Master's of Engineering Pros and Cons

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am a chemical engineering senior and am baffled about my future. I am heavily considering doing the Master's of Engineering program at my undergrad school as soon as I finish up undergrad. Lately I have been doing some questioning and I found that my peers are more geared towards industry while my former employers with 20+ years experience in the field agree with my intent on doing the 1 year degree right after undergrad. </p>

<p>I have a decent amount of professional experience and I was thinking about getting a consulting or engineering job in the vicinity so I can get more experience and complete the degree simultaneously. </p>

<p>I can see why the pros (higher glass ceiling, higher starting pay,etc) may parallel the cons (cost, etc). Personally, the reason for doing it would be for academic curiosity (Senior year has been very interesting so far due to the course selection and course interest).</p>

<p>Any opinions/links/advice about master's of engineering degrees would be appreciated, as I have a hard time finding out information online.</p>

2

<p>There are two potential issues here: immediate masters versus immediate industry, and MS vs MEng.</p>

<p>As far as masters/industry, it is a very individual decision. If you can stand being poor a while longer I recommend getting the masters now - you will get a better quality of education (generally) and a higher degree of competency in your specialty. You will miss a year’s worth of income but it means an easier career and more free time in the long run.
Plus better advancement prospects down the road. However, waiting also allows you time to clarify your specialty - I started my MSEE my first year of work, and by my 3rd it was irrelevent to what I was then doing because my focus had changed.</p>

<p>As far as MS/MEng, the MEng will generally provide a wider but much shallower base of knowledge, and serves as poor preparation for a PhD. If you are unsure of what you want to do, definitely go MEng. But I otherwise recommend the MS.</p>