<p>I'm going to be a freshman in college this year who is majoring in Electrical Engineering, and I'm considering attending graduate school once I get my Bachelor's degree. I know that this might be too early to think about graduate school, but I'd just like a general overview right now about what to expect. My questions are primarily focused towards an M.S. in Electrical Engineering. Also, as of now, I don't plan on getting a PhD and instead plan to go straight into the workforce. So here goes!</p>
<p>1) What is the difference between a thesis based Masters and a non-thesis based Masters? Will employers care which one you do?</p>
<p>2) In a thesis based Masters, what exactly is expected of you when you do your thesis? Are you expected to do original research, expand upon a particular topic, anything like that? Also, do people usually work in groups or solo while completing their degrees?</p>
<p>3) How long does it typically take to complete a thesis based Masters? A non-thesis based one?</p>
<p>I'll post more questions as they occur to me. Thank you for your help!</p>
Well, in one of them you do a thesis. Employers will care a little - they usually show more respect towards a research-based degree, especially for jobs where research is relevant, but that will not make much difference in the short term. From personal experience, those with research-based degrees usually learn more, and that translates into more promotions and better raises during your career.</p>
<p>
That varies a bit, depending on your program. The requirement that it be “original” is pretty loose, the depth is not tremendous, and (as always) it is going to be closely tied to a professor at your school. You may work as part of a group, but you will have one part that is yours and yours alone to base your thesis on.</p>
<p>
2-3 years seems to be average for thesis-based, but I have heard of longer in a few cases. A non-thesis masters should be easily accomplished in 2 years full-time, and I have heard of people pulling it off in 1. Many non-thesis masters are part-time while working, in which case 3-5 years is more typical.</p>
<p>Thank you for your response cosmicfish! I greatly appreciate it! Here are some questions I have based on your answers:
Do employers really care where you got your Master’s degree from, regardless of thesis/non-thesis?
Will it really affect your career much if you got a non-thesis based Master’s degree as compared to a thesis based one? Is the difference going to be significant or not? What are the impacts of getting each degree in the short run? In the long run?</p>
Yes. They care about the general rigor of the coursework, as well as how the specific strengths of the program compare to their needs. There is a reason why employers recruit at specific schools. At my company, almost all of the engineers in our core business areas received their final degrees from generally well-regarded programs which focused on our specific needs. Come to us with an unneeded specialty, or a needed specialty from a dubious school and you will need to show substantial reasons why you should be hired.</p>
<p>
In my experience it is significant, but by no means absolute - while the percentage of those with research-based degrees seems to increase at my company the higher you go, there are certainly unaccomplished engineers with thesis-based masters and a couple of very senior engineers without them. Still, there is a definite trend, so while in the short term the difference is negligible, in the long run I think it can be pretty big.</p>
<p>I have had some time to think this over, and I think that going for the research-based degree not only requires more of you, it also delivers more in return. Both of these factors are related to the kind of things that help you get promoted over and over again. Just like any other step in your life, choosing the more rigorous path will generally be more rewarding.</p>
<p>I am sorry I cannot be more specific, this is a nebulous subject and all I have to go on is personal observation and a little back of the envelope record-keeping. Hope it helps.</p>