<p>I have been working as an engineer for the past 3 years in the Cincinnati area. I want to go get a masters because my job is getting boring and I do work a high school grad could do. I want to stay in the area. I have been looking at UC, Ohio State, and Ohio University, and want to get a thesis based masters. </p>
<p>UC: I like UC, but I don't like their research areas. </p>
<p>OSU: I don't know if I can get in to OSU. Also, since I am not sure about a PhD, funding might be an issue since masters student are not funded. </p>
<p>Ohio University: I hear they give good funding, but I heard about about a recent plagiarizing scandal. Also, does OU have a good reputation nationally ? Does prestige matter for engineering grad school ? Will my masters school reputation matter if I decide to apply for a Phd ?</p>
<p>I was just hoping if someone can let me know what they think. Thanks !</p>
<p>Ohio University is basically unknown nationally.</p>
<p>Personally, I would strongly suggest opening yourself up geographically. Since you are interested in doing a thesis-based degree, finding a school where you are a good fit in terms of research area is crucial, both for your own motivation and happiness and for your future prospects of getting a job in that sort of area.</p>
<p>If your MS is terminal, then prestige will matter in roughly the same way as it does with a BS, though going to a more prestigious school can open up some of the more research-oriented positions with an MS. A PhD is a whole different animal and is more about the connections your research group has to industry and other research institutions.</p>
<p>When someone asks you, just say I went to Ohio and people will think you mean Ohio State University(since Ohio University isn’t known outside of Ohio). Apparently, this trick doesn’t work for employers lol.</p>
<p>I see. So it would be really hard to get into a Phd program from an unknown masters school ? Has no one really heard of Ohio University outside of Ohio ?</p>
<p>You can get into good PhD programs from lesser known MS programs. It’s a slightly more uphill battle, but definitely doable. The job prospects will be the primary concern. The more prestigious programs tend to have relationships with the more “prestigious” companies. Otherwise I’m sure Ohio University has a good relationship with regional employers, you just won’t be likely to get a job in, say, California right off the bat.</p>
<p>Have you looked into the University of Dayton or Wright State University? Both are closer than OU or Ohio State and I believe both have masters and Phd programs. There is a good amount of research up there because of Wright Patterson Air Force Base.</p>
<p>I am not an engineer nor do I hire them so I do not know. I would say that there are a lot of engineers who work at the base or for subcontractors who work for the base so it seems one would have a greater opportunity to make contacts in that environment than in Athens County. There is a good deal of research, if I believe the papers, that goes on at both Universities tied to work the base does. Does this provide you more exposure to potential employers, I really don’t know. You also indicated that you wanted to stay in the area and you could certainly stay in Cincinnati and commute to Dayton. I (and my opinion is worth what you paid for it) would rank Ohio State, Case Western, and University of Cincinnati as 1,2,3 for engineering in the state of Ohio.</p>
<p>What do you want to do with a Masters? How would it be different than a BS? Most entry level engineering jobs require a BS and would getting a masters change what jobs you could get? </p>
<p>I guess unless there is a specific field you want to get into or if you want to get into a PhD program I would really try and evaluate what you are looking for. I’ve heard that funded Masters programs are few and far between. And many employers will pay for you to get a Masters. </p>
<p>Maybe getting another more rewarding position would be a better plan.</p>
<p>I would not get a Masters from Ohio University, I think it’s reputation is not great.</p>
<p>I don’t know that OU has a bad rep she much as a lack of a rep, nationally at least. It may locally, but I don’t know, not having ever lived or worked in the area. I don’t know what fuel you are interested in, but at least in aerospace you definitely see more research coming out of Wright State and Dayton than Ohio U. Other fields I can’t really comment on.</p>
<p>One thing I will say in OU’s defense, they are definitely trying to grow their engineering dept. They were given an 80M grant by the Russ family back in 2007 or 8 which has now grown to $120M. They are the same benefactors that help fund the Russ Engineering building at Wright State. They seem to really want to build influence in the STEM fields. They currently have about 1400 undergrads majoring in engineering, I am not sure of the size of their graduate engineering school but by example the University of Toledo has fewer undergrads and over 2700 in it’s engineering dept. Whether or not a Masters degree from OU would give your career the push you are hoping for is a question I cannot begin to speculate on. Good luck.</p>
<p>My husband is a UC engineering grad and then went to Penn State for his master’s. My father-in-law got his master’s in engineering at UD. Both of them have done well for themselves.</p>
<p>Are you interested in out of state, but nearby-ish options? What about Purdue or UMich?</p>
<p>I was hoping to find a masters program that gives funding. I heard that OU is one of the few schools that gives funding for masters. I just it would be really hard to get masters funding at a school like OSU, Purdue or Michigan. </p>
<p>Does anyone know of any programs that gives funding to masters students ?</p>
<p>A lot of programs do, but ultimately it comes down to whether the professor wants to pay his MS students or not unless the school has a policy against it.</p>