Not Sure What To Do: BSME vs. BSMET

<p>I know theres other threads about this and I have read most of them, especially the very long one. I am making a new thread about this as I am a little different from other students who are starting out in college. </p>

<p>As some of you may know by my recent posts, I have a BS in biology. I came across the BSMET degree today and liked a few aspects of it. The first being that I love getting hands-on experience. I first became interested in mechanical engineering because of my love for cars and working on them. I saw that BSMET is treated as a more application based degree whereas a BSME was more theory based. The other major reason why I liked it is because I didnt have to take any additional math courses and I could use my algebra based physics classes as well. If I went the BSME route, I would have to take physics I, II and calc II,III whereas in a BSMET I would not have to. The third issue being I really want to get a job. I am willing to go back to school but I saw this degree as getting out sooner and getting a job sooner. Lastly, I have read that the salaries of a BSME and BSMET are very similar (I know its subjective). However, I have come across alot of people who consider the BSMET as a second class degree and really not worth it at all. So I am not sure if my situation would make things different or not if terms of your advice. I guess I am concerned if I will have a glass ceiling forever and never attain a position higher then a glorified technician. I guess I am just not sure how most employers will see me with a BSMET degree.</p>

<p>In terms of my career aspirations, I do not plan on getting licensed. I think the only masters I would go for is an MBA and not engineering related. Yea so I guess I am a little undecided at the moment. I realize this is a touchy subject and if I made any stereotypes/assumptions I had no intention.</p>

<p>Thanks alot!</p>

<p>I was also wondering if my desire to work with cars would be more realisitic with a BSME or BSMET (obviously the odds of working with cars with either degree are slim).</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>You mentioned this is a touchy subject so I don’t know what to say that would be beneficial to you without coming of as trying to rag on BSMET majors…perhaps you can ask more specific questions.</p>

<p>My undergraduate degree is a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology. </p>

<p>Yes, MET degrees are second class compared to ME degrees. Many employers will throw out resumes with MET degrees because they don’t consider it to be an engineering degree. Licensure is possible in most states but usually requires an additional year or two of experience. I highly recommend licensure for MET graduates because it shows they are a real engineer.</p>

<p>I would encourage a person to do a ME degree over a MET degree, but do the MET degree if they can’t get the ME degree because it’s much better than no engineering degree at all.</p>

<p>I agree with what bigtrees said, especially the last sentence.</p>

<p>Except that an MET degree is not an “engineering degree”.</p>

<p>The most appropriate analogy that I’ve found that people seem to easily understand is that an MET is to an ME as a nurse is to a doctor. Is a nursing degree a valuable degree? Yes. Are some people happier with a nursing degree instead of an MD? Absolutely. Would you call yourself a doctor and perform surgery with a nursing degree? No. It’s a fundamentally different degree.</p>

<p>I think it would be better for me to get a BSME due to the fact there are more jobs and it is considered an engineering degree. I think if I got a BMSET I would be regretting it for a long timer afterward. </p>

<p>Last night I put in on a major job posting website just “BSMET” and came up with 12 jobs and then I put in “BSME” and came up with 483 jobs. Now I am not sure if the BSME employers would consider a BSMET or not.</p>

<p>If I did the BSME route, is there a program/concentration etc that offers a more hands on approach? I just really like getting alot of hands-on work.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>a more ‘hands on’ approach (in the context of engineering) would entail doing an a couple internships or Co-op in the industry, obtaining an URA, and/or joining the ASME Formula Club to work on your schools car on the weekends; any solid engineering school will facilitate that. </p>

<p>‘Hands on’ experience means being exposed to something you will be doing upon graduation, unless by hands on you mean something else?</p>

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<p>BSMET isn’t going to give many hits. What a BSMET is looking for is a job description that says “Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or similar technical degree” or something to that effect. </p>

<p>When you perform the analysis, also keep in mind that ABET has 1,862 accredited engineering programs at 380 universities but only 653 accredited engineering technology programs at 223 universities. </p>

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<p>It depends on the position. For a technical sales position, maybe. For a plant engineering position, probably not.</p>

<p>There’s a big difference between doctors vs nurses and ME vs MET. Doctors are licensed and nurses cannot get licensed as a doctor. In most states, both the BSME and BSMET degrees (when ABET accredited) qualify for licensure as a professional engineer.</p>

<p>In most states, a BSMET is treated the same as a BS in Psychology in terms of licensure: 10+ years of relevant experience required.</p>

<p>ME - MET and Doctor - Nurse is actually a very appropriate comparison. A doctor meets with the patient, diagnoses the problem, and performs complex repairs (surgeries). Nurses take direction from doctors and perform day-to-day maintenance functions while diagnosing and addressing uncomplicated problems. That’s exactly relationship an ME and an MET would have in a manufacturing environment.</p>

<p>I disagree bigtrees and agree with G.P. A BSMET is a technology degree, not an engineering degree. The difficulty and rigor of the two degrees are not comparable (I’m sure there are a few exceptions but I’m speaking in general). I realize that the time commitment for med school is much longer than a nursing degree but G.P.Burdell’s analogy is still a fairly good one. I know several people with a MET degree and as I said, there is no comparison between the two. Most METs that I know had to take watered down calc I as their highest math (again some programs might be different). A traditional ME degree is all calculus and differential equation based while a MET degree is not.</p>

<p>Also, I am somewhat skeptical that over a career the salaries remain close. Maybe starting salaries are fairly close but I would be interested to see mid and end of career comparisons. In my opinion, a ME degree will provide more opportunity for advancement than an MET degree. Now this is not to say that there aren’t METs out there that have advanced or that are even managers.</p>

<p>I’ve heard the hands on argument many times, but there is no reason why you couldn’t get a ME degree and become an experimentalist or an engineer in the field. MET degrees are considered more hands on because they are less rigorous academically. My advice is to go for what you think you will enjoy the most. There is a need for both degrees in industry but keep in mind that each degree is designed for a different purpose and will lead to different career opportunities.</p>

<p>MET is not ‘hands on’…that’s community college marketing nonsense. Look at a project engineer or manager in industry, or a directer of research laboratory, you’ll see that ‘hands on’ means being both involved and relevant to a valuable contribution to society. Technicians are the least relevant of parties involved when it comes to technological advancements; whereas the engineer/scientist is at the core of these contributions. </p>

<p>I can appreciate the Nurse/Doctor analogy, an MET may have more opportunities to advance (though this negates what I’ve seen and been told by technicians) than a nurse but the ‘purpose’ of an MET with respect to engineering/science is very much the same as a Nurse’s degree with respect to the practice of medicine. Tomorrow I’ll go to the hospital to get my stitches out by the nurse because a doctor understandably prefers not to waste time.</p>

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<p>Nurses can actually advance nicely through administrative positions, just like an MET. But you won’t find an MET as the head of research, just like you won’t find a nurse as the chief of surgery. </p>

<p>One advantage of MET over ME, though, is that most MET’s that I’ve met have been hourly.</p>

<p>You can argue all you want, but my company hires both engineers and technicians. Mechanical Engineering Technology (4 year, ABET accredited) are hired into engineering positions. Non-ABET accredited (2 year or 4 year) are hired into technician positions. This includes reserach and development positions.</p>

<p>I guess my fear is that if I went the BSMET route that in the future the degree will be regarded as so inferior that no one will accept it. I guess I feel the BSMET degree is unstable. </p>

<p>Anyone else?</p>

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<p>It is the inferior major, but you’ll still be able to find employment.</p>

<p>The way I look at it: the only time you go after a BSMET is if 1) you attend a school that does not have engineering and you cannot or do not want to transfer or 2) if you can hack it in engineering. There’s absolutely no reason to get a BSMET over a BSME unless the BSME isn’t available to you.</p>

<p>yup, and we’ve come full circle…: )</p>

<p>bigtrees, I can’t believe that a company would hire someone with a technology degree for a R&D position. Are you serious? I mean really? Maybe your definition of a R&D position is different than mine. Most true R&D positions require advanced degrees (MS or PhD) but at the very least a traditional engineering degree. Think about it, this doesn’t make any sense. If this were true, why wouldn’t all engineers just get a much less rigorous and less challenging technology degree and still work in any engineering position they wanted? The answer is because a technology degree does not qualify you for many engineering jobs out there. Why would a company hire a MET for a research position when there are people out there with much more technical expertise with a traditional engineering degree? Technology degrees are designed for people to fill technician type roles. Engineering degrees are designed for people to work in true engineering positions. If you want to work in R&D at an engineering company, I don’t think a technology degree will get you very far at all at most companies.</p>

<p>I’m not sure what type of research you are referring to but I don’t see how someone whos highest math is watered down calc I could have enough technical expertise to do R&D. From my work experience, METs will not be considered for any type of design or research oriented engineering jobs. I guess your company might be an exception.</p>

<p>I was curious and just peeked at the 2008 salary survey from my college. Mechancial Engineering Technology graduates made $53,500 on average (n=12) while Mechanical Engineering graduates made $52,000 on average (n=60 or so).</p>