<p>My school does this thing where engineering students can stay an extra year after their fourth year and obtain a master's in materials science as well as their engineering degree. I am a chemical engineering major and I want as many options as possible to work in industry and find this opportunity appetizing. I would only have to take 3 more classes during my next two years at my school for this to apply and then take all materials science courses during my fifth year to get the extra degree. Is it worth it? Would having this additional degree put me at an advantage when I apply for jobs in industry? Or would it put me in that awkward zone between a bachelor's and a doctoral degree where most employers don't want me because I'm overqualified or unqualified?</p>
<p>That “awkward zone” you referenced is imaginary. No such zone exists. The awkward zone is after getting a PhD. The bottom line is that you should get the degree if it serves your career goals, and we don’t know what those are.</p>
<p>If you simply want to work in the industry, ChemE alone can suffice. Getting a master’s indicates you want to specialize in an area. So a masters in material engineering would help you if you wanted to focus on materials. Do you? Or do you have another goal in mind? </p>
<p>I want to work in industry but I don’t want to cut my teeth in competing with a lot of other people so I’m wondering whether or not a master’s degree can improve my chances or be meaningless/hurt them.</p>
<p>And what do you want to do in the industry exactly? You are giving very vague answers, suggesting you don’t have a very solid idea of career goals. </p>
<p>I don’t understand, why not looking for a job after having a chemical engineering degree first. Why jump to graduate school to avoid competing with other people. Do you have bad GPA? Have you tried to look for a job? How successful are you in getting interviews?</p>
<p>Many universities do this kind of degree combination these days. The questions you have to ask yourself are the following and only you can decide:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do you want a job in Materials Science and Engineering of Chemical Engineering. In the former case, the extra degree will help, in the latter, it might not be as beneficial.</p></li>
<li><p>Can you afford to stay an extra year. If you are going to go significantly deeper into debt, just go for a job and then make a decision on a Masters later on when your employer might even pay for it.</p></li>
</ol>