<p>I hear that PhDs can be overqualified for certain positions in industry because they are expected to find these positions boring, and view them as steppingstones onto other positions. </p>
<p>I'm still not sure whether I want to do research or be an engineer. MS seems like the window to more opportunities, but PhDs get funding.</p>
<p>What are people's perspectives on this?</p>
<p>If you are not sure, the best thing to do is to look for a job after the B.S. and see what it’s like. Once you have experienced being a professional engineer, you can better decide if you need to get a Professional M.S. in Engineering, a Ph.D. or maybe an MBA. i would not recommend a Ph.D. right away unless you have a desire to be in academia or a research career. It takes a long time and you make a lot of sacrifices in income.</p>
<p>+10^2. Internships and co-op jobs can help you begin to figure this before graduation. If you are unsure - get work experience first. Many employers will reimburse for evening programs; in many instances, having the graduate degree is as good as getting one full-time from a “name” program and is much better financially for you.</p>
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<p>That’s not exactly correct.</p>
<p>BS - general knowledge of a broad field of engineering (such as chemical engineering)
MS - specialized knowledge of a subfield of engineering (such as reactor design)
PhD - incredibly specialized knowledge of a specific phenomenon (such as oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane over reduced heteropolyanion catalysts)</p>
<p>If an employer wants someone with general chemical engineering knowledge, they hire a BS. If they want someone with specialized knowledge in reactor design, they hire the MS. If they’re researching catalysts with applications similar to those used for oxidative dehydration of ethane, they hire the PhD.</p>
<p>Hiring an MS to fill an entry level (BS) position is usually ok because BS and MS graduates usually make about the same amount of money and in most cases “general chemical engineering” involves some reactor design, so the specialization is useful. If you have a specialization with limited applicability (such as bio reactor design), that could limit you. </p>
<p>Hiring a PhD to fill an entry level (BS) position very rarely happens. The PhD will want significantly more money than a BS and the PhD will be 5 to 7 years removed from the study of general engineering. So the company is better off simply hiring a BS. As a result, virtually all PhD graduates go on to academia or research and design.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>In that case, I’m definitely going to look for an internship this summer. The thing is it’s already spring, and there are much less offers in the spring time. I was hoping to do an internship at a really good company like 3M, but I think that’s unlikely at this point.</p>