<p>How common is that? Would it ruin my chance at pursuing a phd down the road?</p>
<p>I do not have a good sense of how common it is. But I think as long as you can get involved with some research activities through independent study courses etc., and you can earn good recommendations from your supervisors, whether you do a thesis does not matter. That said, doing a thesis would probably be the easiest and most straightforward way to get research experience at the Master's level.</p>
<p>No. While an MS thesis makes a good starter for a proposal, it by no means precludes you from getting a PhD. I chose to do a course-based masters simply because I thought I could benefit by taking 4 more courses, but I sought out a research assistantship so that I can get up to speed in a lab so that I could start doing my PhD research this semester.</p>
<p>What schools offer a non-thesis Masters? Son wants to do BME, and definitely wants to get at least a master's.</p>
<p>The thought of having to write a thesis kept me away from attaining a master's in biology, but may not be the case for my son. He may be up to the challenge.</p>
<p>Either way, though, I am curious to find out if there are programs out there that not only offer a non-thesis masters, but a program where you can go straight to an MS. I think they're called BS/MS programs.</p>
<p>Once you get out in the working world with a BS, it is SO HARD to go back to graduate school.</p>
<p>The non-thesis track Masters degree in Engineering is commonly known as a Master of Engineering. From the information I can gather, it is a track those that are out in industry to come back and get their masters in a year. The university provides no funding, so you must either be self-funded or sponsored by your company. It is intended to be a terminal degree and you generally cannot use it as a basis for a PhD. There are, of course, the exceptions. </p>
<p>The MS degree is considered the more traditional and prestigious path. The M.Eng degree has grown in popularity since you get it more quickly (one year, instead of two) and companies will sponsor this degree. I have been applying to Mech. Engineering programs and nearly every school has this track. I hope this info helps!</p>
<p>I forgot to mention that you don't necessarily need a MS degree to get into a PhD path. There are many programs you can apply to a PhD directly as long as you have an BS in a related field. If that's the case, I don't think getting an M.Eng will be a roadblock to a PhD in any way. Someone, please correct me if I am wrong.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The non-thesis track Masters degree in Engineering is commonly known as a Master of Engineering.
[/quote]
Most of the programs I had applied for offered Masters of Science without a thesis. They were not called Master of Engineering degrees.</p>
<p>Yeah, every program I've looked at has had MS degrees without a thesis offered.</p>
<p>You just take classes in place of your thesis credits.</p>
<p>Interesting... I stand corrected.</p>