Should I Get My Masters?

ThisIsMichigan
Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:31:21 +0000

So I have been hearing a lot lately from professors and seniors here about how so many students are getting their masters right after their undergrad and how important it is. My question is how beneficial is it really?

I originally planned to get my 3 terms of work experience, graduate in 4 years with my bachelors in ME and then go get a job somewhere. I know I want to go into management (or at least I am pretty sure. I enjoy business and management seems like a good fit for me) so I was considering getting an MBA or Mastering in Engineering Management (or whatever they’re called) after a few years of working. Hopefully whoever I am working for at that time would be able to pay tuition (or some of it).

I have been looking into our bachelors straight to masters program though and it looks like I could knock that out pretty easily in 4.5 years. But, I would be getting a masters in mechanical engineering and I am not sure if that really helps me at all.

I’m just looking for any advice or insight into the matter. I am going to be asking questions at our academic services office later this week.

Few more

How much does it matter where you get your masters from? If I go an work and then try to get a masters it will probably just be what is close by. I doubt it’ll be as prestigious as Michigan for graduate engineering. I am guessing this matters even less though for masters.

The program here can be done in an extra year because you get to transfer in 9 credits if they meet the requirements. These are basically 400 level MEs that you would take as technical electives and advanced math classes. If I wait and then go back for a masters down the road, lets say in some field of engineering, will it still be possible to have some of these courses count for my masters program and limit what I need to take? Or will it be too far down the line and therefore not able to be double counted. Or is that something that only happens when you do undergrad and grad at the same university?

Kinda along the same lines, I have some free time me Sr year if I decide to only get my bachelors. Basically I can spread my courseload so thin that I’m not even full time those last two semesters. If I go an take a business class or two would that be something I could count to an MBA program down the line? Or is this another case where they would be from too long ago and/or a different school.

Sorry that’s so long. Thanks for any insight.