MSME Specialize vs. Generalize

[GustavoFring]

I am a Mechanical Engineer with 5 years experience and I recently enrolled in a non-thesis MSME degree program part-time. I am having a difficult time committing to an area of interest since I find Mechanics, Materials and Fluid Mechanics to be interesting areas. Also, these three areas all apply to my current job.

What are the Pros/Cons of specializing in one area vs. taking a few courses in each? If a Master's is a requirement for a job, do recruiters really care what courses you took or do they pay more attention to experience?

Thanks in advance

- Fring

 

[zdas04]

That is a really tough question. Most people see education as a continuum, in High School you study everything, in an undergraduate engineering program you study everything mechanical, in a Master's program you study everything fluids (for example), in a PhD program you study a single facet on the field (compressible fluid flow for example). To leave a Master's program without a focus would probably be seen as a waste of time. In my MSME program I took 10 classes as I recall. Three were general to all specialties. Seven plus my thesis were specific to fluids and thermodynamics. I think that specialization is common and it might be difficult to even get a grad school to accommodate a multi-specialty generalist.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist

 

[Lomarandil]

I think it depends on your planned career path.

If you plan to be in academia or research/specialized consulting, having a specific focus would certainly be valuable.

Anecdotally, I took a very broad assortment of courses in my MS (2 dynamics, 2 soils, 3 structural design, and a fatigue/fracture course), and that has served me well working in the general consulting world -- I've developed a reputation as the jack-of-all-trades around the office.

Let's face it, most recruiters don't know whether three graduate course in some advanced subject are any better than one course. They're typically just looking for the credential. Your interviewer, on the other hand, may be more insightful.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Recruiters simply don't look at your degree in that much detail... the vast majority of them don't have the experience themselves to decode what you have/have not done. A few, by sheer luck, may have a similar degree and can provide a tighter focus, but in the end they're looking for candidates who can accomplish the job at hand.

My degree was thesis-based, but I was going the non-thesis route and lucked into a project/thesis. I don't believe my thesis has had any appreciable affect on my job selection, and in a number of cases I would likely have had a better shot at a position with some extra class info rolling around in my head.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[jpankask]

I think there are relatively few companies that it really matters to. If you work in a position that requires some generalization of knowledge and application of multiple areas of discipline to solve a problem, then a more general course of study will probably be helpful. For the (I think) rare instances where someone with a BS/MS would be working in a highly specialized field (think NASA, or Ford/GM engine design, etc.) then NOT having a focused specialization might keep you from getting a particular job. I also did a part-time MS in Mechanical Engineering. I focused several classes on thermo/heat transfer because that's what interested me most, but I also have graduate level classes in economics, engineering management and project management. It has not hurt my career at all. On the contrary, having the MS directly resulted in my eligibility for a position which I would not have otherwise had enough experience for, because the MS counted as 2 years experience...it didn't matter what the subject matter of my MS was. You're going to school to learn, so learn what interests you. Just keep in mind that you might have an interest in something you don't even know about yet! Good luck in you MS program, part time is not easy...

 

[TheTick]

Go where the most weakness is. Materials is always a good bet. There's probably more weakness in fluids, but it's also much more specialized.

 

[GustavoFring]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the input.

-Fring