I recieved my undergraduate degree in life sciences, have been working in structural engineering. Knowing that I want to transition into engineering, I went back and took math/physics/engineering pre-reqs at a local community college.
I know that most civil masters engineering programs require a B.S. in engineering or in physical sciences, does anyone have any experience with gw graduate engineering admissions without an undergrad engineering degree?
It’s not unusual for people to go from a BS in a quantitative, non-engineering field (like math, physics, or computer science) to an MS in engineering. I went from a BS in biology to an MS in mechanical engineering.
However, the problem with getting a civil engineering graduate degree without an engineering Bachelors is that civil engineering is one of those fields where it can be extremely important to have a PE license, assuming you plan on going into industry. The rules for PE licensure differ by state, so you’ll have to find out what the rules are for the state(s) you’re potentially interested in working in, but generally speaking, you need to have an engineering Bachelors degree from an ABET-accredited institution to be eligible for the PE. Due to the nature of ABET accreditation, only one level/program (Bachelors, Masters, or PhD) at any school can be ABET-accredited. This has nothing to do with the quality of the school/program, just the way ABET accreditation works. Consequently, as you might expect, at nearly every school, only the undergraduate program is ABET accredited. This means that a Master’s may not suffice to be eligible for the PE–again, depending on the state.
I would look into this very carefully before you consider a civil MS without an engineering BS. The usual advice is that it’s better to get a Masters than it is to get a second Bachelors, but civil engineering is a field where that may be an exception, depending on your ultimate goals.