<p>I know students who go straight from undergrad to graduate school qualify for fellowships, but what about students who go to graduate school after a couple of years of work experience in industry? Can they still qualify for fellowships? I'm referring to Engineering specifically. </p>
<p>I will be finishing my BS in Mechanical Engineering after the Fall quarter so I won't be graduating at the end of the school year near Summer time as is traditional. I would like to work for a company for say 1.5 years and then go to grad school later to get a Masters. I'm just wondering if I won't qualify for fellowships or grant aid just because I didn't go straight to grad school after undergrad.</p>
<p>And just at a curiosity, does the type of Masters that you get (Coursework or Thesis) affect your chances of getting fellowships/financial aid in grad school?</p>
<p>there is very little fellowship/scholarship money at the masters level (usually for PhD). If you work for a large corporation, check to see if they have a tuition remission/reimbursement plan</p>
<p>Having a funded position doesn’t depend on when you apply. If there are funds available for MS, then the entire pool of applicants will be considered. It just isn’t as often that they are given for MS. I don’t know that I have heard of a fellowship for MS at all, but TA ship and RA ship is possible but not as usual for MS students. Especially if you get a Professional MS then expect to be self pay or your employer might have tuition benefits. For research degree it is more possible, but still not the norm.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, I’ve also heard the stories of how there isn’t a whole lot of financial aid for MS students. I’ve considered getting a PhD, but I’ve heard from most people it’s not financially worth it in engineering (I’d like to hear your guys’ opinion on this). </p>
<p>Does anyone happen to have any good information of what companies will pay for their engineers to go back to school to get a Masters? I live in Northern California next to Silicon Valley so it would be great if anyone happened to know of any good companies that give some sort of financial support to get a MS.</p>
<p>you must research the company benefit section of the companies that recruit at your school and companies where you will be applying to work.</p>
<p>Example- Google will reimburse you for classes or degree programs that help you with what you do.
<a href=“Build for Everyone - Google Careers”>Build for Everyone - Google Careers;
<p>We know two students who had funded masters degrees at UMass Amherst. Full tuition, fees, and a $15,000 a year stipend…in engineering. One was right out of undergrad, and the second worked for two years before applying to grad school.</p>
<p>@sybbie719, Cool, I already have a rough list of the different companies that I’m interested in working with once I graduate. I’ll take a look at their benefits section on their websites to see if they offer any reimbursement plans for completing a degree.</p>
<p>@thumper1, How in the world did they get a $15,000 stipend? Was it through a TA or RA (Teaching or Research Assistantship) or did they literally get a check for $15,000 handed to them like free money? I’m assuming it might have just been the school that awarded it since I know financial aid various from school to school.</p>