<p>For grad school, I have two favorable in-state options: West Virginia University, which is several hours away, offers a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering (My undergrad major); and Marshall University, which does NOT offer ME at their grad school, is only 20 minutes away, and does have Engineering Management.</p>
<p>My questions are: Taking into account distance, which degree would be better to get? Which would be more likely to get me the job? A Master's in Engineering Management or a Master's in Mechanical Engineering. In either case, I'll have a B.S in Mechanical Engineering and an A.A.S in Industrial Management. I will have minored in Physics and Math. Thanks.</p>
<p>It really depends on your career situation. Are you working now or did you just graduate from college? Generally a Masters in Engineering or Engineering Management is a professional degree, and will help you advance in your career. Your employer might even be willing to reimburse you for the tuition so it is important to see what will be best for you at your current company.</p>
<p>If you are not currently employed, you need to ask yourself what the purpose of the Masters degree is and then decide if it is worth the cost or if it is better to wait and have a job for a few years first.</p>
<p>I would like to eventually wind up in sort of a management or leadership position somewhere; preferably, I would LOVE to be working on some form of a project (Project management); maybe people don’t always get what they want, but this is what I want.</p>
First thing: “management or leadership position” is very vague. To a certain extent, EVERY engineering job has some amount of leadership and management in it, as there are always technicians and machinists and end-users and administrators and other people who will look to you for advice and/or outright direction - I say this just to show how vague it is.</p>
<p>Second thing: As I mentioned before, unlike experience, management degrees are not actually required to manage. I know a number of leaders and managers at relatively high levels who have no management degree, although some of them are eventually sent to some type of certificate or degree program for some polish or even just for the appearance.</p>
<p>Third thing: If you want to do project/program management, a degree in engineering management is not usually the correct choice. An MBA is more appropriate here, an engineering management degree is usually about finding and developing engineers as a resource.</p>
<p>If you are dead set on a business or program management role, then neither degree is right for you right now - the technical masters is unnecessary and the business masters is too early. Go into industry and get some experience, then go get the correct degree for the management position you want, either alone or on your employer’s dime.</p>