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Graduate Courses or Degree

Graduate Courses or Degree

Graduate Courses or Degree

(OP)
I'm currently taking my first graduate course while I continue working full time.  My primary goal was to advance my knowledge in areas I lacked, specifically dynamics, earthquake engineering and finite element analysis, while keeping the thought of pursuing a full master's degree in my back pocket.  Unfortunately, I can only find about 3 or 4 courses that will actually be useful to me.  Other courses I could take would reiterate a lot of what I already taught myself or be relatively useless all together.  With 10 courses being required for a masters, that's a lot of fluff.

I know that a master's degree is definitely good to have, but unfortunately times are tough and my employer isn't reimbursing tuition for the time being.  On top of that, I'm paying out-of-state rates so it ain't cheap, especially on a temporarily reduced salary :(

From a resume perspective, I was thinking that I could simply list the courses I took, and any future employer might look at these to see I got the important ones knocked off.  Is this realistic?

Bottom line is that I want to do what's best for my career but I don't want to spend a lot of time and money if it won't get me where anywhere.

Thanks in advance for your input.

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

Well, there'll always be some people that wonder why you didn't go further and get the full masters, maybe see it as a sign you don't finish things.

Of course, there may be others that wonder why you spent all that time & money on stuff you didn't know.

You can't please everyone.

However, your plan seems reasonable to me.

Surely BS + a few targetted courses simplistically beats just a BS.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

Talk to your advisor or dean.  If you want more meat, I'm sure they will accomodate you.  I was able to rearrange a fair portion of my undergrad requirements by such negotiation.

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

While you may have learned on your own most of what a class has to teach, that doesn't mean that there is no value in taking the class.  With a strong knowledge base going into a class you have the oportunity to dig deeper and explore the fundamentals which most people strugling through a class don't have time look. Besides the value of the sheepskin that comes with completing a MS.  Some Masters programs have a non-thesis option that has more classes.  Perhaps you could go for a thesis option and cut down the number of classes you need.

Just my thoughts.  I think either way you are making a good choice.

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

They also may not be repeats.  Undergrad "fundamentals of steel design" and grad "fundamentals of steel design" are quite likely not to be the same thing.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

You could alwasy say you were "working" on your Masters.....then times got tough....  and  maybe down the road you will finish it up??

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

If you can only find 3 or 4 courses useful to you as an out of stater, then you should reconsider where you're taking classes.  

I was/am in a similar boat as you except that I quit my job of 5+ years altogether and went back full time for the MS doing research.  There should be plenty of courses to fulfill 30 hours (10 courses) for a coursework only degree.

Advanced Concrete
Advanced Steel
Advanced Analysis
Dynamics
Earthquake
Prestress
Concrete Behavior
Steel Behavior
Fracture Mechanics
Finite Element

If you honestly only want to take a few then probably listing them on the resume wouldn't hurt, but probably wont get you the same effect as saying you have a MS degree because the employer wont be able to market you as one.

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

I'm going to just state that I'm in the process of completing the MS.  I have 4 of 10 classes out of the way, and will likely be looking for a new job before I'm done with the program (probably in 12-18 months).  I wouldn't list the classes - unless you're not going to state that you're in a grad program - but be prepared to list them if asked.  

I would also try to make it a condition of employment that the new job pay for grad classes.  I wouldn't go somewhere that they did pay for classes.  Even after I'm done with the MS, I'll still look around at local universities (I'm lucky that I live in an area where there are a number of good engineering schools with a wide variety of interesting grad courses) to take courses that interest me.  

The program I'm in now has a lot of classes I'm interested in, but lacks a few that I'd really like to have.  Some of these are a class dedicated completely to plates and shells (we covered some basics in the last month of an advanced analysis course), a class dedicated completely to stability (I can't get very far into Timoshenko's Theory of Elastic Stability on my own! and have been unable to get a recommendation on a good - and practical - stability book), and I wouldn't mind having a class on deep foundations.

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

Also remember that most Masters programs have time limitations for completing the degree.  You may have to retake some of those 4 classes if you decide at a later date to get the MS.

I completed 37/45 term credits at the beginning of my career, and then moved out of the area.  The school did track me down and tell me I was running out of time - but I was not in close proximity and with a young family was not in position to quit and go back to finish.

When I applied to an Eng. Outreach MS program much later, there was no question that nothing could be transfered in.

gjc
 

RE: Graduate Courses or Degree

I have an undergraduate degree in engineering (mechanical speciality). However, I started working for a structural engineering firm as a sophomore in college. I completed 4 of 10 graduate structural classes in order to further myself in my career and to pass the SE1. It worked; I passed; and I did not finish my masters work. Family and a heavy work load got in the way.

I do not work for a large firm with a pay scale... so having a master's degree does not necessary help me in my current situation. I will continue to further my education as much as I can for as long as I can through any means I can easily access.

Most employers and clients (especially engineers) can get a good handle on your knowledge base from a brief conversation with you... regardless of the extra bells and whistles on your resume.

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