M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
(OP)
hi. i am in the 5-th year of my ph.d. program. for the past couple of years the research group i`ve been working in was struggling both financially and, as a consequence, academically. As a result i am facing the fact that i have to graduate with may be one or no publications on my resume and patchy skills on a lot of subjects rather than a deep expertize in one field. All this makes me think that finding a job as a Ph.D. will be difficult for me and getting out of school with a Masters degree is a more reasonable option. How big is the difference between having a Ph.D. and having M.Sc. for finding a job? Is having a Ph.D. degree better in the long run for working in the industry or is it just a great thing to have in an academic career? What would you recomend in my situation?
Thanks,
Vincent
Thanks,
Vincent





RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
So far as getting a job goes, in Australia a recent survey demonstrated that every year you spend in university after getting your engineering degree /reduces/ your starting salary, on average.
Assuming that the normal laws of supply and demand apply, that would appear to indicate that the MSc offers a better chance of getting a job, in Australia at least.
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
corus
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
People'll scare when they employ you.
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
If you are desperate for work then it's best to have a few variations of your CV (resume), removing qualifications as necessary, depending on who you are writing to. As far as I'm aware nobody has been sacked for not putting on their CV that they had a Nobel prize in Physics, or whatever.
corus
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
But in other fields the "optimum" degree levels are certainly different so you might do a little polling of various prospective clients to see what they tend to prefer.
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
APH
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
Coka
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
Gruß Scott
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
Again, the answer lies in what you want to do with it.
Dave
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
APH
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
My recent experience in automotive is that QA types infest the engineering departments because it is cheaper that way. It shows in the quality of the product.
Wake up Detroit!
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
Maui
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
vincent
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
Other factors also come into play when they do in fact need to hire a PhD. Affirmative action criteria must be applied at all levels in a company, and that includes research positions that are usually filled by PhDs. I myself have been denied the opportunity to interview at more than one company/academic institution because I am not a minority. I know this is a fact because a friend of mine at one major production company told me precisely that when he explained to me why I would not be interviewed for the job that he originally encouraged me to apply for. The odd part is that many of the foreign-born students who win fellowships to come here to study for their PhD (which you and I pay for with our tax dollars) are typically hired much more quickly by US companies than US citizens provided they have the paperwork to remain here. It's a good deal for them, and can leave a bad taste in the mouth of Americans like myself. Most people who have not been through this may find it difficult to comprehend. Our own system discourages Americans from earning a PhD. If you look at any engineering PhD program in the US, the vast majority of the students in that program are probably not Americans. It should not be this way, but I see no motivation for this to change anytime in the near future.
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
So, given the choice between a 30 year old with a BSc, and 7 years of industrial experience, against a 30 year old with a PhD, and 2 years of industrial experience, you'd definitely expect to be able to put the first guy into an independent designing position, and for him to pick it up and run with it. The second guy would not, necessarily.
Now, equally, if you needed a theoretical analysis understanding of something the second guy would be a better bet.
But, sheer weight of numbers says we need more of the designers than we do the theoreticians.
OTOH if you are 50 and have a PhD then I think that is a plus.
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
- Get Bsc degree.
- work for 7 years.
- Get a Msc degree.
- work for another 7 years.
- Get a Phd degree.
???
APH
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
7 years to get a good grounding in real engineering and find out what you are interested in - then do an MSc in it,
Then 7 years to become an expert and find someone to pay for you to do your PHD.
There, the perfect career plan!
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
You can get a Masters in whatever while working, but getting a PhD while working is more complicated. There is also the issue of where (geographically) you work. If there is no local and respectable PhD program you are simply out of luck.
Grüß Scott
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
I feel strongly that one will learn more in his/her master's program if they have a few years of experience working for a living first, as opposed to staying in school after getting the BS degree. You will have experience of USING your engineering degree on which to gain even more knowledge in the graduate program. This was my own experience.
I also recall my daughter mentioning that many, perhaps most of her instructors at college were recommending students stay in school & get a MS so they would get a much better job. I womdered how many of those instructors had ever worked outside academia......the answer was only a few.
Now for my last point: I manage a relatively small engineering group, and I'm responsible for interviewing and hiring. If I had two candidates, one with a BS, and one with a MS, interviewing for the same position, the additional degree would NOT be a top factor in my decision who to hire. In fact, if the candidates were equal in allother aspects, I may prefer the one with a BS as their salary requirements could be a bit lower (this is hypothetical only as I've never had the luxury of this problem).
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
Do not do this if you are thinking so.
Simply the higher qualified, the better for you and the company as well. Since the M.S. person has gone through a stage of thinking outside the box and his imagination is far than that with undergraduate one (B.S.). Furthermore, the M.S. degree with a good research (thesis) would also add a value to the M.S. person.
I am saying that since I got my M.S. in Che. eng. (3.5 years) as a part time and at the same time I have been working in petrochemical plants as a process engineer.
Now I have better thinking as well as picking things faster and others
Regards
RE: M.Sc. vs Ph.D. -does it really matter?
Your comment regarding the BS vs. MS candidate does not appear to be consistent with what I experienced. I decided to stay for my MS. Some other friends left school after their BS. When it came time to interview, I seemed to have my pick of any of the firms I interviewed at. My BS degreed buddies had a noticeably more difficult time getting offers. Perhaps I didn't negotiate my salary like I should have!