How to Get a Master's Degree in Engineering

If you've decided to pursue a career in engineering, there are many individual disciplines in which you could specialize. However, suppose you have not yet decided on an area of specialization, or simply have a broader interest in the field of engineering as a whole. If that's the case, then you might consider earning a broadly-based master's in engineering.

Earning a master's in engineering without singling out an area of specialization can help you keep your options open as you continue your education. As your knowledge of engineerng deepens, there will always be furture opportunities to specialize, but there are also benefits to acquiring a more comprehensive understanding of how engineering principles are applied across different disciplines.

If you'd like to explore the idea of earning a master's in engineering, keep these important steps in mind:

• Assessing the merit of a master's in engineering. A good starting point for any project is a feasibility study--is the project workable and worthwhile? This guide discusses some of the merits of earning an MS in engineering, so you can decide if it makes sense for you.
• Researching schools for an MS in engineering. If going forward makes sense, the next step in an engineering project would be to identify the materials needed. When the project is a decision process, those materials consist of information. This guide points you toward some sources that can help you efficiently gather information on schools offering an MS in engineering.
• Evaluating graduate schools in engineering.Whether you prefer to puruse your MS in engineering on campus or earn a master's degree online, you certainly won't lack for choices. Filtering through all those choices to identify the programs best suited to your needs is perhaps the most critical part of this project. As with anything in engineering, it depends on an orderly process, and this guide gives you a series of selection criteria you can use to sort through your options methodically.
• Applying to graduate engineering programs.This is where the project management skills of an engineer come in--juggling overlapping tasks with multiple deadlines. This guide helps you know what to expect so you can plan your work accordingly.
• Pursuing a career with an engineering master's degree. Even when the main body of work is completed, many projects include some important follow-up steps. In this case, while earning a master's in engineering may be a key step, there are some additional things you can do to improve your prospects for a career after graduation. This guide concludes with some suggestions.

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How to Get a Master's Degree in Engineering

If you've decided to pursue a career in engineering, there are many individual disciplines in which you could specialize. However, suppose you have not yet decided on an area of specialization, or simply have a broader interest in the field of engineering as a whole. If that's the case, then you might consider earning a broadly-based master's in engineering.

Earning a master's in engineering without singling out an area of specialization can help you keep your options open as you continue your education. As your knowledge of engineerng deepens, there will always be furture opportunities to specialize, but there are also benefits to acquiring a more comprehensive understanding of how engineering principles are applied across different disciplines.

If you'd like to explore the idea of earning a master's in engineering, keep these important steps in mind:

• Assessing the merit of a master's in engineering. A good starting point for any project is a feasibility study--is the project workable and worthwhile? This guide discusses some of the merits of earning an MS in engineering, so you can decide if it makes sense for you.
• Researching schools for an MS in engineering. If going forward makes sense, the next step in an engineering project would be to identify the materials needed. When the project is a decision process, those materials consist of information. This guide points you toward some sources that can help you efficiently gather information on schools offering an MS in engineering.
• Evaluating graduate schools in engineering.Whether you prefer to puruse your MS in engineering on campus or earn a master's degree online, you certainly won't lack for choices. Filtering through all those choices to identify the programs best suited to your needs is perhaps the most critical part of this project. As with anything in engineering, it depends on an orderly process, and this guide gives you a series of selection criteria you can use to sort through your options methodically.
• Applying to graduate engineering programs.This is where the project management skills of an engineer come in--juggling overlapping tasks with multiple deadlines. This guide helps you know what to expect so you can plan your work accordingly.
• Pursuing a career with an engineering master's degree. Even when the main body of work is completed, many projects include some important follow-up steps. In this case, while earning a master's in engineering may be a key step, there are some additional things you can do to improve your prospects for a career after graduation. This guide concludes with some suggestions.

Assessing the Merit of a Master's Degree in Engineering

A master's in engineering is most likely to be an MS in engineering. In considering whether to pursue this degree, you should first answer two central questions:

• Why earn a master's degree?
• Why pursue a general engineering master's, rather than a degree that specializes in one of the engineering disciplines?

There are several answers to these questions, but perhaps they are best understood in the context of some of the benefits of the degree in question. These benefits touch on both the value of a master's degree and the advantages of pursuing a more general course of study.

Helping you compete for jobs. As a profession, engineering is expected to see decent job growth in the years to come, and often offers top-shelf starting salaries. It's a healthy job market, so do you really need to worry about competition for jobs?

In an increasingly global economy, competition for jobs is likely to become stiffer, and with it, educational standards could become higher. After all, it is only natural that higher-paying occupations should attract more applicants, so an advanced degree could be an important edge. Earning a general engineering master's degree could also prove to be an asset over time, because it is so hard to predict what twists and turns the economy will take over time. Areas of high growth today could give way to newer industries tomorrow, so keeping your knowledge base flexible could be a plus.

Making you eligible for management positions. A bachelor's degree can get your foot in the door, so why go on to earn a master's? As you look further down the career path, you may find that a master's degree is a requirement, or at least a preferred credential, for management jobs.

Preparing you for a PhD and a teaching career. If you are interested in a career in academia, a master's in engineering can put you in position to go on to pursue a doctorate in engineering, and a general degree can give you more flexibility choosing an eventual teaching position.

Coordination of multiple disciplines.There are more than twenty-five different engineering specialties and technology, but in many commercial projects, two or more of these specialties have to work together to achieve the desired result. Having an advanced but broad knowledge of engineering could put you in a better position to coordinate multiple specialties.

If an MS in engineering makes sense to you, the next step is to start assembling information on relevant master's programs.

Researching Schools for an MS in Engineering

According to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, there are some 2,900 engineering programs offered in the U.S. With so many possibilities, how can you ever research them all?

The following are some of the key sources that can help you identify schools and assemble the information necessary to make your decision:

• Online guides and directories. Don't assume these are only for people who want to earn a master's degree online. A resource such as WorldWideLearn.com has listings for both campus and online master's degree programs. This can be a quick way to start assembling a list of possible master's programs, as well as learn about topics like standardized test preparation and financial aid.
• The U.S. Department of Education. On the Department of Education's website, you can find information about topics related to continuing your education, such as accreditation standards and applying for federal financial aid.
• College rankings and ratings. Publications like US News & World Report and Kiplinger's regularly publish special issues that provide rankings and commentary about academic programs.
• Individual school websites. Virtually all colleges offer highly-detailed websites where you can find information about the school in general and the engineering department in particular.

Once you've identified the relevant sources of information, you are ready to move on to the next step, which is evaluating engineering graduate schools.

You have many choices--attend graduate school on campus or earn a master's degree online, pick a "name brand" university or attend a local college. The best way to approach a decision with so many different factors is to first narrow down the field by process of elimination.

To do this, you need to make a list of selection criteria, and then work through the list and at each step of the way eliminate possibilities that don't meet your standards and preferences. Use some of the following criteria for this process:

• Accreditation status. "Accreditation" is an assessment by an independent organization to determine that a school's academic programs conform to certain standards. Not all accrediting agencies are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, so make sure the accreditation agency for your program meets the necessary standards. From there, you can see the accreditation status of particular schools with respect to the relevant accreditation agencies.
• Tuition and other costs. Earning a master's degree can be expensive, so cost may be a driving factor in your selection process. Still, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to rule out higher-priced schools. Explore financial aid possibilities from federal, state, and local governments, your employer, and any organizations to which you belong. You may find that financial aid can make a higher-priced school more affordable. If not, you still could earn a master's degree online and/or enroll part-time while continuing to work to overcome the cost barrier.
• Likelihood of acceptance. It's good to aim high and try to get into a challenging program, but it's also a waste of time to apply to schools that are almost certain to reject you. You have to make a realistic assessment of how your credentials stack up against a school's standards. You can do this by looking at statistics on the standardized test scores and undergraduate grade point averages of students in the program as well as the percentage of overall applicants who are typically accepted.
• Location. Engineering programs are fairly common, so you can usually find an attractive one nearby. Otherwise, unless you decide to earn a master's degree online, you have to decide whether you want to move or go live on campus while you attend school.
• Scheduling compatibility.If you have to fit your academic schedule around work or family obligations, you need to look for a school that offers evening or weekend classes. Students often opt to earn a master's degree online as another way of achieving some scheduling flexibility.
• Faculty quality. Looking at the academic and publishing backgrounds of teachers is one way to assess the quality of an engineering program's faculty. You can also use more quantitative measures such as the student/teacher ratio.
• Program reputation. How a school's engineering program is regarded in the engineering community can make a difference in the job offers you get when you graduate or the schools that accept you if you go on to get your PhD. Read all you can about a program from objective sources and, if possible, talk to engineering recruiters and hiring managers. Graduate placement statistics are also a useful indicator of how well a program is respected.
• Type of campus.Having gone through the undergraduate experience, you may have distinct preferences about the type of campus you want to attend. Alternatively, you may want to bypass the campus experience by enrolling in an online master's degree program.

While you have a number of selection criteria to work through, you can use them to narrow the list of candidate schools. This should allow you to better concentrate on your primary targets when it comes to the application process.

Applying to Graduate Engineering Programs

Each school may have slightly different requirements, but in general, some of the things you are likely to be asked to submit in the application process include:

• Application forms
• Financial aid applications
• Academic transcripts
• Standardized test results
• Letters of recommendation

Because you may be juggling the different requirements of a number of schools with different deadlines, the application process is basically an exercise in time management. Make yourself a calendar of all the due dates and then work backward from each one to plan ample time for the completion of each task.

Pursuing a Career with an Engineering Master's Degree

Earning your MS in engineering can prove to be the pivotal move in your preparation for an engineering career, but there are still other things you can do to enhance your career outlook:

• Read academic and trade publications. Engineering is a field of continual advancement. Reading up on current developments must become a life-long habit.
• Write or assist with articles for publication. Publishing articles in engineering journals can help establish your reputation. Even if you are not yet ready for this step, seek out professors who are actively working on articles to see if you can get credit for assisting in their research.
• Gain relevant experience. If you can get a paying job in engineering while you pursue your studies, that would be ideal, but at the very least seek out internships so your resume can indicate that you have some hands-on experience.
• Join an engineering association. Joining an organization like the International Engineering Consortium can provide you with a good source of information and contacts.

Engineering is largely a process of applying theoretical principles to practical purposes. Applying the principles described above to the goal of earning an MS in engineering can help you achieve your purpose.

Sources

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
• International Engineering Consortium
• Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
• TryEngineering
• University of New Orleans
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education

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