HELP! MSc Chem Eng worth it?

thesweetness
Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:28:03 +0000

I have to decide whether or not a MSc in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M is worth it. My biggest concern is the student loans. Cost of attendance is just under $30,000/year for out of state.

Quick Background
I graduated from a very lowly ranked school in 2009. I took most of 2010 off travelling with a cousin…good times. But since then I have had a difficult time securing a job. I think a major cause of this is the fact that I did not intern throughout my undergrad (wish I had known the importance of this). It seems that the department has little connections with the industry because even the career fairs were kind of weak for ChemE’s.

Miscellaneous:
No desire whatsoever to do a PhD.
Will be 24 years at start of program.
Hope to transition from engineering to management some day.
Maybe get an MBA.

Legitimate FEAR of student loans? What do you guys think?