Options After Undergrad

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I'm currently headed into my Senior year at one of the top engineering schools in the Big Ten, although it will take me 5 years to graduate since I transferred after my Freshmen year. I'm majoring in Engineering Physics with a focus on nanoengineering, and i'd say overall I really enjoy it. It's a small major with a focus on research, as everyone in the major is required to complete their own research project and write a thesis before graduation. I like this research aspect of my major, and think it has both helped me prepare for graduate school as well as decide that I do want to attend. My problem now is that I have no idea where I want to attend graduate school, and what I want to go for.</p>

<p>My GPA is 3.96/4 and i've received a departmental academic scholarship for two years now; I also have great references from my research advisor, academic advisor, and CEO of the company i'm interning for this summer. I feel I have a great shot getting into most engineering graduate programs, but I don't want to just apply to the "top 25" engineering schools and see where I get in.</p>

<p>I've taken higher level physics and math courses and done well in them, but I can't say I really love taking them. Especially for physics, I find that overall topics very interesting but the classes rather tedious. I do really enjoy how engineering takes these physical concepts and applies them to real life situations, and this is really the reason I decided to become an engineer. So with my undergrad background and interests, my options for graduate school are mechanical, electrical, materials science, and I suppose aerospace (possibly more, that's why i'm here after all). Although, I am very hesitant of materials science as I feel it is much less engineering and more physics. Also, almost all current work with materials science seems to be academic research, and I think i'd much prefer to work in industry. Finally, I do enjoy nanoengineering, but I do not want my studying this in graduate school to "bottleneck" by future job possibilities. I do understand that eventually I have to get more focused in my studies, but i'm afraid that this is more specialized than other fields.</p>

<p>Lastly, i'm not all that confident that I wish to be a "traditional" engineer. I've also considered going to law school to become a patent attorney or something along those lines, or getting an MBA and do more of the business side of engineering. I'm obviously not looking for a definitive answer here, but just looking to talk to some like-minded people and listen to your suggestions and comments.</p>

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<p>I definitely understand why you don’t love taking those upper level physics and math courses… THEY TAKE TOO MUCH OUT OF YOU! I was a math major in undergrad… anyway.</p>

<p>Physics is a rather versatile undergraduate degree and since you’re doing Engineering Physics, I believe you could go into any of the Engineering fields you mentioned. Mechanical Engineering is probably the most versatile engineering degree and if you want a graduate engineering degree with the option of mobility across engineering fields, it (Mech. Eng.) would be your best bet. To be a patent attorney, having an engineering degree is not a requirement, but it does give you a nice advantage! My fiancee wants to be a patent attorney, but she is a practicing corporate attorney and always tells me how she wishes she did Engineering in undergrad instead of English. So yeah an engineering grad degree then law school could be an option, but then there is the issue of at least 5 more years of school.</p>

<p>You mentioned getting an MBA and an interest in the business side of engineering. You could do a grad degree in any of the fields you mentioned, get some experience in industry and then get an MBA and that would put yourself in a nice position to take on some of the business aspects of a company’s engineering work. Some schools offer a dual master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Administration. They write it MIE/MBA or MSIE/MBA (Master of IE/MBA or Master of Science in IE/MBA, respectively). Since Industrial Engineering is often times considered a business oriented engineering degree that could be an option as well (I’m starting a master’s in IE this fall)…</p>

<p>You have quite a few options, you sound like you would enjoy the patent law stuff but seek out advice from professor’s at your school and people already in the fields you are interested in. I know I didn’t really give you much of an answer per se but like you said sometimes you need someone to just talk with about these things.</p>

<p>All the best!</p>