I’m considering a graduate degree in engineering but I’m not sure what to expect out of grad school compared to undergrad studies. Share whatever you’d like about your degree, experience earning it, if you’d do it over again, and how it’s affected your life.
I've had talks with a few PhD's and a few masters and bachelor's in mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering. Both in my current industry and at my university.
I am not doing a Ph.D, so take my comment with a large grain of salt. But the consensus I've gotten from those I've talked to about specifically engineering disciplines is:
- Get a Ph.D if you'll want to become a university professor, or get into research/R&D at national labs.
- Get a bachelor's and/or a bachelors+masters if you want a normal career anywhere else in any industry. Many companies have programs where you get a bachelor's, go get a couple years of work experience at an entry level engineering job, and have the company pay for the master's a few years later as you can take a masters program part time.
The trap I've had described to me is that Ph.D's often become over qualified for typical industry entry-level positions, and the number of Ph.D specific postions much narrower and specialized, making job seeking after graduation actually harder than if you simply got a normal bachelor's with one summer internship. Of course once you get in your salary will be much higher- offset by some degree by the extra 100k in student loans you'll likely have.
Ph.D's specialize in much narrower fields than undergrads, so lateral mobility is reduced once you're "set" in a specific field and industry. It's also incredibly difficult to complete compared to undergrad, and will require a ton more of your time- time that could have been spent developing earning potential and a normal life.I know it's definitely not for me- I don't even know if I could survive long enough mentally to go through a master's program. But your mileage may vary, of course, depending on where you want to take your life.
Yeah I find most of this to be similar to what I’ve heard so that’s good confirmation, thank you.
The reason I’m considering it now is that: 1. I believe it will be applicable to industry and will raise my initial pay and work out in the long run. 2. I don’t want to work through a masters. 3. It will only take me 1 year to do it. And 4. I have a way to pay for it so I expect it to accrue very minimal debt. I have about $25k debt from my bachelors but I expect not much more to come from my masters from scholarships/assistant for a professor.
So I’m viewing this as more of a deal, I wouldn’t consider a masters if any one of these things weren’t the case probably.
Complete in only a year? I've never heard of doctorate programs running less than 2 to 3 years in the engineering world.
Still, it sounds like you've done the necessary planning and have a career path lined out for it. If that's the case, fuck it. Go for it.
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I went to grad school during the ‘08 housing crisis because there were not many jobs available for early career folks. The program was a combination of technical networking (Cisco) and business acumen.
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Classes were longer seminars, much harder than undergrad with an intense focus on the subject matter rather than superficial discussions. Projects were also longer/harder including a thesis (~100 pages, 6 months of work)
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I learned A LOT. I networked with industry folks and continue to engage with the alumni community. I’ve helped 5-6 grads land their first job.
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After a few years working, I did an MBA part time (nights and weekends). That was similarly challenging and I also learned a lot.
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I would recommend working professionally before a grad degree unless you’re in a specific industry like bio/chem research, math, psychology etc. basically industries where you require a Ph.D to do anything.
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Do your best to get a graduate assistantship to offset the expense of the program OR work with an employer for continuing education.
Wow this is good feedback. I’ll just give some short thoughts on what you said, but thank you for all of that. I’ll also use your comment to give more info about what I’m doing.
- My program is on the civil side of engineering and is most applicable in space exploration and crossover with other engineering fields. I expect industry would find most of the skills I’d use valuable.
- I’ve heard this and I’m prepared, but luckily I’m not doing a thesis if I go for this. I’d be writing papers instead.
- One of my goals is to establish good contacts, so this is good to hear
- I’m trying to avoid this actually, I’d rather not work and do school at the same time
- Very much heard and I’m not considering a PhD unless I find myself either enjoying research or I have a career application for it.
- I do actually have a research assistantship lined up so paying for a masters shouldn’t be a problem.
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I did an MBA a few years into my professional career, and I think overall it was a great deal. I was fortunate enough to have it paid for by my employer at the time. That particular program was geared toward working professionals, so the classroom time was just evenings and weekends. It checked the box for me being able to say I have a graduate degree on job applications, so I'd say it was worth it.
I will probably never get used to the fact regular school is called "grade school" and college/uni is called "grad school".
For me, I took trade school classes (common to do in the beginning of high school here) and now take online studies (uncommon to start during high school, but I've done this anyways).
In the US at least, "grade school" is the same as "elementary school" - you attend there between the ages of around 5 and 11. After that is "middle school" or "junior high," then "high school." Graduate from high school and you've completed public education.
After that is "college," what a lot of the world calls "uni." It's generally not free. First two years are basically an extension of high school with a few degree-specific classes. You can get an Associate's degree from that. The third and fourth years are almost all degree-specific classes. Finish that, and you have your Bachelor's degree.
College up to and including your Bachelor's degree is called "undergraduate." Most grants, scholarships, and other financial aid ends here.
The next stage is graduate school, where you earn your Master's degree. After that is your postgraduate, where you work towards your PhD.
Trade school in the US (also called vo-tech, or vocational-technical school) exists as well. Some people take it at the same time as high school, others take it instead of college. Sometimes you get a degree, but often it's a certification or license. Trade schools usually aren't free but often there are programs you can sign up for that pay for it.
What would online courses be called or fall under?
Depends what program they're for. You can take online courses for any of them, although for a Master's or PhD you probably have research you have to do.
