at our company.
3. You guys have motivated me to appear for the FE/EIT. I just bought the book

Thanks in advance.

 

[huda79]

No replies?

 

[macmet]

I'm not the biggest fan of Master's degrees in engineering unless they are being used to go towards a research position.

In my opinion, many of the fields taught in this program are best learnt actually working in the field. I work in the alternative energy field and a few of the areas I work in are on the subject list. I would imagine that you would touch so many areas so briefly that you will not gain any useful information and if you were to start working at my company (if it's still around) you would enter at the same spot I did when I graduated with a bachelor's degree.

But, that's just my opinion. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with me.

 

[huda79]

macmet,

I was looking into this program vs a traditional MSc because I want an application based learning experience unlike my undergrad where all we did was theory. I also figured energy engineering will be big in the coming decade and this might give me a breakthrough into the industry.

Thanks for your input and if anyone else has any thoughts, feel free to post them.

 

[macmet]

I should say that I work for an OEM. A degree like this might be good if you were working in a consulting firm (or similar) where your projects can be more diverse than what I'm used to.

 

[xnuke]

Most Master's degree programs are even less application-based than undergraduate programs. You go even deeper into the theory, not into application. Application is what you do on the job. I did very little that I consider to be practical in my MS program. The program may give you a breakthrough into the field, however, so that you can get the on-the-job experience.

I know many people in the energy field in diverse roles, in both traditional sources and renewable sources. For the most part, the technical challenges in energy are not the main issue, it's trying to distribute technology (e.g., renewables) that produces electricity that costs more per kWh than traditional energy sources. I bet most in the industry would agree that today's workforce can handle the application of the technology, but the industry lacks the salespeople that can convince customers to buy into the technology that doesn't necessarily have a good ROI. The appeal of renewable energy technologies right now is mostly on the emotional side, not the business side (except for greenwashing by marketing departments trying to sell products using emotional hooks).

xnuke
"Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life." Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[Clara113]

Huda- Professor Bill Ryan is very experienced and a great resource to the UIC program. You may want to consider a career with an Energy Service Company (ESCO) which is what the Masters in Energy Engineering is geared toward. The program coordinates well in my field of work in performance contracting and energy engineering, but also has applications for work with A/E firms.

 

[tygerdawg]

Huda, this would be what you make of it.

I went to grad school years ago to get an MSME. I quickly realized that the curriculum was training me to be an applied mathematician, and didn't want to be pigeonholed into that. I switched to an emerging non-thesis multidisciplinary Manufacturing Engineering program and never looked back. I had no intention of going into research, but I wanted "advanced" training to supplement the BS. It was everything the MS guys did, but they called my "thesis" a "project report", so it was a Master's of Engineering degree. Whatever, it has served me well, being able to dive deeper into technical subjects than co-workers, having the perceived value of a Master's degree (read that: surviving layoffs), and the discipline of thought and work ethic that the graduate experience developed in me.

If it's something that really interests you, then you should try to discern its value to the marketplace. If you got it, would someone hire you? Could you (with suitable practical work experience) use it to guide you into freelance work? I was lucky enough to have both of those come true. 25+ years later, I'm reaping the benefits many times over of those 18-hour days I put in.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[huda79]

Thanks all.

I am trying to figure out how big energy engineering will be in the future and if it is worth investing two years in the program and jumping into a new field.

Can any of you describe what kind of roles are available in the energy industry?

The other option is to continue at my current job. I work for a third party certification agency (no names, but it's the biggest one in chicago area) in the hazardous locations area. I would like to become a subject matter expert in this area as I have already invested 5 yrs with the company. However I want to have an advanced degree to for my own satisfaction.

I guess the MBA would help me learn the business aspect at my company and open a few other doors. But I would like to stay close to technical aspects of the company.

So if anyone has thoughts about the future of this industry I would appreciate your comments. There are a few companies in the Chicago land such as Sargent and Lundy and other engineering consulting companies that sponsor their employees to this program. If I were to complete this program I am guessing I would target one of these organizations.

 

[Clara113]

Huda-
Yes, Sargent & Lundy does sponsor their employees; however, most students that are employed by them find that the program is not necessarily geared toward what they do in the field.
As I said before you are going to want to target Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) (i.e., Siemens, Johnson Controls, Honeywell), A/E firms, or any other energy consulting firms. Where I am employed the energy side of the business is where it is at. We are always looking for energy engineers, and it is not an easy task to find very many that have experience. Most of our engineers have ME backgrounds.

 

[Timewalker]

huda79, I keep reading your own words how you'd like to stay on the technical side of the business...I'd say you need to heed to your own calling...
An MBA is an alternative you can consider down the road...
Meanwhile, this degree at Circle Campus will give you further technical understanding into Energy, HVAC, LEED Accreditation and Power Generation...Areas that will grow in importance for sure as industry continues to address serious environmental concerns...It's your call, but I'd say: Go for it!

Best of Luck in the Windy City!

 

[mauricestoker]

Huda,

I received my BSME in 1984 with emphasis on energy conversion and solar. Landed a job right away with an energy consulting firm specializing in industrial energy efficiency and sensor applications. The market went south for 23 years and I worked predominatly in HVAC, laboratory and medical facilities. Finally working as an energy engineer again, and happy for that.

The courses in general look like they relate fairly well to work typically done, but nothing replaces field knowledge (IMHO). Hopefully, the engineering economics will be solid, as that is what the bottom line usually comes to: life cycle cost, upfront capital, and internal rate of return. Hopefully the class would also touch on software programs for energy performance as well as economic analysis. There is a dearth of energy engineers with modeling experience, especially for 90.1-2007 requirements (which should grow in importance for public sector work). Good to see courses include IAQ; real easy to save money by ignoring that (which I have seen ESCO/ESPC do, much to their financial grief). With an EE, the controls side, power factor correction, transformer, motor and distribution projects will be that much easier, and mcuh of the mechanical side should come easily as most components are analagous to electrical.

If you are not sure which direction to go forward with, I'd recommend first checking CEM certification. It's a few weeks commitment and $200 as compared to advanced degree.

Along with ESCO's, Energy Savings Performance Contractors (ESPC) would be a good consideration. The government is always looking for energy engineers as well.

Never had much use for an MS, though I did contemplate going back for a solar program. I've had quite a few MSME's working for me and any benefit they gained never seemed to be shown on the job.

 

[huda79]

Thank you for your replies. I have decided to go for the MBA after talking to various people. I will probably pursue the PE along with it. I don't think it is worth going back to school to get an entry level position in the energy industry. I might as well stay in my current field and look for advancing opportunities.