PE and MS in ChE

BanjoHitter
Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:25:43 +0000

I know it’s fairly popular with CivEs but is it seen as sort of superfluous for ChEs? Are they more in demand in consulting than say in industrial process?



In an industrial setting, you will very, very rarely ever need to stamp anything. Being licensed won’t help you much in the hiring process, but it won’t hurt. The biggest negative, in my opinion, is that by having a PE, you’ve signaled to management that you want to be an engineer for life, as opposed to moving up the management ladder. There was also mention a few weeks ago about an increased liability for PE’s if a company is ever sued (but I don’t know if I buy it).

Even in a consulting role you will very rarely ever need to be licensed. However, having the letters after your name is helpful when meeting with clients and can be a factor in hiring.



Also, I was thinking about getting my MS in ChE as well. However, I’m not sure how excited I am by most of the curricula I’ve seen and definitely not excited by the prospect of staying in school until I’m nearly 30. So, how valuable are MS’s for the field? Are they worth the possible debt accumulation? What is the opportunity cost of two years in an MS program versus two years gaining experience in industry? Will I enter the often mentioned “no-man’s land” of over-qualificaton for entry level pos’s and lack of experience for mid-career pos’s?



The best part about an MS program is that most companies will pay for them and many schools offer the degree at night / online. Most engineering schools will allow you to earn an MS online/remote now, and even Stanford has an online MS degree in chemical engineering.

As far as advantage in practice, it’s not really that much in chemical engineering. If you’re interested in a master’s degree, an MBA (if you intend to pursue management) or an MS in a related field such as mechanical or electrical engineering (if you intend to pursue a technical career) is more beneficial, in my opinion.