<p>How is it unfair? Half of an engineering degree is outside of the engineering school, so a BS in engineering is actually only two years worth of actual engineering related courses, often less than one years worth of specialization courses. The BS/MS holder we are discussing here has a broader education, has invested more time and money into that education and will have the same skill set as the BS holder. Despite that the MS holder will usually have to compete with BS grads, so if it’s unfair for anybody, it’s the MS grad.</p>