Are these degree programs worth it? I’ve looked specifically at Bucknell’s five year program and the fifth year is tuition free. Would it be bad to get a masters right away and leave college with a masters with no job experience?
They can be worth it but it is a matter of preference. I don’t see the issue about finishing with a Masters without job experience. Most engineering students finish with a Bachelor’s and no job experience, however, it is possible to get job experience in the summers with internships and that will help whether you graduate with a BS or MS.
5 year programs are a great idea! In just one more year, and at a time when you’re at the top of your game academically, you get a MS degree. Talk to any engineer that is spending 2-4 years doing a part-time evening program and I think you’ll understand how much sacrifice & work that approach takes. As for working for a while and then going back, sounds good in theory but in practice it is hard for most people to walk away from the salary, the nice car, their friends, etc. and spend a year somewhere at school.
If you finish an engineering degree, BS or MS, with no job experience then you’re doing it wrong. Employers highly value internship and coop experience. It shows you know what you’re getting into; instead of telling an interviewer you think you want to work on compilers or RF circuits or whatever makes sense depending on the branch of engineering you study, you can talk about actual experience. Good for you, too; I know someone that had a summer internship and decided to go into marketing instead of engineering, found out in a summer that a lifetime in engineering was not a fit. Furthermore if you do well you have a job offer in hand; employers much prefer someone they’ve seen all summer or semester over someone they’ve talked to for a few hours.
Can I expect a higher starting salary with the masters? For engineers would the extra year of school over a year of work be worth it?
The masters usually does help to net a slightly higher salary, but it usually evens out after experience becomes the driving factor.