Do you need a related bachelors degree to get into graduate school?

Hello:

I’m not your typical college student. In 2008 I received my B.A. in English Literature thinking I’d go to law school. Well the economy tanked and the lawyer I worked for let me go. Long story I didn’t want to do law anymore nor do I want to pursue law now. So for the last 10 years I worked in and out of restaurants, bars, traveled (a ton) and bought a house. I really want to do something with a career. I know I probably should have started 8 years ago but I didn’t. I’m 32. I’m trying to move forward.

Plants, microbes, environmental issues… anything outdoors is what interest me. I’ve been taking science based prerequisites at my community college for the last year and half (its taking me longer because I work two jobs) but I’m slowing see the light. Chemistry I, Microbiology I, Stats, Plant Bio, Organic Chemistry, Calculus, and Physics are going to be in the bag come spring 2018.

My question is, do you have to have a bachelors degree in the same field you want to get your masters degree in? For example, if I want to go to grad school for Environmental Engineering do I need to have a bachelor’s degree in EE first? I’m also interested in bioremediation but not sure what degree that falls under. Masters of Microbiology?

Do you recommend going back for a second bachelors or should I try for a science related masters degree?

Thoughts?

You can look up the graduate programs of interest to see what undergraduate prerequisites they want to see.

Here are some examples:
http://catalog.calpoly.edu/collegesandprograms/collegeofengineering/civilenvironmentalengineering/#graduatetext
http://engineering.uci.edu/dept/cee/graduate/programs/environmental/prospective

^Yeah, this.

In most fields, you don’t necessarily need a BA, but you do need prerequisites. Many programs will prefer students who have a BA or BS in that field, but will take otherwise outstanding students who have otherwise acquired the knowledge they need.

Engineering, however, is one of those fields where having a BS in the area before graduate school is almost always a requirement. There are usually too many prerequisites for you to realistically take without getting the degree in the area.

So definitely check program websites. But if you are interested in environmental engineering, you might need to get an undergrad second bachelor’s in engineering first.

But for a second degree, you need to ensure that program isn’t sending you back through their core requirements or gen eds.

Imo, you need some planning advice from the current school and/or the masters targets. You may not want “engineering,” per se, but the engagement in other ways, in environmental work, at a satisfactory level.

The standard I have always seen is that your coursework must be such that you require no more than a semester of “remedial” coursework before you are ready to start ALL of the coursework actually required for the degree. Depending on the specifics of your background and the new field, a change such as you are describing almost certainly would require coursework extending over (best guess) 3-4 semesters. They wouldn’t be full time, but you need time to work through the prerequisite chains.

You can do these classes as a nondegree student, but I would not expect to apply to the program until you are within striking distance. As a bonus, this will also help to ensure that you really understand the field and want the degree!