<p>Can anyone with experience comment on this route?</p>
<p>I know it might be unnecessary, because I am currently studying MechE as an undergraduate and may just work for 5+ years then apply to an MBA school. Would the masters help by positioning myself as more of a leader in my field and thus helping me get into top MBA programs? Or would the masters have more of a negative effect, forcing me further into debt as I would have to pay for the MBA too.</p>
<p>Thoughts...</p>
<p>I think it wouldnt hurt to have both a masters in engineering and a mba but I dont think it is neccessary for you to be a leader in your field. I think just the masters in engineering would be enough.</p>
<p>It depends on what you want to do - the additionl engineering degree positions you as a superior technical expert, while the MBA pushes you squarely into management roles. The only area I am familiar with where they both apply is in program management, so if this appeals to you, it may be worthwhile. Otherwise, I would plan on perhaps working a couple of years and seeing where your interests really lie.</p>
<p>I was in a similar position as you described. I have a Masters in Engineering, and at one point was looking at going to get an MBA. I contacted some admissions consultants company. Those groups that serve on admissions committees, but moonlight as consultants to get people into schools. They gave some very good advice on the subject.</p>
<p>They said…For most full-time MBA programs it will hurt you. This is because MBA programs do not want professional students. Also, MBA programs tend to want their students to be a little younger. The Masters in Engineering may also dictate your first job to be more technical. This is usually not what MBA programs are looking for. They want work experience from a person where they are a leader or working with others on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Thank you for the replies so far.</p>
<p>Jack63 and others if you mind replying one more time, If I go right into graduate school right after senior year and if everything else goes as planned I will be 22 with my masters and working at 23. Is this too old to be starting to work full time?</p>
<p>23 is certainly not too old. Is it a 1 year Masters program? Your plan may be fine if it is just a 1 year masters program. Maybe you are 21 and starting your Masters program…</p>
<p>The problem is when the masters degrees take two years or more. This can happen if you get funded and end up being a Teaching assistant or Research Assistant. This Assistantships will slow you down in a Masters program, but the tuition waiver and stipend are often hard to pass up vs. supporting yourself and paying loads of tuition. Also, most Master programs in engineering are at a minimum 1 1/2 years.</p>
<p>I will say that life doesn’t always go according to plan. I’ve have certainly also seen Engineers with Masters degrees who want to pursue MBAs get hurt by having taken 2 to 2 1/2 years to complete a Masters degree. In the one specific case I remember, the guy was a Research Assistant, but MBA schools didn’t care about that at all. He worked after his masters in engineering and literally applied to top MBA programs for 4 or 5 years straight. Finally, he got in in his 30’s. The whole thing baffled me.</p>
<p>I might recommend hiring some admission consultants like I dealt with. I have no idea which consultants might be good. Go online and research the different possibilities and ask about the consultants background…ie do they have and MBA…do they serve on admission committees?..Where do they serve?..What is their job? Pay $125 - $150 for one hour and run your plan by them. They advice might be really good.</p>
<p>I will say that I don’t know how the Masters in Engineering helps you get into an MBA program…In fact my experience has been that a Masters in Engineering will rarely help you get into a full time MBA program unless it is a MBA program that specifically caters to engineers like krannert(Purdue) or something. It is a whole different story if you can’t find a good engineering job because of this economy. If this is the case, I’d limit the time spent getting the Masters in Engineering.</p>
<p>It is an intense 1 year masters program and students do projects with companies instead of writing a thesis. I liked this idea more than studying engineering for another two years. </p>
<p>However, the more I think about it the more I just want to work after Senior year. Granted I am still young, but recently I have talked to someone who graduated with a B.S chemE degree and is now in the kellogg mba program. I guess it all depends if I get a satisfying job after Senior year.</p>
<p>jack63, I will look into hiring some admissions consultants. I would like to be in management instead of engineering in the future. If you don’t mind, how long have you been working with your masters in engineering? Have you been transitioning to management or are you still working mainly as an engineer?</p>