<p>I'm thinking about being an engineer, especially a ChemE or MechE and was wondering about the value of a graduate degree. Is it helpful only if you plan to go on to a research/academic career? Or will getting your master's help you if you go out into industry? How bout your PhD? I visited an oil refinery a few weeks ago and we met a bunch of engineers, chemical mainly who managed the various sections of the refinery and it seemed like a cool kind of job, being out in the field working in practical applications like that and so I was wondering about this.</p>
<p>Master's degrees in Engineering are typically professional degrees and are very helpful for either research or industry. The PhD won't really contribute that much salary-wise to your career unless you really want to be a professor or only want to do research.</p>
<p>It's quite common for engineers to (eventually) get MBA's, because practical engineering is intimately linked with business.</p>
<p>How long does a Master's degree generally take? One year?</p>
<p>a master's degree is typically two years</p>
<p>A master's degree is usually one year on paper, but people often take 1.5 to 2 years to complete it, because it is hard to take 6-8 classes, do research, and write a thesis all in one year.</p>
<p>there are some MS programs that don't require a thesis, and can be completed in one year... and there's also the option of a 5 year BS-MS program</p>
<p>i stand corrected, i thought it was two on paper as well...</p>
<p>shows what i know :D</p>