engineering graduate school

Graduate School
1

<p>hi.</p>

<p>as it stands, im going into BME at UCI next year (incoming freshmen) and had some questions about grad school in engineering. talking to various people and what not, i ve pretty much committed to going to some type of graduate/professional school (possible med/pharm school... we'll see how my GPA holds up/what i like). well doing the engineering route, i figured i'd get a masters soon after graduation, but haven't thought much about phd programs.
is a phd in engineering like a phd in business where you are pretty much restricted to theory/teaching? or will i realistically have a shot at getting research positions in industry (what i am leaning towards)?
if anyone has and advice, i welcome it; regardless if its BME specific or not (i could always end up changing majors and chem e/Mat sci E. are pretty similar fields anyway)</p>

2

<p>
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is a phd in engineering like a phd in business where you are pretty much restricted to theory/teaching? or will i realistically have a shot at getting research positions in industry (what i am leaning towards)?

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<p>I don't know about BME specifically, but the majority of engineering PhDs go on to work in industry, as opposed to academia.</p>

3

<p>When you go to grad school, you will have the best chance of getting a job if you choose a specialty that is in demand in industry. There aren't many companies that work with stimulation of the nervous system (there are a few BIG companies that do), but there are a ton of companies, large and small, that focus on tissue engineering, implantable materials, drug delivery, etc.</p>

<p>As a BME, my advice would be to get the Master's degree if you're not sure about continuing on for your PhD. Many companies will pay for you to go back and get the PhD if you later decide that you want it, and that way you're not "over-qualified" for an entry level position. But if you're sure about the PhD, you can go that route too and be paid to get your advanced degree instead of paying for it yourself.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
But if you're sure about the PhD, you can go that route too and be paid to get your advanced degree instead of paying for it yourself.

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<p>sorry if i sound stupid for asking this, but i thought i wouldnt end up paying for a phd anyway? dont i normally get tuition waived; but i have do a TA/RA position? if i did go into industry and come back to grad school, would i be doing research full time as a traditional phd student?</p>

5

<p>Financial support varies from school to school. I got offers from 5 PhD programs in BME/neuroscience and all of them offered full tuition coverage, health insurance, and a decent stipend. Most programs required 1-2 semesters of TAing as a part of the curriculum, and some had lab rotations in the first year before a lab was picked (essentially a light RAship for the first year, then RA in a specific lab after that). The program I'll be going to gave me a fellowship - that specifies for the first year or so I won't have any RA or TA responsibilities and can focus only on my classes. Once I've chosen a lab to work in, I will definitely be doing lots of research. That being said, there are many programs that you would have to do a TA/RA for your stipend, it really depends on the schools.</p>

<p>Most of the programs I know for industry-funded PhDs would have you doing research full time as a traditional phd student. The way these work is that the company has a standing policy with a local university that the school will accept a student from them (tuition, healthcare, and stipend is typically covered by the company in this case). These usually come with the stipulation that the student will work for the company for X years after the completion of the phd or will have to repay the company. Industry-supported Master's degree programs are usually more along the lines of part-time, night classes.</p>

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<p>hmmm thanks very much cthefulte. does that mean if i went through an industry-funded phd program, i probably wouldnt be doing any TA/RAing?
is it possible to get a job, then go to a phd program of your own choice and still get it comped by the job? or does it normally haev to be a local university w/ a specific relationship to the company? is the time of completion for the phd the same?</p>

<p>sorry to ask, but you could go over the list of pros/cons of an undergrad->phd and doing RA/TA (a likely thing) vs. going into the job market for a little and coming back. if i did go into the job market and come back, it wouldnt be for a long period of time- within a few years.</p>

<p>thanks much for the help.</p>

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<p>No problem, it's nice to actually see questions that I know something about :-) I'm hoping to go into academia with my PhD, so unfortunately I don't know how to answer all of them, but I at least have a good idea of how things work.</p>

<p>I think that if you did an industry-funded phd program you would only have to TA/RA if it was part of the graduation requirements of the phd program. I know that for industry-supported masters programs the school usually has to have a specific relationship with the company - it may be different for phd though, I haven't asked anyone about that. I'm guessing that the time to completion may be slightly shorter if it's industry supported, but there is a lot of variation in time to completion of doctoral degrees anyways. </p>

<p>Pros of undergrad->phd (with RA/TA) - get all of the schooling out of the way, don't have to readjust to academics, shows drive and determination, get to learn a wide range of things, possibilities of doing internships with various companies who want to attract bright students, research experience in academia (developing new technologies that industry won't see for several years)</p>

<p>Cons of undergrad->phd - you have to really want the phd or you will burn out, may be considered overqualified for entry level positions (this is where internships are important), slightly more financial struggle, possible distractions from TA/RA positions</p>

<p>Pros of undergrad/master's->job->phd - have a chance to enjoy some time out of school, pay off loans/put money in the bank, chance to make connections in industry, possibly more focus on what research area to study for your phd, would have a job to return to after completion of the phd</p>

<p>Cons of undergrad/master's->job->phd - difficulty going back into academics after a break (many say they'll do it, few actually do), may be hard to find a company willing to fund a phd, tying yourself to a company for X number of years (several years before eligible for funded phd, throughout phd program, and several years after completion of the phd)</p>

<p>It's good to start to think about these things now, but in reality you have a lot of time to figure things out. At the beginning, focus on getting summer internships or research experiences that will teach you more about what you want to do. You will have to learn how to really sell yourself and your skills. Towards the end of your junior year / beginning of your senior year, start asking companies you're interested in about whether they pay for their employees to get phds, see what kind of programs they have set up. You can apply for graduate school programs at the same time as applying for positions in industry during your senior year, and you can re-evaluate when you have offers on the table to see what options will be best for you.</p>

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<p>hmm.... last question (for now): if i do the industry->phd, do i still haev to do part time work for the company as im in the phd program? or is it like a 6 year maternity leave, where i dont really even have to stop by the office or will i still ahve to do like 10 hours of work per week directly for the company?</p>

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<p>I really don't know for sure about that. I think the company would want to keep in touch with you, but being a grad student is a full-time job, so that would limit how much you do for them during the schoolyear especially. I imagine that you'd continue to have occasional meetings and maybe part-time work (especially when you're not taking classes), but I'm sure that changes from company to company.</p>

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<p>You really should get into school first and ask your profs these questions. They probably know more about BME and industry than posters here. And they will be your contacts later on. Stop worrying about this so early.</p>