<p>My freshmen year I was a biology major, but once I realized that wasn't for me, I took my sophomore year off. My junior/senior year I have been a Geology major. Now I'm finishing up my last semester (5th year). I currently have about 23k in loans and about 12k saved (which I was going to use to pay them off with). I have already taken out a grand total of 24k, but I paid off 1k worth. </p>
<p>My plan would be to start a Geological Engineering degree next Spring. My adviser and I figured out I could graduate Fall 2016 (I would need to take one summer class and I would only need 11 credits Fall 2016). Fall 2016 is the earliest I can finish because of class prerequisites (For example, soil mechanics requires deformable body mechanics, etc...). Because I already have a Geology degree finished, I would have a light load every semester (13 credits for Spring 2015, 12 credits for Fall 2015, 13 credits for Spring 2016, and 11 credits for Fall 2011). The problem is that I'll be surpassing my credit limit after this semester (I did 2 years of college during high school), so I would lose all my financial aid (but I would still get loans). My financial adviser said if I were to work for a few years first, and then come back, I would not be eligible for student loans. </p>
<p>It would cost me a total of 26k. I can bring that number down to 14k after using the 12k I have saved up. Because I am only allowed an aggregated loan limit of 31k, I can only use 7k more in government loans. My grandparents are willing to pay 4k toward it. So that would bring my total debt to 30k! In comparison, after using my savings, I would only have 11k debt with the Geology degree? 11k vs. 30k</p>
<p>My goal is to work in environmental remediation. I can work in that field with both degrees, but it seems like engineering has much better job opportunities in general. But I just don't want to be saddled with all this debt... Any advice? I need to make this decision in the next month. </p>
<p>Any chance of moving into a MS program in geological engineering instead of getting another BS?</p>
<p>I think that would be possible, but I want to be able to take the PE exam. Dont you need to have a 4 year degree in engineering to take it?</p>
<p>As far as I know it can still be done with an MS or even with no engineering degree in certain situations. Check with your state board.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice boneh3ad! It looks like I would need a bachelor degree in engineering. Do you think it would be worth going into about 30k in debt for a Geological Engineering degree? My future engineering adviser thinks I should, but he’s not the one who would be stuck with this debt. I don’t like being in the amount of debt I’m in now, so I’m very hesitant to take on more. </p>
<p>I think you’d be better off getting a job, then seeing if you still want to get an engineering degree afterwards. Piling on debt when you’re not sure it will pay off is not a wise choice. </p>
<p>Take as many classes towards that goal as you can now, just to make it easier for you in the future if you decide to go back, but you don’t seem ready to commit to more years of schooling + debt, even if it’s the right choice (which you aren’t sure it is).</p>
<p>I agree with @NeoDymium, since your job prospects are good, you can work for a while, pay off your loans and with the work experience, decide if a PE is necessary for your career. This will help you choose the right course of action.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help! So I spoke with an engineer who hires a large number of Geologists. He said to do engineering. He didn’t think Geology was a bad degree, just that it doesn’t offer you the same amount of employment opportunities that an engineering degree would. He said all of the Geologists in his company are being managed by engineers, and that without a PE, it would be hard to move up the ladder in his company.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, he didn’t seem too worried about the debt I would need to add on. In my opinion, 30k of debt is too much, but the guy I spoke with seemed to think I should go for it. </p>
<p>I still think a second BS is a waste of time and you really ought to consider the MS route. What state do you hope to work in. Many states do have a means to obtain licensure through graduate study or even through long-duration practice without any degree at all. I’d be surprised if your state didn’t allow that under any circumstances.</p>
<p>Have you checked to make sure the field you wish to enter even requires licensure?</p>
<p>I’m going to keep looking into the MS route. I would love to stay in Minnesota, but I’d be willing to move to a different state if need be. It looks like they allow you to get a PE if you took classes that are equivalent to the content of an engineering undergraduate degree. So I think a MS would be acceptable. I’ll have to contact them to double check my research. Thanks again for the help. </p>
<p>Looking briefly through Minnesota’s site concerning licensure (<a href=“ShieldSquare Captcha”>ShieldSquare Captcha), it looks like there are routes to licensure without an accredited degree. You may want to contact someone in that department to ask about your situation specifically and whether you can obtain a PE license with a BS in geology and an MS in geological engineering. You might as well be fully informed before making a $30k decision.</p>