<p>Hello Everyone,
I hope everyone is doing well. I hope that title did not confuse too many people. So anyway, here is my deal. I am a 26 year old that graduated with a B.S. in marine biology. At the last year of my undergraduate studies, my courses leaned a lot towards the environmental field (water quality analysis) and we even did some field trips to the sanitation district as well as do restoration work. This got me really interested in the environmental field, which in turn made me apply for an environmental engineering M.S. program. I am currently doing an internship with a source testing company (air quality) while I am expected to graduate in Spring 2014 with my M.S. assuming everything works out well in terms of scheduling. My big question is, how is my resume going to compare to other people in this field? Most companies that have openings in environmental engineering specifically state a B.S. in environmental engineering and I would only have B.S. in marine biology and an M.S. in environmental engineering. I was thinking, my plan is to work as soon as possible in the field if given the chance but in the long run, is not having a B.S. in environmental engineering going to put me at a huge disadvantage vs. people who have a B.S. in environmental engineering? I am planning on taking as many prerequisites to the undergraduate degree while working if this is the case (some schools offer courses either online or at night which helps out a lot). If it really came to a point where it matters a lot in the future, I can take 2 years off work and get my B.S. in environmental engineering. I calculated it as the B.S. would take me around 2 years if I complete those lower division prerequisite courses. My main concern here is employment. I want to work in the field and I am willing to work hard to gain an edge in the industry. Any advise and similar thoughts and experiences would be helpful. I hope to hear back from everyone.</p>
<p>Your MS in environmental engineering should show a much stronger knowledge of the field than a BS so there shouldn’t be any need to go backwards. It probably won’t hurt you in the long run since employment-wise, most employers will look at your most current degree (your MS). IF anything, I think your BS in marine biology might look good towards firms because it brings a different element of knowledge.</p>
<p>Don’t even think about it! Having a B.S. in Biology plus an M.S. in Environmental Engineering is going to be fine for employers. As @j89 says, the last degree shows you know your material and the Biology degree shows a breadth that you would not have if you had a B.S. in engineering. A strong combination.</p>