<p>I'm wondering, are professional/terminal master's degree in engineering rare in the US? And how are they perceived there? I frequently hear that employers see a master's degree as a consolation prizes for those who drop out of a PhD program, and that they make no distinction between a research master's and a coursework master's.</p>
<p>"I frequently hear that employers see a master's degree as a consolation prizes for those who drop out of a PhD program,"
I don't know but I feel like this is not true as it seems a lot of people go just to get a masters without the intent of getting a PhD -- not even applying for the PhD program but just the MS. </p>
<p>"and that they make no distinction between a research master's and a coursework master's."</p>
<p>They probably don't know the difference and probably don't care if they do.</p>
<p>So the brand power of a university's name will still have a much greater impact?</p>
<p>The engineering company I work at does not distinguish research or coursework master's. If they need someone to do research, they hire a PhD, not someone with a crappy research master's.</p>
<p>in the civil & environmental consulting field, professional masters are a normal thing.</p>