<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>I am a Finance undergrad (Business of Bachelor Administration) and I'd like to go back to school to become a civil engineer. I understand I would have to take some "catch up" bridge courses prior to starting the Master degree but after looking into licensing for NY and NJ (where I live currently), it lists an UNDERGRAD degree as requirement not a MASTER degree. </p>
<p>Most of the master degree in civil engineering programs I've seen are about 1-2 years (without bridge courses) and I'm wondering if this would be enough to qualify to later on become a licensed engineer. It also feels kinda silly to go back to school for a Bachelor degree when I already have one...Ideally I would like be on project site, being a project engineer/manager as my job.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any insight to this? Been trying to research master vs. undergrad in civil and have not had much luck :/</p>
<p>Thanks!
Kate</p>
<p>A number of states require an ABET accredited Bachelor’s degree to sit for the P.E. exam. Master’s degrees are rarely accredited and not considered the same even if they are considered.</p>
<p>While I’m not Civil Engineering, I triple majored in undergrad in electrical engineering, physics and psychology. Now in a Electrical Engineering with a Physics focused PhD program. I was once in a similar position, by the end of my Jr. year I decided I loved physics and engineering but had focused on Psychology. I was lucky enough to have filled all of my electives with Math and computer science courses and added to my load a few times with physics courses. So for me all I needed to do was go back and do two semesters to complete the physics core and went ahead a blew off a summer because I was only a few credits shy to make it a triple in electrical engineering. Until then I really had just focused on Psyc mainly. </p>
<p>xraymancs is right, also a masters in any form of engineering or science is really no more useful to the job market than a undergraduate degree and in fact can make the job hunt tougher and it’s more expensive. After a lot of careful consideration as to my own goals and a ton of advice basically I was told either enter the job market using my electrical engineering Bsc or if I was thinking higher ed to just go into a funded PhD program and skip getting the masters. Now even if I drop out on my PhD program I automatically walk with a masters in EE and was paid to get it. </p>
<p>So my recommendation is to either go into a ABET accredited undergrad program that has the best transfer options if your alma mater does not have a ABET acc program, or if you have management consulting or future teaching ambitions in the future roll it up into a funded PhD program. </p>
<p>I don’t see why anyone would bother paying for a graduate degree unless it is a MSW, MBA or JD or wanted to be a Professor in a field that is not readily funded. </p>
<p>Also if you’re really ambitious and have to transfer to a school that is going to require you to do a full two years to get their sheep skin since you already have a Bachelors I’d consider finding a school that has a MBA or JD program as well and while you’re getting the Civil Engineering credentials completed double it up with a MBA or JD at the same time. Both are pretty much logic based graduate degrees and if you have the math skills to do a Engineering degree then you should not struggle to much with a MBA or JD on top. One of my Cohorts in my PhD program just finished his JD and I’ve known a few in other departments to do a MBA I’m actually considering doing this myself. </p>
<p>I think a Civil Engineering Bsc with a MBA or JD would make you Highly Competitive in the job market. I would do the same if I did not have ambitions to eventually teach after some time in industry. </p>
<p>The issue here is being able to sit for the P.E. examination. A Masters degree alone in many engineering disciplines is more than enough to land a good job because there is no requirement for a P.E. credential. If the job is one that needs a P.E. then an ABET-accredited B.S. is generally required. </p>