I need your opinion. My son has dual degree 3+2 (Physics-Tulane) and (Mechanical Engineering-Vandy), both with high gpa. He just graduated in May 2016 and has been on the job for one month with a large aerospace company in California as engineer. He really likes his job and the company has program to pay for grad school in MBA, Engineering, etc. He would like to further his career in engineering after two or three years working in there by applying to Cal Tech MS program. He does not want to do Phd just MS then working in industry or staying with his current employer. Do you think by doing Caltech MS in ME he can advance his career or he needs to take MBA from other schools like Stanford, UCLA, USC, Peperdine, etc?. Please advise. Thanks.
That is going to depend on his career goals. If he wants to stay on a technical track then going the MBA route will be fairly useless and getting the MS would be necessary. If he wants to go the management route then both will likely help. The brand name of the school won’t matter as much within the company. The company won’t pay for a degree from a school they don’t respect.
^Above. Tell your son to look at the resumes and career profiles of the people who are in positions he’d like to be in in 5-10 years. He can find those on LinkedIn. What degrees do they primarily have? That will help him get his answer.
If he isn’t sure what he wants to do, he can put off this decision for a little while.
FWIW, though if he has a choice and the stats for it an MBA from Stanford, UCLA or USC would be way better than one from Pepperdine.
Thanks for the advises to both of you.
Juillet: my son told me he loves engineering and would only do MS not Phd in Mechanical Engineering from top schools like Cal Tech, MIT, Johns Hopkins (he was accepted at this school too for undergraduate) etc. Anyhow, I have advised him to do MBA if necessary and regarding his stats, he has graduated cum laude. So, I believe he will have no problems doing MBA. More importantly, thanks for the MBA suggestion of those schools in Southern Cali as he likes Cali so much.
It looks like Cal Tech will not accept students pursuing for MS in ME only for Phd?
Here is from their website: Mechanical Engineering (ME) research and study are offered through the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (MCE). The degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Master of Science (M.S.) are offered. The M.S. degree is normally only awarded to students who expect to pursue the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering and who do not already have an M.S. degree in mechanical engineering. In general, students who intend to work full-time toward the Ph.D. degree as a final degree objective are admitted to the mechanical engineering graduate program.
If that being the case, perhaps my son can do MS in ME at UCLA or Berkeley?..I have to check their website though.
It also depends on what schools his company supports. They may not let him go just anywhere. He would have to check with them.
Yes, it would appear that Caltech does not have a free-standing mechanical engineering MS program - they only admit people who want a PhD. So that would not be a suitable option for him.
Unless his job is one of the ones that will pay for you to attend a school full-time with the promise that he will return after he finishes the MS, he will probably have to attend a university that is local commuting distance for his degree. MIT or JHU would be too far for a CA school unless they’ll let him leave, finish a full-time program and then come back. (Or unless he decides to leave on his own.)
My Son has high paying job right now and can save some money if necessary to go to MIT or JHU etc. Besides he also likes to take advantage of company’s program to pay for schooling to advance his career. So, I think UCLA program in MS (mechanical engineering) will be suitable for him. Or perhaps taking the MBA route as you guys have suggested. I have to check with him regarding these things. Anyhow, now I am just helping him out to map his career choices and he needs two or three years of professional experience before actually doing it.