I would like to know if anyone has done something similar to this and can share their experience. I am currently thinking of applying to MS programs and will be taking calc 1 and 2 next semester. I am nervous about doing all the work (taking calc 1 and 2, intro to C, and probability and statistics for engineers) and then still not getting into a masters program. If anyone has done this could you give me some advice on applying and how you went about it. Thanks in advance!
Probably not what you want to hear, but if taking Calc, Probability & Stats seems like a lot of work, you probably aren’t going to like doing an MSc in IndEng. The programs you apply to will want to know that you have the ability (and interest) in doing the required coursework, much of which will depend on the kind of quant skills that are part of calc, prob & stats.
And… there is likely to be LOTS of other prereq. What brings you to this path? If we know more, perhaps we can give better advise.
Not saying “its too much work” just saying it’s a ton of money out of pocket to take all of the required courses only to not get into the program the only requirements are calc 1 and 2 and stats and prob for engineers. I have to pay for all of those courses out of my own pocket, I want to make sure I am doing everything in terms of being competitive. Also I would like to add there are no other pre reqs. Most schools but 1 just ask for those (the other one asks for one extra course which is matrix methods). I am looking to get a reply from people who have walked a similar path and gotten into masters programs. I have already been to guidance at the engineering department at my university and they weren’t much help in terms of how to look competitive they just basically said take those three classes and apply.
They also “suggest” for you to take intro to C which I am taking next semester. I just don’t know what else I could do other than take those generic courses. I even suggested to my advisor that perhaps I should just do a second bachelors in industrial engineering. Advising told me not to do that and to apply to the masters program instead. Also a little background about my undergrad, I was psychology but with heavy exposure in industrial psychology (I was in a lab and did an undergraduate honors thesis in industrial psychology). I realized after doing the proposal for my thesis there is only so much I can do with industrial psychology in terms of what my goals are for my career.
Essentially guys I just want to know what more can I do to be competitive and stand a chance when people with undergrad bachelors in IE will also be applying.
Have you done any internships / worked in an eng environment?
The path you are trying to walk is not common. I know some students who have gone to do a Masters in Eng w/o undergrad engineering, but all of them were STEM students to start with, and most had some sort of experience in the area of Eng they were moving towards.
What are your goals? why IndEng? Have you looked at @juillet’s posts? she has had an interesting path that might have some relevant elements for you.
Have you considered doing an MBA with a concentration in manufacturing?
Make sure you GRE is great. Have you taken it yet? I’d say apply to a mix of schools. If the results are not what you want, try to find an itnership or job opportunity in the field and reapply after 1-2 years experience (maybe take some courses in the meantime.)
Master in engineering (ME) is only for engineering undergrads master of science (MS) is open to all majors as long as they complete the pre reqs. The advising office at my university said their masters program is specifically tailored towards students with diverse backgrounds looking to go into industrial engineering. I have considered an MBA but it’s not for me for several reasons one being I am interested in going into data and analytics or sales engineering (in a tech company). The next being that to do an MBA you have to have a minimum of two years experience in the field. I want to go straight into graduate school because I enjoy school and research in general. I know I would want to eventually go into a PhD program so I don’t want to wait years before going into graduate school. (I am 21). To be able to get industry experience in IE I would need to be enrolled in an industrial engineering program (it’s one of the requirements to get an internship). If I get rejected the first time I was thinking perhaps I could join a research lab. I have met a faculty member for the industrial engineering department at my university who has a bachelors in English and a PhD in industrial engineering. He basically said just take the calc classes and you’ll be fine. Everyone keeps saying that but I just don’t feel competitive enough. For reference my schools industrial program does not require GREs.
@thefish23 If you’re interested in data and analytics, why not get a 1 year MS in data science/data analytics/business analytics?
I considered this as well, that route would not allow me to do sales engineering. I have spoken to people in a data and analytics MS program and they highly advised not to do it as the majority of the stuff being taught could be learned online for free. Furthermore, I would not get the same (in terms of knowledge) out of an MS in data and analytics. Industrial Engineering is much more broad and opens the door to pursue many different paths in the future like quality engineering, manufacturing, and process improvement. The MS program at my university (as well as the BS) touches on data and analytics as well as programming, but it is not heavy on it, and I like that.
I do data analytics. If you’re looking at that, I’m not sure if torturing yourself engineering degree is is really the best idea. You’re going to risk “overspecializing” in one industry before you even have a chance to gain a foothold. That’s not a good thing. You want to have some versatility when you start looking for jobs, so you don’t want to get too specific right now. You want something with more of a business background, like a masters in IT, and yes, data analytics would be ideal. There’s many specialties, but the one thing they have in common is SQL. Learn it well. To do well, you really need to have a strong business background above anything else. Managers are the ones who need data to make decisions. You have to be good at translating business language into technical code and then blow them away with data and pretty graphs.
Maybe I am not understanding but my son’s in Industrial engineering at Michigan and he needed to take a lot more math classes then that. Even his stats classes are pretty high math /probability stuff.
Can you tell us the program? Just curious.