<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I'm interested in pursuring a coterminal program in Economics and MS&E. The Economics Department at Stanford says that it is possible but provides no further details. That we could get A.B. in economics and M.S. in MS&E sounds quite strange. Does it mean that we have to double major in economics and management science and engineering and then study intensively for another year to get an M.S. in MS&E? Or does it mean that we just major in economics but take some relevant courses,which serve as an engineering foundation, and then pursue an M.S.? </p>
<p>Could this be done in only 4 years?</p>
<p>To get a Masters in MS&E, you do not need to fulfill all of the undergraduate engineering requirements. The Masters is different, I believe there are some prerequisites to get into it, but nowhere near the full undergrad degree. Whether or not you can do it in four years depends on whether you start immediately to fulfill the requirements of these programs and also how much AP credit you have. My son knows someone who graduated with a bachelors and a masters in 3 years, but obviously, this is VERY unusual.</p>
<p>So, if I start fulfulling the MS in MS&E's requirements along with Economics' requirements, I could possibly graduate in four years, right? Will the workload be too tough? </p>
<p>But I still wonder if I will be at a disvantage having a weaker engineering background than those who have a B.S. in engineering, or is taking the department's requirement enough to make me competent? </p>
<p>Also, which is better: coterminal in B.S. and M.S. in MS&E or coterminal in A.B. Economics and M.S. in MS&E, given that I'm interested in economics, MS&E, and law school as a prospective graduate school.</p>
<p>It will be extremely difficult to co-term and graduate in four years, especially with these two tough departments. Econ and MS&E have a lot of requirements and are really tough individually, especially MS&E, which is an engineering major; I don't see how someone could co-term in them in four years. Even trying to complete a co-term in one of them in four years is tough. Why not major in one and minor in the other? I'm considering an MS&E major and possibly an econ minor, which would be more than adequate preparation for grad programs in either, as well as law school or any career in business.</p>
<p>What would be much more feasible is to simply do it in five. </p>
<p>I was considering a MS&E double with Econ , but no coterm.</p>
<p>Is MS&E as hardcore as other engineerings such as EE or ME ? I looked at its bulletin and got a sense that it is less demanding in terms of science and engineering requirements. For example, you don't have to take chemistrys and you take only basic comp sci. It MS&E more slanted toward economics or toward pure engineering?</p>
<p>Also, what's the point of coterming in MS&E and econ if I cannot graduate in 4 years? As far as I know, it takes only 1 year to get an M.S. in MS&E, provided you have the basic requirements. Then, how is coterming and graduating in 5 years different from graduating with an A.B. in economics, applying to MS&E graduate program, and getting a M.S., taking 5 years as well?</p>
<p>My guess (just a wild guess) is that you can't really co-term like you were thinking. I don't think there's such thing as being admitted as coterm. That is, you have to apply to the MS in MSE separately after you spend some time already at NU. If you want to do it in 4 years, you'd probably need to finish econ in 3 years and apply to the MS program in MSE in the fall of your third year. You can always just do dual-degree in econ/mse.</p>
<p>Ooops...I thought I was at Northwestern's board. Anyway, I thought co-term refers to getting bachelor & master degrees in the same field?</p>
<p>The point of co-terming is that you can get both degrees from Stanford. You don't have to go through a grad school application process; you only have to apply internally for a Stanford co-term, which is much easier. It almost certainly will take you five years to co-term; fulfilling all the econ major requirements as well as MS&E requirements will be especially tough. If you're so desperate to graduate in four years, why not major in one and minor in the other, like I suggested before? Double-majoring also might be possible if you take a full courseload during the summers.</p>
<p>I think the point of the coterm is being able to graduate in FIVE. Most master's programs take two years on top of four years of undergraduate, and doing the coterm will save you one year. Doing a M.A. and a B.A. (or whatever) in four years seems a little intense and unrealistic.</p>
<p>Yeah -- and don't you want to take any classes beyond MS&E and Econ? (Actually, you have to, for GERs). I'd also look twice at anything that requires more than 4 years (to see if you can do something just as good in 4) just on financial concerns.</p>
<p>The benefit of doing the coterm is that it actually saves you a year of tuition.</p>
<p>If I wanted a M.A. in Econ, I could do it at Stanford in one or at Chicago (or whatever) in two. One would still get the B.A. and graduate in four years with the coterm.</p>
<p>I wonder if an M.S. in MS&E is enough to land a consultant position at elite consulting firms such as BCG, Bain ?</p>
<p>If it is, then the Economics and MS&E coterm is really, really appealing, even though it takes 5 or even 6 years, given that it is a lot easier to get in internally than externally.</p>
<p>Also, I would like to know the likelihood of getting rejected internally. I heard that almost every one who applies for coterm gets accepted. However, I see in the website that you still have to take GREs, ask professors for good reccomendations, and write a Statement of Purpose. That sounds like a tedious chore :( But if I know that I am going to get in if my grades are good enough and I do not write blatantly bad or get offensive recs, then it is going to be a lot less worrisome.</p>
<p>There are a number of people rejected from co-terms, but it's still a lot easier than applying externally to Stanford's grad programs. Yes, you still have to take the GRE's and solicit recommendations, etc. but as long as your GPA is reasonably high enough and your profs don't hate you, you should have little difficulty in getting into a co-term.</p>