By temperament, I think I would enjoy doing R&D, and maybe design engineering more than a hands-on role. I enjoy engineering [I am mechanical] most as an applied science/theory, and I’ve talked to a lot of engineers who work in fields such as construction and manufacturing, and quite frankly, their jobs sound incredibly boring, while those in more research oriented fields seem to do tasks that I would find a greater interest in. I’ve had some difficulty finding concrete information on research engineers on the internet (maybe I’m being a little lazy), so I’d appreciate it if somebody could help me with these questions:
- Would I be able to get into these positions with a masters degree, or would I need a doctorate?
- How narrowly do you have to specialize, and how early would I have to worry about that?
- Is it possible to break into these jobs straight out of graduate school if I have a good resume, or would I have to spend time in the general workforce first?
- How is the pay? I'm assuming that this will vary depending on the industry; in general, how will it compare to other working engineers in the private sector?
- How does the potential for promotions and movements into management compare to that of other engineers?
- Do engineers in this role have good job security, or do they suffer from being overqualified in financial situations when companies presumably aren't hiring as many of these types of engineers?
Thanks for the help!
I will try, as a professor of physics at a technical research university, to answer some of these questions. Others may have different ideas.
- If you really want a research career, a Ph.D. is likely necessary. There are those who have a masters and significant expereince who end up being technical leads on research projects but mostly t is Ph.D.s
- You specialize as a Ph.D. student when you are doing research for your dissertation. however, a researcher can often change fields over the years and nothing really ties you to doing the same thing forever. I have changed more than once overmy career.
- What do you mean gneral workforce? Usually with a Ph.D. you will go into industry R&D right away or after a post-doc where you do more research for a couple of years. Unless you want to, you won't be a "line engineer", you will be overqualified. That being said, many engineers work as engineers for a few years before going to graduate school. in engineering, it is appreciated.
- You wil be paid well in industry, less so in a university position. More than an engineer who is just starting out, however, remember that as a graduate student you will be paid enough to live on but not a lot. That engineer who graduated at the same time as you will have a lot of salary increments in the 5 years that it takes you to get a Ph.D. Don't get a Ph.D. becuase you think you will earn a lot more, the Masters degree is enough for that. Do it because you like research.
- Probably no difference but you have a 5 year disadvantge in work experience.
- Some companies understand that research is important to their health but others may not. Research can often be the easiest thing to cut becuase companies think they can just buy the technology they need to grow. This is not always the case and you can see that this results in fluctuating growth and shrinkage in the research portions of companies in certain fields (big oil is a good example). Other companies, like 3M understand that research is important for the healthof the companyand will keep it well funded.
I suppose I’ll offer some quick thoughts.
- If you want to *lead* the projects you will often need a PhD. More than anything else, a PhD is about learning how to research and how to learn. If you just want to be part of it out in industry, even a BS may suffice, though an MS will be much more common.
- Usually (but not always) your first position will be at least reasonably related to your PhD topic, though typically not exact. Given that the degree is about learning how to learn and research, though, it's very common for people to branch out away from their PhD topic over time.
- Yes you can go straight into R&D departments.
- Starting salaries in industry for those with an MS are usually comparable to (or slightly higher than) those with a BS and the equivalent experience, though I've seen studies showing MS holders earn more on average in the long run. PhDs don't really make appreciably more than someone with an MS, and likely make less if they stay in academe.
- It varies by company, but in general, having an MS won't hurt other than causing you to enter a career a few years later.
- This also varies by industry and company. That said, PhD engineers have a very low unemployment rate.
I appreciate the responses.
Would you recommend going straight into a masters/PhD program, or working in industry for a while? To my understanding, graduate programs typically do not put much weight on industry work experience, and care more about your academic research.
In engineering, work experience is a positive.