Correct reason for getting a Master's?

<p>Hello everybody,</p>

<p>I'm a recent grad looking for a little bit of direction. My undergraduate work was in ECE (electrical engineering), and I'm I guess trying to get a sense of whether an MS is right for me and whether I would be pursuing it for the right reasons.</p>

<p>As far as the reasons: the older people around me (among them some Ph.D's) in my life have all told me how it would be an improvement to my resume to further my education, go for the M.S. and make yourself stand out a little more. In general, I guess I have the feeling that, just as going to undergraduate is the "right thing to do", getting the M.S. is something you really should have as a technical engineer and again, something that you should "want to accomplish/do in your life." It almost seems like if you don't have the M.S., your impression as a job candidate down the future will be severely crippled.</p>

<p>So I guess I'm on the fences on why I should/shouldn't pursue a graduate degree, and whether I would dislike it. I enjoyed my undergrad coursework and finished with a 3.9 GPA and some internships, but I never had that overwhelming desire to pursue research experience while an undergrad. I feel like I would be much more willing to pursue an M.S. if it were just an extension of coursework without a thesis, but this makes it feel like it's more an extension of undergrad, and perhaps taking away from the point of M.S.?</p>

<p>Has anybody had the same concerns as I do? I feel that getting an M.S. would definitely be worth it to be more "knowledgeable" but I'm not sure I want it for the right reasons and I am afraid of committing to the research side as described above, especially considering my lack of UG research. Am I going to have a nightmare of a time adjusting to being creative/independent doing research without having past experience? Also, do many people do non-thesis M.S., and is it viewed any differently?</p>

<p>Thank you all for any comments/feedback!</p>

<p>DW</p>

<p>DW,</p>

<p>This is a common question that most in engineering struggle with. Many subfields of EE (such as antenna design) require a masters to get in the door at most companies - Lockheed Martin told me flat out that I would need the masters to work in their department. Where it is not required, it still helps in career advancement - if you lack the masters you need to demonstrate a higher level of accomplishment to advance. In the companies I have worked something like 90% of top engineers had a post-graduate degree.</p>

<p>As far as the type of degree, most companies will care about the thesis subject (or existence) only if it applies directly to their products. Many engineers get a coursework-only masters, and while it is valued a little less it is still regarded as sufficient. My degree is a part-time masters through a local university, and it was accepted (and paid for) by my company as well as my PhD program.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>dwa3333, you’re reasons are actually pretty good for getting a Masters. I got a Masters in EE after undergrad, and in many ways it worked out. Since you don’t really have a strong research interest, I would not go with a PhD. If you are accepted into a PhD program, you’ll usually have some obligation to work with the professor that is funding you. It will never look good to leave a PhD program with a Masters because you decided to work. If you ever apply for a PhD again, it will be a yellow flag. You’ll probably pay for some of the Masters degree, but many Masters students get TAs or even RAs after a semester or year funding them. It really depends on the program.</p>

<p>As for working vs Masters, this is actually a much tougher decision. I’d lean with going to a Masters program just because the job market is tough, but if you are offered a nice job I’d strongly consided that. </p>

<p>On one hand, every engineer must start somewhere. Usually, that means doing important grunt work for a year or two…like testing some IC chip to death or something. This work is critical for any engineer to do and understand at some point in their career. If you are a Masters degree with no full time experience, you’ll get a lot of companies thinking…“This engineer is going to need to start at the bottom and we’ll be being paying $10,000 more a year. Why do we do this?”</p>

<p>One the other hand, it is tough to go back to school once you are working. You are used to a lifestyle, and sometimes it is just financially tough. For example, you may own a house that you will need to rent or sell. Also, doing a Masters or PhD while working is tough. At the companies I worked for, only perhaps 30% of those who started the Masters finished. Usually, it is done online giving you limited access to professors, TAs, the classroom, and study groups.</p>

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>I appreciate your taking the time for those informative responses :)</p>

<p>So I’m getting the feeling that having a Master’s is worth it from a technical standpoint and for the future. Would it be correct also to say that due to my lack of research experience/interest, it would be advisable and still worth it to pursue a Master’s via a non-thesis program then? </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Thesis/coursework only? Depends on what you want out of it.</p>

<p>If you want to be able to check off the box that says “I have a masters” do the coursework only degree. It is faster, cheaper, and easier, yet maintains a similar regard.</p>

<p>If you want to reach a better understanding of EE in general, and one topic in particular, do the thesis. You will get vastly more out of it, but it will probably take a little longer and require more from you. Plus, this pretty much rules out the part-time option at most schools.</p>

<p>DS did a masters in HCI because (not in definitive order)

  1. Full ride
  2. Wanted to prove that he could start and finish independent projects.
  3. Networking and references.
  4. Not quite ready to enter the workforce. </p>

<p>Results
Built an impressive network and referral list
Did some nice internships, traveled for those internships, and went to many conferences and gave some presentations.
Pay did not increase because of economy and job search extensive.
Final job was luckily his dream position but based on undergrad work but solidified by grad work.</p>