Would it make no sense for me to pursue my master's at National University?

Question

I got my bachelors in mechanical engineering from a pretty good engineering school (UCSB) which ranks one of the highest in terms of research.

I've been wanting to pursue a master's degree at a school with similar prestige. However, I just found a good job in the aerospace industry that pays pretty well and I just got married.

I don't have time to get letters of recommendation or to take the GRE. I'm busy enough trying to support my wife and I. the only thing I could do is get an online master's degree.

my undergrad GPA is a 3.5, I've had tons of internships in my field.

Answer 1

I don't think you should waste your time with an online college. You are in a field that understands the difference between good schools, weak schools, (and in many instances requires your degree be from not only an accredited school but also a school with a specific accredited engineering program) and online schools. It's pretty safe to assume that many of your superiors will have completed engineering degrees as well, so they aren't education-clueless, and most engineering firms require that you went to not only an accredited school but also an accredited engineering program, which is leaps away from online school (and by this I do not mean an online program/college from a reputable, long-established U. like Stanford) in terms of esteem...so even if you get your Master's in management or such, it will seem unimpressive to them.

My recommendation to you is to look for a company (possibly just search for offerings that your current employer has that you may not even have known about!) or make a proposal to a superior of yours, to fund your Master's degree in turn for a commitment of a certain number of years of service to that company. I know that there are many aerospace firms and other mech E companies that offer this to good employees with a bachelors degree. If your company hasn't offered this previously, look up other companies online for the specifics of what they offer to their employees, and use that to formulate a proposal for your superiors--many such programs entail going to school, possibly out of town, 2 days a week and working 3-4 days a week, or going to work during the day, and then going to school in the evening. Of course this usually elongates the time it takes to get the masters degree, but many would say it's worth it b/c it reduces financial stress on you and your family.

The way these joint work/school programs are set up usually makes your GRE scores a non-issue. Although you will probably still have to take them, you might be able to start courses without them and you might have a lower score to meet. Furthermore, since Master's programs are based on classes not research and independent study, and the classes will be running whether they are full or not, many will let late or lower-achieving applicants in b/c they pay tuition--its not like PhD programs, because they aren't investing money in you.

Furthermore, I do think that it matters what you are getting your Masters in--i.e. engineering, or something more on the managerial side. Both will help you progress in your career, but in different ways. Clearly, the type of work is quite different in the two, and it seems that financial/managerial paths are more easily done distance/online than engineering.

Answer 2

As a fellow engineer, I can honestly say that earning a graduate degree has made it easier to climb the corporate ladder, and it's something that I'm really proud I accomplished. That being said, I don't think that a graduate degree is for everyone. If you are ambitious and have always wanted a graduate degree, or if you think that it would be beneficial to have a graduate degree to achieve your career goals, then I would recommend going to grad school. However, if your goal was to simply get a good "9 to 5" job, then I wouldn't worry about it because it sounds like you're already set!

In general a graduate degree would be beneficial if you want to specialize in something specific or you want to go into engineering management. If either of these things is what you would like to do with your career, then I would research which school(s) has a good program, get in contact with professors to see which funded research projects they have coming up (...unless you want to pay for grad school yourself), and talk with your new boss about your goals. I think that you'll find that your company probably would encourage you to attend graduate school, and they may even offer you some sort of reimbursement.

Answer 3

hey best advice go to gradschools.com

I am also getting a masters you never know you could find a school that is close to where you work. There are a lot of schools that do not have GRE's, but you may need 2 letters of recommendations. Just email and old professor and have write one for you and get a boss to do the other.

Answer 4

pynki wrote "...which is leaps away from online school in terms of esteem.."


How about that "online school" called Stanford University? http://scpd.stanford.edu/SCPD/js/brandingFrame/externalURL.htm

I've heard they're pretty good and they offer master's completely online in engineering. Surely you don't argue that the garbage down at local state U is better than Stanford simply because they aren't "online college" and the Stanford degree is online???

Distance learning models are here to stay. The naysayers can just get over it. The finest universities in the world have now adopted online courses - and some people want to say "being in the classroom down at E. Podunk State College is better than taking online classes at Harvard, Stanford, UMass, Fla. State....." yeah - riiiiiight. I need that E. Podunk experience so I'll know how to tap a keg, is that it? Maybe it's because the grad assistants teaching down at E. Podunk know more than those Stanford engineers... oh yeah, I buy that.

It's not 1981 any longer people. Get a clue! Some online sucks - some classrooms suck too. Some online programs are better than any classroom program at YourState U.