<p>Hi guys im Masahiro,</p>
<p>I graduated last year with my BS degree in Environmental Science from a UC but after a stint of a few jobs the field was something else and something I totally can not see myself doing long term. In my last two years as an Undergrad I thought seriously about majoring in EE but I came in as a high unit transfer student from community college and a year abroad so I was allowed little flexibility to take more units than I was allotted and to make things worse I went through a very rough patch in my life and graduated with a very low 2.3 gpa and I really dont want to do something for the rest of my career which I really hate (Environmental Science) or anything even related to it such as Environmental Engineering.</p>
<p>The good part is I took the engineering physics curriculum as an undergrad rather than the life science series and took Calculus up to Multivariable. So I have some math background.</p>
<p>However what are my chances in getting into a California University Electrical Enginerring Masters program considering my reallly low gpa and lack of EE knowledge? A second BS is just not an option for me right now and I know this is really what I want to do in my life and am taking this road very seriously. I am now thinking about going back to community college and completing some prereqs for the EE degree and doing well in them.</p>
<p>Thanks.
Masa.</p>
<p>Why are you ruling out a second BS degree? There are programs where you would only need to take the EE courses you are lacking. And anything else you missed in terms of prereqs.
If you found a MS degree, you would have to take a bunch of undergrad EE courses first to get you up to the right level of knowledge, so it is not a straight shot anyway.</p>
<p>Your gpa is too low to be admitted straight to a masters program. A second BS would be the way to go. Take the required classed needed for a transfer student in EE. This is usually diff eq, linear algebra, circuits, physics 1 and 2(electricity). </p>
<p>Look for Cal States that accept 2nd degree students in engineering. SJSU does not, Long Beach and Northridge do. </p>
<p>[Second</a> BA or BS Admissions Criteria](<a href=“http://www.csun.edu/anr/applygradsecondba.html]Second”>http://www.csun.edu/anr/applygradsecondba.html)
[Post-baccalaureate</a> - CSULB Enrollment Services](<a href=“http://www.csulb.edu/depts/enrollment/admissions/postbaccalaureate.html]Post-baccalaureate”>Admissions | California State University Long Beach)</p>
<p>I would contact an EE department head at your nearest school to discuss what your options are and help decide between a 2nd BS or a Mastes w/ your credentials.</p>
<p>thx lookin4ward,</p>
<p>I just consulted with the engineering dept. at my old community college, however they still insist I take the graduate student route despite my low gpa, since (A) second bachelor degree students in California are mostly not awarded federal aid and are low priority in admittance rates and (B) I would simply not be able to afford going school and get my second BS.</p>
<p>I will also consult a few local colleges EE departments in my area just to get a second opinion.</p>
<p>Cool. Keep us posted. You can take distance education courses also until your gpa goes up as a non degree student. </p>
<p>[Bachelor</a> of Science in Electrical Engineering | Online & Distance Education](<a href=“UND Online | Degrees & Courses | University of North Dakota”>UND Online | Degrees & Courses | University of North Dakota)</p>
<p>take diff eq, linear algebra and circuits at your community college, 2 or 3 engineering courses after that and you should be in good shape. Maybe physics 3(modern) at CC as well. Not all school require it but a lot do. Just take your time and don’t try to rush the degree.</p>
<p>thx lookin4ward,</p>
<p>one question,</p>
<p>how on earth would I be able to get over my pretty pathetic gpa.</p>
<p>I mean, most schools I am looking at for EE dont even look at you without a 3.0 gpa. And since im not an engineering major coming into their program its gonna look a lot worse when it comes to sending my application as compared to another EE or CS major where that would seem understandable.</p>
<p>Eitherway I plan on taking those classes you mentioned above at CC and doing the best I can in them.</p>
<p>You just have to reinvent yourself. My first time in college I didn’t even care about my grades. I was smart and could do the work, but I would often skip classes and spent more time working than I did on school work. I dropped out, joined the military and realized I was just missing the dedication to school that is required in order to complete an engineering degree. </p>
<p>Ask yourself why your grades were bad. If you partied too much or worked a lot…you can overcome that. If you found the math too difficult or didn’t understand scientific principles than engineering might not be for you and you should consider an alternate career path.</p>