<p>I know this question has been asked before, but I think my situation is a bit different than normal. I'm a rising senior in HS interested in pursuing a ChemE degree. Originally I was planning on stopping there and going straight to industry. However, I recently found out that one of the universities I'm applying to has a program in which STEM majors can earn their degree plus an MBA in only 5 years. Additionally, I'd have a full tuition scholarship for those 5 years. </p>
<p>I've heard mixed answers about getting your MBA right after undergrad, but to me it seems like getting an MBA tuition-free only one year after graduating would be an amazing opportunity. </p>
<p>I'm definitely interested in getting into the management/business side of engineering. Would this be a good route to take, or would working in the technical side for several years and working my way up be more ideal? </p>
<p>And as a side question, would the prestige of the university affect my ability to enter a pure business/financial position rather than engineering? I'm committed to engineering at this point, but having the option to enter a non-engineering field just in case would be nice. University of Alabama is the college in question.</p>
<p>Wow… 5 years of full tuition scholarship - that sounds great! Usually an MBA is best with work experience, but maybe you could arrange good summer jobs in industry. Do you have to decide now? Your thoughts and priorities may evolve over time.</p>
<p>I don’t have to decide for several months now. And yes I’m very grateful that they’ve given me this opportunity, and for such a low cost at that! </p>
<p>You make a good point about summer internships. I’ve heard the program encourages co-ops, but I also know that I’d have to take summer classes at least one year</p>
<p>No one is going to higher you to manage engineers when you don’t have any experience yourself. It’s likely that you’ll have to work for at least 3 to 5 years before you’re considered for management, by which time you may have forgotten the skills you learned while earning your MBA. Furthermore, it’s normal for a company to pay for your MBA if your coming back to manage for them, so tuition wouldn’t be as much of an issue.</p>
<p>That’s kind of what I figured. Is it typical to be considered for management after only 3-5 years? I would have thought it would take longer than that. Also, could getting my MBA potentially hurt my chances of landing a traditional engineering job? I’ve heard that been said before.</p>
<p>It certainly could, because engineers with business credentials tend to care only about rising into management, not doing a good job.
Not sure whether it’s worth it or not, truth be told. Usually the answer is no, but it IS free in this case. I think you’d have to ask a few recruiters what they think.</p>
<p>i heard experience is better first before jumping right into an mba</p>
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The two paths lead in very different directions. BS+MBA+No Experience = business, or sales, or program management. BS+MBA+Experience = any of the above OR engineering management (although most engineering managers do not have MBA’s!). If you want to actually work as an engineer, then I would avoid the immediate MBA like the plague.</p>
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Yes, very much so. Most of the big money MBA jobs are recruited out of a handful of schools. You can certainly go into the business side with an MBA from a “lesser” school, but don’t expect the same kind of offers!</p>
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From the BS? No. You might be in a supervisory role by that point, but most companies want (and can easily get) a decade of experience in their actual managers. You can trim some of that off with advanced degrees, but it is not going to be quick in anything but a rapidly expanding company (i.e. successful startup).</p>
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Absolutely, yes. There are exceptions, but many to most employers will shy away from hiring someone with an MBA to do an engineering job. It typically takes a few years for a new engineer to actually start making money for the company, and an MBA suggests you will be gone before that ever happens. So why hire someone who will be a loss?</p>
<p>Just remember that schools offer lots of programs with little or even negative value in industry. Just because they dangle the bait does NOT mean it is in your interest to bite.</p>
<p>^^^every thing cosmicfish said is spot on, but on the other hand…</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with going the Business, sales or program management direction. A significant number of engineers get recruiting into these roles, and if that’s a direction you may be interested in, the MBA is a big plus.</p>
<p>Also, a few engineering majors work really well with MBA’s. For example, Industrial Engineers, who often have “program management” type responsibilities. In fact, I know some schools have special MBA programs linked to the IE department. (I had a college roommate go this route…BS in IE at UF and then a MBA at Rutgers).</p>
<p>If you’re thinking of an MBA, you may also want to look at getting your masters in engineering, AU may have an accelerate 5 year program, allowing you to get it in 5 years…this is sometimes limited to your major, but it’s worth looking into. You’re find a MSE is of a lot more value, following the traditional engineering route.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>I am in the construction / structural/ civil engineering industry.
Here is my advice.
Get your engineering degree and concentrate on getting very high grades( obviously you are very smart) and then get your PE License. This will carry a lot of weight early in your career.
After 3 or 4 years then apply for an MBA in a top 10 school . This will catapult you into a higher management position and by that time you will have a better idea of what you want to do with your life.
That is my 2 cents.</p>
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Of course not! Just don’t expect to be a good prospect for both these and for straight engineering at the same time!</p>
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Always good advice for someone looking at true engineering jobs.</p>
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If and only if you are in one of the industries where a PE is valued - I won’t go into this more, as it should be a separate topic, but the PE is NOT universally needed.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great advice, everyone. After reading these responses and doing a little research of my own it definitely seems like an MBA wouldn’t be the right path for me straight out of undergrad.</p>