I am entering a master’s degree in engineering. I have the option to do a thesis/project-based master’s degree but I would definitely need funding. The university doesn’t offer any for thesis. I would do a project instead of a coursework degree even though it would take a year longer if I could get funding.
Can I basically reach out to companies and say: “Hey, I’ll do my master’s thesis/a project on some research you want done for funding” (without being so blunt of course). Does this ever happen? Would they cover my tuition and a stipend?
I’ve never had a permanent job before as I just got out of my BS and the jobs I was offered weren’t for me so I decided to expand in a master’s program.
You have neither the expertise nor the research infrastructure required to convince a company that this sort of investment would be worthwhile for them. Generally speaking, if a company wants some basic research done that they can’t perform on their own, they will fund a professor, who will then use that money to fund both the project and the students who work on it. Said professor would have already cultivated a relationship with the company in question and there would be some level of confidence in his or her expertise and ability to translate dollars into results.
So, no, asking a company to fund you directly like that is not something that is in the cards. However, while schools don’t often provide funding for MS degrees, some individual professors do. Find a professor at your school who is doing research that interests you and see if they are looking for students. Professors generally like to spend their money on PhD students over MS students when possible, but some are more lax there and/or may simply need warm, intelligent bodies to fill positions.
@boneh3ad: Well the one company I am SPECIFICALLY targeting is a company I interned at and performed research for the one summer. Is this possible to get funding for in this case?
Why would a company, who often needs very esoteric research done, not hop at the opportunity for someone going to a really good engineering school to write their whole freaking master’s thesis on something they want research on? Especially under the guidance of a professor? It would cost them 25k less (assuming no stipend) than just using one of their own employees.
I’m asking if you’ve ever heard of this. Not if it’s uncommon ( i realize it would be very uncommon but I also feel a lot of people would lack the initiative to put in effort and ask around a lot).
I am dealing with computational modeling in my master’s studies. It’s probably a lot cheaper to perform research under as well.
there are scholarships offered to students to help pay for their grad studies. You have to apply to them. are you in grad school now? the other option is to get a job and have your employer pay for grad school.
I’ll add a few things. A few months of interning does not give you the experience you need to carry out a major research project. Further, you can’t just ask a company what they want and expect them to pay some student with no research background to do it. That’s not a safe bet for them. It’s not just experience you are lacking; it’s the entire infrastructure required to carry out a research program. You need to give up on this idea and move on to other funding routes.
It’s time to accept the the corner you’re painted into was of your doing and to move on. The time to get funding was when you were vetting programs to apply to. It’s too late now.
You don’t need funding to do research while pursuing your master’s degree and completing your thesis (if that’s your issue). Talk with your graduate coordinator/advisor.