Hi everyone! I’m heading off to college in the fall, and the college I will be attending has a 5 year BS/MS engineering program. I was thinking about doing this program in either mechanical or chemical engineering. I think the biggest benefit for me is that I wouldn’t have to go to grad school and I would be saving a ton of money. Are there any other advantages that I should keep in mind? For disadvantages, I was wondering if employers view graduates of a 5 year program differently when they are hiring? I am worried that graduates of a such a 5 year BS/MS program may be viewed as having less experience than a graduate of grad school. This could be a disadvantage for getting hired. So, what are the disadvantages of doing a 5 year BS/MS program for engineering? Am I right in thinking employers view you differently? Thanks!
Advantage: Gives you an MS degree.
Disadvantage: Takes an extra year.
But seriously though, it does depend. Is it a thesis or course driven master’s? That’s a big consideration.
It’s course driven. They double count advanced courses for a bachelor’s and master’s
There is no downside if (1) you want a Masters anyway, and (2) you can spend the extra time and money for the 5th year. Employers will look at it like they would any other coursework Masters degree.
Yeah, there won’t be a disadvantage with employers if it’s course driven.
The disadvantage is you delay working one year and that means opportunity cost. Plus the cost of attending one extra year.
First you should check if a master degree may help your career path or not. For example, it would be a great idea for BME major as a master degree is very helpful in the job market. Second, check your financial situation if you can afford extra semester(s). Third, find out how long does it take for you to finish the BS/MS program. Theoretically, it is a 5 year program, but it takes more than 4 years for many engineering major to graduate with a bachelor degree. In contrary, it may take less than 5 years to complete the BS/MS program if you have a lot of credits from AP/IB/DE, etc. I know quite a few students finished the BS/MS degrees in engineering less than 5 years.