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.
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
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.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Graduate Courses or Degree
RE: Graduate Courses or Degree
should be "didn't need to know"
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Graduate Courses or Degree
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
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Graduate Courses or Degree
RE: Graduate Courses or Degree
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 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
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 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.