Some general questions about grad school from an undergrad

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi,
So recently I have been giving significant thought to the idea of pursuing a career in academia in the engineering world. Both my parents are professors and it seems like a very rewarding career. My engineering program is a co-op program that gives several 4 month work placements. I am realizing that while I love my schooling I seem to dread the work placements and really dislike the idea of the 8-5 grind. Not to mention, I find the oil and gas industry has so much paperwork and politics that I can’t find what I’m looking for: A career that is mentally stimulating, allows for problem solving and is cutting edge. Basically, I really enjoy school, have a passion for learning, would love to teach, and need to be constantly challenged.</p>

<p>I have 4 4 month internships in oil and gas, have a 3.9 GPA, and have been top 10% of my class every term.</p>

<p>Anyways, I have several basic questions that would be a big help if anyone could take the time to answer some of them.</p>

<p>-First off is an MS in mechanical engineering classwork based? I assume it is similar to the undergrad.</p>

<p>-Is MS generally funded? It appears several PhDs are funded but can’t see much info on masters.</p>

<p>-How long does an MS take? I am looking at several schools and see that Columbia appears to only be 1 year. Is this normal?</p>

<p>-How long is a PhD normally?</p>

<p>-What is grad life like? How many more hours is it than undergrad? We had 6 courses a term in undergrad. I assume there is free time and some form of life balance (maybe not for final year of PhD??)</p>

<p>-Do you recommend doing the MS and PHD at the same school? I am Canadian but would love to get an ivy league school on my resume and have always wanted to live in NY. My dream would be 1 year at Columbia and then a top engineering school here in Canada for PHD. Plus it would be easier to get funding in Canada as I would not be an international student.</p>

<p>-For the PHD, how much of it is class work, how much is research? Is the final year dissertation?</p>

<p>-Do grad students go home over the summer if they want? Do you stay at the university for the final year of dissertation?</p>

<p>-Would you recommend working for a couple of years after I graduate? I am thinking it would be a good to idea to try industry 1 more time (not as a student on an internship), get a little bit of money saved, and get my P.Eng designation. Is this a bad idea?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for your time, I know some of these may seem like stupid questions but I don’t really know where to ask them.</p>

<p>-Liam M</p>

2

<p>

All MS degrees involve a certain amount of coursework, normally 2-3 “ordinary” semesters’ worth. Research-based masters degrees (which comprise most full-time programs) also have a reseach and thesis requirement, but there are part-time degrees that are ONLY coursework.</p>

<p>

It varies from school to school, but as a rule PhD’s are preferentially funded leaving MS students to fight over what is left. At some schools the majority of masters candidates find funding, at others it is a very small portion.</p>

<p>

1 year is very fast, 2 years is roughly ordinary, 3 years is a little long, 4+ years is getting ridiculous.</p>

<p>

Depends on a lot of factors. In engineering, I would say that the average is probably 5-6 years after the BS degree, but it depends on your drive and also on whether or not you do an MS and if so where you do it. I have known students who did a PhD in 4 years post-BS or 3 years post-MS, but I have known others who have taken 8 years post-BS.</p>

<p>

You will generally have less free time and frivolity then you did as an undergrad. Remember that if you are funded you will probably have an associated job (helping with research or teaching) on top of a heavy courseload and substantial research of your own. Most full-time grad students I know are pulling 60-80 hour weeks.</p>

<p>

Yes, I do - I would estimate it saves a year on average, and generally leads to better funding chances. Also, outside of national fellowships (a small percentage of engineering funding) international status has little bearing in engineering funding.</p>

<p>

A PhD typically has 2-4 years of coursework (including the MS) with your research generally starting by the end of the 2nd year. Full-time research is rarely just a year, typically 2-4 years including writing the dissertation.</p>

<p>

It mostly depends on your research and funding, but most grad students I know are there year-round with just a week off here and there. If you do have the summers nominally off they may still be filled with conferences, research trips, and other activities.</p>

<p>

Individual choice, really. If you do not have a speciality in mind then I would recommend working for a few years. If you know what you want to do then I would recommend going for it - leaving industry for grad school can be very difficult. Also, the PE designation is meaningful only in select industries - at my company it is all but impossible to get simply because there are so few PE’s to mentor you!</p>

3

<p>If both of your parents are professors these seem like ideal questions to talk with them about.</p>

4

<p>

I was assuming that they were professors in another area, perhaps not even in the sciences. If one or both of them are engineering professors then this does seem like a great time for a parent-child talk!</p>

5

<p>Thanks. Yeah both my parents are business profs, so a bit different.</p>

6

<p>A PhD can be anything from 4-10+ years, but in the engineering sciences I would say 4-6 years is more common. The length really is determined by the project you pick and the amount of time you put into your work.</p>

<p>A PhD is research-focused, so while you will spend a substantial amount of time in coursework, the primary focus is research. Most programs have about 2-3 years of coursework, during which you will take 2-4 courses a semester (I think 2-3 courses is most common). 3 graduate courses is a lot more work than 3 undergrad courses, to the point that I think 3 courses is the most a PhD student should take per semester if they can manage it. I had to take 4 a semester because I am in a joint program, which is insane. You should begin doing some research in your first year, although you may not define your own project until your 2nd year. Most in the hard sciences and some social sciences start working on the project that eventually becomes their dissertation in their third year, I would say.</p>

<p>There is some free time in a PhD program. Actually, you have less free time in the first 2-3 years as you complete your coursework and comprehensive exams and begin a program of research. After you finish your coursework, you will have a lot more time, and more still as you finish your comprehensive exams. You will not have as much free time as you had in undergrad and probably less than your friends who are working full-time jobs, but there will be some.</p>

<p>Your dissertation work may take anywhere from 1-3 years, although you will likely be working on other things. For me, my first 2.5 years were coursework, then another 3 semesters were spent on comprehensive exams. This whole time I was also doing other research and TAing. This year, my fifth year, I started working on my dissertation proposal, which I will defed in the early summer. My last year (my sixth) will be spent analyzing the data for and writing my dissertation. Some student spend their last year also teaching, but I do not plan to do that.</p>

<p>I don’t go “home” (to my parents’ house) over the summer and I don’t know anyone who does. New York is my home now; you have to do research over the summer. The summer is a great time to get some work done without worrying about courses and other responsibilities.</p>

<p>You don’t go to an MS just to “get an Ivy League” on your resume. First of all, the Ivy League isn’t always the best place to go in all fields (I understand that they’re not necessarily the highest ranked in engineering). Secondly, it doesn’t make sense to pay for an MS if you can get a PhD funded and you know that’s what you want. A one-year MS is unlikely to help you very much unless you plan to work in your field for several years, as you would have to apply for PhD programs during the first three months in the program.</p>