I’ve decided that after I finish my MA Math next year I’m going to apply to this program. It’s a hybrid program that allows people to take classes part time, and they do have a modest residency requirement for two consecutive summers, and they’re generous in transferring courses. I live in Texas, so I’ll get the in-state rates.
I have a few deficiencies to make up. Among those, I need to learn how to program, so I’m starting with Python. In the fall, I’ll have to learn R for my Statistics course. What do you think of the program? Anymore preparatory suggestions? Thanks. Here are some courses that I’ve taken:
Modern Physics I, II
Intermediate Mechanics
Thermal Physics
Modern Optics Calculus I, II, III
Differential Equations
Abstract Algebra
Intermediate Analysis
Discrete Math
Probability
Advanced Linear Algebra I, II
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
MA Mathematics - Expected graduation summer/fall 2016
Analysis
Introduction to Differential Geometry
Differential Equations (current semester)
Complex Analysis (current semester)
Future courses: Number Theory, Statistics, Regression and Linear Models
What are your career goals? Do you have an engineering degree of any kind, and/or any professional engineering experience? This degree appears to be oriented towards experienced engineers, and if you go into it (a) without experience and (b) without an engineering background I think you will not only struggle to complete it but also find yourself unemployable in industry once you graduate!
Sorry. I forgot to include my professional experience. I’ve been working as a seismic processing geophysicist since 2012. No, I do not have any engineering degree or experience. I emailed the program and was told that I would not have to take any leveling courses. However, I’ll be able to transfer 15 hours of graduate IE courses. I intend to take three IE courses in my MA program as electives. Ideally, I’d like to help make businesses more efficient and improve productivity. As opposed to restricting myself to upstream oil and gas, I’d be able to apply my skills more generally. And I still could remain in oil and gas just in a different capacity.
I think you would have a better result with a more conventional IE program - this program has a strong management component to it, and that could be a big problem for you. You don’t have enough experience for many companies to risk you in management, and having this degree will turn off a lot of companies where you are applying for a non-management role.
Well, my current job isn’t my only work experience, but it’s my only professional experience. I don’t know how much that plays into your assessment. This is actually a hybrid program, so I can take most of the classes online and continue to work full time. There is a modest residency requirement. That’s really the only way I’ll pursue a doctorate. Yes, I know that most doctoral programs are not part time for obvious reasons. This one is just unique and fits somewhat into what I’d like to do. Worst case scenario is I stay in my industry and earn a Ph.D. By the time that I would finish the program, I would have around seven years of experience.
Most aren’t, but some are. It’s slower, but no one really cares about that, just about what you learned and what you researched.
The wrong degree (or the right degree at the wrong time) can damage your career even if you stay in your current industry. Remember that any new employer is going to care about your most recent degree, especially a doctorate. You might have trouble scoring a new geophysicist gig when they see that you have a new PhD in a completely different field.
It’s not just the number of years of experience, it is also the type of experience. This degree positions you to take a management position over industrial engineers. If your work experience does not also do that, you are in a lot of trouble. Your current prospective experience is as a geophysicist, and most companies would no more hire a geophysicist to manage industrial engineers than they would hire an industrial engineer to manage geophysicists - it happens, with the right experience and education, but it is hard.
My suggestion would be to start with a part-time masters in industrial engineering, followed by some experience in that role. You could look at the PhD and engineering management later.
Okay. I understand your point and appreciate the admonition. Going back to your hypothetical, would the degree not qualify me for management in geophysics considering my work experience? Or perhaps something else in oil and gas more suitable for a systems/engineering management approach? I also noticed that Tech has an MS in SEM and an MS in IE. According to the bit of online research that I did, systems engineering tackles not only existing systems but creates new ones to address some challenge, whereas IE is more limited to existing process improvement/optimization. Of course, all of my questions are naive. At any rate, thanks for the discussion. It gives me a lot to think about.
Depending on the exact management position and the exact types of supporting experience, perhaps. In general, the experience is the most important factor in getting a management position, the right degree helps but the wrong degree surely hurts.
It might, provided you manage to crowbar some engineering experience in there. Doctorates are very, very tricky when you want to step right into management.
There are substantial differences, but SE is more about expanding a core engineering principle (usually EE or ME) to a higher level, while IE is a more general field that is less dependent on prior experience. Given that you lack a lower-level engineering degree, I think IE is probably a better choice for you.