Masters or Bachelors?

[addision]

Do hiring managers hire engineers with B.S degrees in other subjects and an M.S. Degree in engineering? I am pondering returning for an engineering degree. The local university is begging for graduate students. However, there are a couple of things I am considering as a 40 year old returning student. I am not concerned with the maths as I am very proficient.

1. If I get a MS Eng. degree what would my opportunities be in the job market compared to those who have a BS Engineering? How do you hiring managers view this?

2. If I go the graduate route the tuition is higher and I will most likely have to take the engineering courses I did not take as an undergrad in addition to the graduate courses, so why not just get the BS?

The MS will most likely not be ABET as few MS degrees are ABET, whereas the BS would be ABET.

 

[MikeHalloran]

First, get the job, then get more school, if you need it for the job, and if the employer will pay for it.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[dvd]

If you understand engineering fundamentals and have enough depth to talk about the more advanced engineering subjects that a master's covers then the master's is a good idea. Otherwise get the bachelor's degree.

 

[KENAT]

What is your other degree and what kind of field do you want to go into - this may make a difference.

For instance where I am a number of folks have physics or even math backgrounds. We even have one former employer, now contractor, who's BS was supposedly philosophy or something like that and who got a masters in precision machine engineering or some such.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[rko2011]

You say but MS/BS in engineering. Engineering is very broad, there's civil, mechanical, electrical etc etc and within those there are those who specialize in structural, geotechnical engineering etc. If your goal is to for a consultant doing design (making the drawings) I think you will find that 90% of consulting structural and geotechnical engineers have a MS degree or higher. If you want to work for a constructor doing management type things or a large design firm/company a BS degree will be sufficient. I'm just talking from the perspective of someone going into civil engineering.

 

[moltenmetal]

Do the Masters if you think you'll actually learn something of value in the process, and can get enough grant money to make it affordable. That's a personal decision and nobody can make it for you. Some people are wired for school and have trouble leaving it- those people should be suspicious of their real motivations for staying.

I did a research Masters, and my labwork taught me stuff that is of inestimable value to my day to day work. I know how hard it is to measure things accurately- how much effort it takes to get results that are repeatable much less meaningful. I've forgotten most of what I learned in the Masters level courses, aside from how boring and arbitrary courses for credit can be- that lesson I won't soon forget.

Don't do it as a means to make more money or to improve your hiring prospects. On an NPV basis it is very unlikely to reward you.

 

[jgailla]

I worked with a woman who had a BA in Sociology and an MS in environmental engineering. She was a lousy engineer, technically incapable, couldn't run a project.
It may be unfair, but this experience would bias me against hiring someone with a non-engineering Bachelor's.

 

[GregLocock]

I've worked with a couple of engineers who had maths as their first degree. They seemed fine to me.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[MikeHalloran]

I worked with a female whose only degree with in math.
As an engineer, she was a disaster; always optimizing the wrong parameter of the wrong equation, using the wrong physics.
Because of her gender, they couldn't fire her.
Eventually she got promoted; she was pushy, and probably demanded it.
She did slightly less damage as a manager, merely expending vast resources on solving the wrong problem, recording the wrong data, using the wrong tools.

The company is for sale, again.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[LSpark]

For a 40 yr old engineer we would be more concerned with their more recent experience rather than what degree they had. We've got a couple of fantastic engineers that have come up the technician route, the lack of a degree has slowed their progress but not stopped it.

I would guess (I'm in the UK) that companies that do consultancy would be more interested in people with MEng/MSc than the companies that do more hands on engineering.

I doubt that it would be worth paying to get a masters but if you would find it personally fulfilling and interesting go for it!

 

[addision]

I thank you all for your input. I was looking out at the next 40 years and asking myself what I would enjoy doing that would be satisfying. I enjoy solving problems and I am looking into mechanical engineering as I know being an EE, environmental or a civil engineer would not suit me and although bioengineering excites me, there are not that many biotech firms where I reside. So that leaves the broad fields of mechanical and materials. My career change definitely would not be for financial reasons.

I have a degree in business, but working as a financial analyst for many years.

I have not heard any of you speak of the importance of the ABET accreditation in getting hired. I was under the assumption that ABET was of primary importance.

 

[2dye4]

If you are going to spend the money make sure it's ABET accredited.

And it is primarily important unless some particular school stands out on its own reputation and is large enough to be known the potential employer.

Many time not being ABET accredited is a shield for a college providing a sub standard education that is "easier" to get than a mainstream college.

ABET accreditation means it will be tough and worth it.

My opinion is that the MS limits your job prospects in areas dominated by manufacturing but helps your prospects in areas with research.

 

[p14175]

I just completed my Masters in Eng at a public US university. The cost of tuition increased about 40% during my time there. I was planning on spending the full 2 years, but had to fast-track it to save money. Personally, if I knew then what I know now I probably wouldn't have done it. I learned a lot, but I did it on my own. My master's program was probably the most horrible experience I have ever had.

If you really want to get an MS, make sure you have a good topic going in, preferably one that is popular. I had a great topic, but I could not find mentors at the university or in industry. It made my work extremely difficult and it wasn't taken seriously.

A friend told me that most master's students and Phds have their topics assigned by their adviser/mentor. I don't know if that is true. I made up my own and my thesis committee put up a fight.