Masters of Engineering??

College Majors Engineering Majors
21

<p>Sakky, let me ask you this:</p>

<p>After the few years of working experience that I intend to gain before I do ANY grad work (and perhaps working on my PE in the process), could you maybe compare/contrast an (M.Eng Mechanical Engineering + MBA) vs. an (M.S. Mechanical Engineering + MBA). In particular, which combination would better line you up for what types of jobs, and which combination do you think GENERALLY would yield a greater earning power? (I understand there are no hard-and-fast rules or guarantees in this line of discussions... just your general opinion is all I ask) Would one better prepare you for a job in Engineering Management more-so than the other?</p>

<p>Certainly, I think the M.Eng or M.S. needs to come BEFORE the MBA... any thoughts as to which one is more attractive to b-schools? Is one more helpful in the job-search process once the MBA is earned?</p>

22

<p>In general, I think the MS tends to be a stronger credential than the MEng. I say that having heard plenty of MIT MEng degree pursuers talk about their degree as not being a 'real' master's degree (although clearly the MEng is better than no master's degree at all). </p>

<p>However, personally, I think the difference between the MEng and the MS is really splitting hairs, especially once you have job experience. Once you've been out in the working world for awhile, nobody is going to care about whether you have an MEng or an MS. Nobody is going to say "Oh, I see that you have strong work experience, but we're not going to hire you because you have an MEng, not an MS". </p>

<p>This is particularly so once you've gotten the MBA. At that point, you're basically expected to move into management, and at that point, the difference between the MEng and the MS is infinitesimal. </p>

<p>I don't know that the MEng or MS needs to necessarily come before the MBA. After all, look at the MIT LFM students. They seem to be doing quite well for themselves. Look at the Kellogg MMM students or the Michigan TMI students. They're doing fairly well for themselves.</p>

23

<p>Again, thanks for the knowledge, Sakky. I appreciate your input.</p>

<p>When you say:
"I don't know that the MEng or MS needs to necessarily come before the MBA. After all, look at the MIT LFM students. They seem to be doing quite well for themselves. Look at the Kellogg MMM students or the Michigan TMI students. They're doing fairly well for themselves."</p>

<p>I think you misunderstood me, mostly because I wasn't clear. What I MEANT to say was that the M.S. or MEng shouldn't come AFTER the MBA. I believe you're referring to Kellogg MMM students who are working on them both simultaneously... </p>

<p>So basically what I meant to say was the M.Eng or MS should come before OR concurrently with the MBA, just not after the MBA. Is this accurate, or am I still not understanding your point?</p>

24

<p>I agree that the MEng/MS probably shouldn't come after the MBA. And the reason has more to do with personal motivation than anything else. After you get your MBA, especially if it is an elite MBA, you are basically expected to get into management (or consulting or another "MBA-style" role). That means that you're going to be divorced from daily engineering interaction, which means that getting your MEng or MS will be more difficult, firstly because you won't be immersed in the world of engineering anymore, and secondly because you probably won't want to study hardcore engineering at that stage in your career. Lots of engineers want to do managerial or consulting work, but very few managers/consultants want to do engineering work.</p>

25

<p>Would it be a safe career move if after you received your MBA you did consulting or I-Banking for a few years to really pull in the big buck and switch back into engineering management? Is that a reality?</p>

26

<p>Thanks sakky; you have been a great help.</p>

27

<p>To midnightsun1106, yeah you could do that. However, the fact is, after doing IB or MC for a few years, you've basically stepped out of the engineering world and you may not find it easy to go back. The other issue is that you probably won't WANT to go back. After tasting the fast-paced world of IB or MC, it's extremely difficult, from a psychological standpoint. to go back to traditional engineering management. After a few years of IB, you'll probably only consider jobs in high finance. After a few years of MC, you'll probably only consider jobs in strategy or business development or in upper levels of management. You'll probably never want to get your hands dirty in the engineering world ever again.</p>

28

<p>Let's say that I finished my B.S. in engineering and went straight to work in the industry for a couple of years. Then I decide that I want a MBA. </p>

<p>Would it be difficult for me to get admitted to one of the top 5 (or 10) MBA programs as a former engineer? Or would I be at an enormous disadvantage to those applying who were IBs? </p>

<p>And following the MBA program (assuming I am at one of the schools with recruiters), would I be a good candidate to get hired in IB despite having zero experience in banking? </p>

<p>Do IBs recruit engineers who finish an M.S. in engineering as well? I have the same question for this scenario. What if I finished a M.S. degree (again, assuming it is at one of the IB recruiting schools), "would I be a good candidate to get hired in IB despite having zero experience in banking?"</p>

29

<p>Does all this apply to Bioengineering major students, since it's a fairly new major.</p>

30

<p>Hey sakky I understand you when you say I'd probably rather not go back into engineering again, but what about say mid-upper management at an engineering firm such as GM or Lockheed Martin or something of that calibur? Does that ever happen</p>

31

<p>
[quote]
Let's say that I finished my B.S. in engineering and went straight to work in the industry for a couple of years. Then I decide that I want a MBA. </p>

<p>Would it be difficult for me to get admitted to one of the top 5 (or 10) MBA programs as a former engineer? Or would I be at an enormous disadvantage to those applying who were IBs?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Heck no. One of the largest cohorts of any elite B-schools are engineers right out of industry. At many elite B-schools, most notably MIT-Sloan, there are far more former engineers than there are former Ibankers.</p>

<p>
[quote]
And following the MBA program (assuming I am at one of the schools with recruiters), would I be a good candidate to get hired in IB despite having zero experience in banking?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Ah, now this is a more complicated question. The answer is, yes, you will be at a disadvantage compared to those who have previous Ibanking experience. However, you can overcome this by doing a summer intership (between your first and second years of B-school) at a bank, by loading up on lots of finance and accounting MBA courses and doing well in them, and by being extremely active in the banking/finance club of your B-school. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Do IBs recruit engineers who finish an M.S. in engineering as well? I have the same question for this scenario. What if I finished a M.S. degree (again, assuming it is at one of the IB recruiting schools), "would I be a good candidate to get hired in IB despite having zero experience in banking?"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That depends. If you go to one of those schools where IB's hire lots of undergrad engineers, then your chances of getting into an IB with an MS from that school will also be good. For example, IB's hire PLENTY of engineering undergrads from MIT, Stanford, and places like that. </p>

<p>However, you will almost certainly be relegated to the same sort of analyst job as you would have gotten with just a bachelor's. The point is, you shouldn't see the MS as a 'substitute-MBA', because in the eyes of the banks, it is not. </p>

<p>One exception I would make is if your MS is in a field that is highly relevant to finance. Such an MS would be extremely applicable to the IB world and could therefore make you highly marketable. I know one guy who got his Master's of Science in EECS from MIT, where he worked on computerized numerical analysis of financial models. He had no prior work experience. He ended up with a quite good job (i.e. better than entry level) in the research division of a major Wall Street bank. </p>

<p>
[quote]
but what about say mid-upper management at an engineering firm such as GM or Lockheed Martin or something of that calibur?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Sure, that happens a lot. However, it would probably be something more attuned to what you've been doing. For example, if you're a former banker, then if you worked for GM later, it would probably be in the finance or accounting department.</p>

32

<p>Be cautious of attending undergrad ME schools offering master of engineering in ME specialties.</p>

<p>It use to be that everyone too a general ME engineering degree, with specialties (naval, aero, auto, nuclear etc) only in that 5th year did one touch the speciality.</p>

<p>Now, to attract students, these old guard schools added a freshman hands-on course and access to a couple of grad courses in Senior year and call themselves undergrad aero/naval/auto etc. </p>

<p>If you want a real speciality engineering degree, look for one of the newer integrated curriculums that focus hands-on, project based, CDIO curriculum: Olin, MIT aero, Rowen, Daniel Webster Smith etc.</p>