<p>Im currently a Junior in Chemical Engineering with a 3.58 GPA. Chemical Engineering has given me the flexibility to explore many different possibilities, and I do not regret choosing it for this reason. However, I have ultimately felt my interests narrow more toward the area of Material Science. This has been reinforced by undergraduate research that Ive done the past 6 months (and plan to do for many, many more) which deals with polymer energy storage. I would like the opportunity to study about polymers, composite materials, and how the electronic and mechanical properties of materials are affected. I would ultimately like to apply this knowledge to energy applications. In short, my dream would be to have a job in industry which allowed me to do this. I would love to be in an R&D position at a major corporation. </p>
<p>This is where I come to my desire to pursue further studies in Materials Science and not Chemical Engineering. Im on track to graduate in 4.5 years with my BS in Chemical Engineering. I have the option of taking a couple of Material Science graduate courses my final two semesters and then completing my maters in 2-3 semesters past graduation. My hope is to save enough money from a Spring co-op to be able to obtain this degree without much more debt if any beyond what Ill have from undergrad (which will be 30k). </p>
<p>If I do go forward with getting my MS then I would like to have two options upon graduating. I would either like to continue by getting into a PhD program at a highly ranked material science school. Or I would like to go directly into industry. Here are two questions I have:
1. Would holding an MS in Materials Science (thesis or non-thesis) alongside a BS in Chemical Engineering enable me to fill many of the same jobs that a BS in Material Science alone might fill? Would this be sufficient to do the kind of work I listed above?
2. If I pursued a PhD in material science, is it realistic to assume I can then take this and go into industry? Or will I close myself out of many industry opportunities and put myself more on an academic track?</p>
<p>Thanks for any input anyone knowledgeable in this area can provide.</p>
<p>Getting a Masters in Materials Science will allow you to access the kinds of jobs you are interested in. Further getting a Ph.D. won’t necessarily limit you but it is not necessary. Go for the Ph.D. only if you have a passion for research and you have experienced the working world after your Masters degree. Having real world experience is not uncommon for engineering students before they seek a Ph.D. or even a Masters. In fact you might even see if you can get a position in the materials science field right after your B.S. You might discover that the chemical engineering degree is enough to get you in and that your employer might foot the bill for you Masters degree later.</p>
<ol>
<li>Yes and Yes</li>
<li>A PhD will not close you off to industry if the industry is otherwise healthy. </li>
</ol>
<p>Basically, if an industry is healthy, firms shop on talent. Having a PhD in a relevant area will make you more valuable. </p>
<p>If an industry is not healthy, firms with needs shop on price. In this case having a PhD may hinder you because there are few jobs anyway, and there will be people qualified to do those jobs for less money than firms would think would make you happy. Most of the times, these jobs are just maintaining their current market share and involve little innovation because investment dollars aren’t there anyway. </p>
<p>Frankly, I’d do the PhD if you’re interested. Try to work on something lucrative. I have a PhD in EE and have never regretted it, though I will say that in the early 2000s when the startup I was with closed, it was the first time in my life I didn’t have employers chasing me, and it was uncomfortable. I eventually landed just fine.</p>
<p>ChemE undergrad is good preparation for MSE grad school. The vast majority of engineering PhD work in industry rather than academia, though in many cases PhD’s will pursue some postdoc study before ultimately going on to industry. </p>
<p>A PhD, while not strictly necessary, is the best preparation for research in industry. One way to find answers to your questions would be to take a look at graduate exit and alumni surveys of schools that offer BS, MS, and/or PhD in ChemE and/or MSE and see what becomes of those students.</p>
<p>I realize this post is a little old but I’m going to make a reply anyways as I’ve had a lot more time to think about the replies and what I’d like to ask next of anybody that is knowledgeable in the area. You guys certainly responded in a more positive manner than I was expecting to be honest. Currently as my situation stands with Chemical Engineering I was able to secure an internship for this summer, this is after trying almost 10 times over the course of a year and a half. One thing that concerns me about Chemical Engineering is the fact job opportunities - at least through my school - seem to be relatively poor in comparison to say Electrical or Mechanical engineering. I believe this has to do with Chemical Engineers being needed in much smaller quantities and this is despite the fact my schools Chemical Engineering program has literally doubled in the span of a year. </p>
<p>My school doesnt have very many connections to companies who hire mostly Chemical Engineers. Companies such as Dow and Exxon come but they hire at most 2 Chemical engineers a year. Of course, as I have stated, I have found my interests shift more and more towards Material Science. Thus, if I had all options laid out in front of me, I would choose a job that allowed me to work on development of new materials and products over process control. But my decision to try to make this switch is also because I quite frankly feel this may open up many more opportunities. My school doesnt have a top ranked Materials Science program, so obviously its not going to have the type of connections say GA Tech or MIT may have with industry. What it does have is very good research ties with a national laboratory which means I have a very big window of opportunity to accomplish something in that area by staying here for an MS in Materials Science. Also, because I want to get a Masters first before deciding on a PhD pretty much limits me to getting it here since anywhere else would be out of state and the cost of the degree would simply not be worth it. </p>
<p>What I essentially plan on doing over the next 2-3 years is despite completing a BS in Chemical Engineering Im going to specialize myself into the field of Materials Science. This is going to be accomplished by continuing to do MSE related research. I plan on trying to seek an internship next spring that is heavily related to MSE. This would finally be accomplished by getting my masters in it with probably a concentration in polymers. If this plan works I would hope I would be very employable in essentially every MSE role available in industry. In the process of doing so however, I would probably no longer be very attractive for a job in process control (i.e. oil, etc.). Its important to note I dont think I would be unhappy with a job in process engineering. In fact I think its something I could do and be happy with. But obviously, as of right now, I dont think it would be my dream job. Does anybody that knows a lot about the field think I will have an easier time finding a job with MSE than over traditional Chemical Engineering jobs? Do you think an MSE job will be pretty stable in terms of employment?</p>