Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
(OP)
Hi everybody,
I've been wondering if anybody has any experience on how much tougher a masters in Mechanical engineering would be compared to a bachelors? I will be graduating this semester with a rather low GPA of 2.6/2.7. Due to my initial study habits the first couple years. I improved a lot my last year with an average GPA of about 2.9/3.0. With that being said I want to further my knowledge of Mechanical engineering with a masters but the idea of a challenging thesis and some of the courses especially Radiation(heat transfer) Sounds pretty challenging and not sure if I know what ill be getting myself into is the main worry i have. I've applied to about 20 different jobs in the LA area and have gotten no call back and its only 2 months left till i graduate so I dont know what to do honestly.
My two reasons as to why I want to go to grad school immmediately after graduating this May are
1. I cant find any jobs in the LA area that are mechanical engineering related (dont want to build expertise in an industry that cant help me get into a more desirable industry later for example.)
2. Further my knowledge in the mechanical engineering field to have better opportunities and personal satisfaction of attaining a masters in ME.
One thing i wanted to add is I am 26 now and will be 28/29 when I graduate with my masters if I go that route. I have only a summers worth of internship experience and that is just contract work for civil engineering projects. (may not be relevant) With that being said will having no professional experience but having a masters hinder my chances of getting a job going into my 30s?
Thanks again and I really appreciate any feedback
I've been wondering if anybody has any experience on how much tougher a masters in Mechanical engineering would be compared to a bachelors? I will be graduating this semester with a rather low GPA of 2.6/2.7. Due to my initial study habits the first couple years. I improved a lot my last year with an average GPA of about 2.9/3.0. With that being said I want to further my knowledge of Mechanical engineering with a masters but the idea of a challenging thesis and some of the courses especially Radiation(heat transfer) Sounds pretty challenging and not sure if I know what ill be getting myself into is the main worry i have. I've applied to about 20 different jobs in the LA area and have gotten no call back and its only 2 months left till i graduate so I dont know what to do honestly.
My two reasons as to why I want to go to grad school immmediately after graduating this May are
1. I cant find any jobs in the LA area that are mechanical engineering related (dont want to build expertise in an industry that cant help me get into a more desirable industry later for example.)
2. Further my knowledge in the mechanical engineering field to have better opportunities and personal satisfaction of attaining a masters in ME.
One thing i wanted to add is I am 26 now and will be 28/29 when I graduate with my masters if I go that route. I have only a summers worth of internship experience and that is just contract work for civil engineering projects. (may not be relevant) With that being said will having no professional experience but having a masters hinder my chances of getting a job going into my 30s?
Thanks again and I really appreciate any feedback





RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
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RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Radiation ( or radiative) heat transfer is tough and is a specialized field whose jobs are normally populated by PhD's and not MSME's. Be prepared for a low grade. A more profitable route for a MSME is to study finite elements and related structural and metallurgical areas.
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Now, an MSME with 5 years of relevant experience is a totally different conversation. With experience I can put you right to work, without experience I have to un-teach you the bits of college that are simple nonsense (no Virginia, there are no "safe zones" in the workplace to protect your delicate feelings, and Yes, if the work requires you to be on location Saturday afternoon your kegger doesn't trump that need and I expect you to be there).
In general I have rarely found my MSME to be directly useful in my work, but I've often found it provided some very useful insights to help understand the underlying problems. I'm glad that I did the MSME (12 years out of undergraduate), but it has never had a direct impact on my salary or rate of advancement or my ability (as a consultant) to get jobs. If you are considering it simply to put off entry into the job market, you are messing up. It is way too much work to be an effective work-avoidance strategy.
You BS grades are what they are, and they only matter for the first job. LA is a big job market, but it isn't the world or even the country. If I were you I'd expand my search outside the LA basin (and even, gasp, outside of California). Maybe even to a flyover state like Colorado or Texas or Alabama.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Is it a risk taking ANY job that is engineering related in hopes I could work in a more desirable field later? I was warned that if you get a job in one industry you build expertise in that field that may not transfer over to another one.
thanks and i appreciate your time. the advice really helps!
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
In regards to getting your master, I would say keep applying for jobs and don't get your masters degree just yet. You want to go in the field, work and get some experience on how Engineering actually works. So, my advice is to keep looking for jobs and find one in the engineering field even if they are paying low. You need experience now, which will turn into gold after some years.
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
A person who goes through the pain of mastering these techniques feels that they have done a lot of work (and they have) so employers should see that work as valuable (they don't). I want someone who can design a gas gathering system that can be pigged and as appropriate material, much more on-the-job-training kind of stuff than something anyone learns in undergraduate or graduate education. I hire a new engineer and then put him with an experienced person to guide the new person through the rocks and shoals. Same process for a BSME as an MSME. Three years later I have either fired the person or they have become useful and self-motivated. With a BSME I can usually count on them sticking around for another year or two. The MSME's I've seen have to go through the same 3-year OJT process, but at the end of it too many of them then wonder "why haven't I been promoted to an Executive Position, I've finished my 3 year internship?" and start circulating their resume. They are more trouble than they could ever be worth.
I've changed careers 5 times since I learned a trade in the Navy. You only get locked into an industry or a specialty if you allow yourself to be. In Oil & Gas I've seen good engineers who went to automotive, consumer products, and the U.S. Army out of their undergraduate program. All of them were hired as "experienced" and all quickly came up to speed on our regulations and terminology. You are only as trapped as you want to be.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
A research Masters with a thesis, somewhat relevant to what we do? That would be treated as equivalent to perhaps a year of somewhat relevant on the job experience, and compensated accordingly, without being tossed directly into the deleted folder or shredder bin.
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Realistically what can I expect having a summers worth of internship experience and a 2.6 GPA at best? I want to get a good understanding of the jobs that may be out there so I am not disappointed because I understand students with 3.0 plus GPA will be much more attractive.If i do a masters it will definitely be thesis/research based.
I can I'm honestly stuck with only 2.5 months left till graduation. my only definite plan for now is to take the EIT exam immediately after I graduate. I will definitely keep applying but I am also being picky on the jobs that are available because i want to make sure I can bring a lot to the table.
Thanks again for the honest feedback.
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
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RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
With the study habits and priorities getting straightened out I wish I could go back and redo my bachelors because I could have easily gotten 3.0 plus, I cant rewind time now so I have to look forward.
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Sorry, but that sounds a bit much. As a new grad, the only thing you're expected to bring is math skills, ability and desire to learn. Unless you have a perfect GPA and/or work experience/patents, there's not a lot that you can bring to the table that someone else can't. A year of turning down offers because you're picky will change your outlook.
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RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Merely piling on another eight courses, means a lot less, especially if you've demonstrated that you didn't master the material in the rest of the courses you took- the important fundamental ones in your undergrad degree.
Lots of people attempt to glue a Masters in engineering over an undergrad science degree, and then wonder why they aren't treated as if they were engineers. It's not a lot different to glue a coursework Masters over a poorly done undergrad degree.
My suggestion: get some work experience, so people start caring about what you can do in practical terms and care less about how you did in school. If, after doing so for a number of years, you have a strong penchant for additional specialist learning, you can consider doing a part-time Masters, or taking the even harder step of going back to school to do a more valuable research masters.
Your situation is tough, and I wish you the best of luck. But some solutions are just a waste of time, and life is short- there isn't much time to waste.
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
I personally would value experience more for the type of work I do, a serious design project would be next and a more research oriented project or thesis would be lower down on my list.
However, clearly my bosses that have the final say in hiring have other priorities as they prefer phd's whose thesis was in a field vaguely related to what we do rather than people with experience but from different fields.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Consider looking at jobs that aren't engineering but are directly related to the type of work you want to do. After graduation I worked in sheet metal fabrication for a year while looking for an engineering position. This was directly applicable to the design work I would end up doing and was viewed as good relevant experience. It wasn't the best paying job ever but it sure beat paying for the additional years of schooling!
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Some industries/sectors may rate it more highly than others.
I'd go a bit careful on the barely using any of the concepts you use in College, while there is some truth to that there have also been time when I wish I could remember how to do stuff I learned in college as it might come in handy!
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
For what it's worth, I agree with the other comments on the masters degree. A masters degree doesn't add anything to what I need in an engineer, so I certainly wouldn't pay more for it, but generally people who have one are looking for more money/benefits from it.
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
I was sort of in the same boat. During my undergrad, I had bad study habits and kind of burned my self out trying to cram two degrees before switching to electrical engineering. My MS degree, I did much better than during my BS but by then I knew sort of what I wanted to do and didn't have to slog through any courses that I had no interest in. My undergrad ,with the exception of a few classes, felt like I was just taking classes to fit my schedule and meet requirements. Graduate school to me was a hundred times more interesting than my undergrad and I have a hard time giving maximum effort in classes that won't use or have no interest. If you specialize in something that is in demand with your MS, I sort of think all or almost all is forgiven. Just get your foot in the door somewhere and after your first job, no one will even bother asking about your undergrad.
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
I found grad school to be fascinating, and I really enjoyed the learning. That in and of itself is an adequate reason to spend the time, money, and energy on it. If you think you'll find it to be a tedious chore, then not being able to find a job in LA in the first 3 months of looking is a crappy reason to attend grad school.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
just to have that option. Additionally it will give you the tools to understand the how and why of the way things work a bit better than a bs alone.
RE: Difficulty of MSME vs BSME?
Don't worry too much about not having a position immediately after graduation. It took me a little over 6 months to find my first position after graduating with a GPA of 2.6 or 2.8; I really can't remember which GPA it was. Don't be afraid to take a part time or full time job with someone who knows you will be moving on to a position that allows you to use your degree. I worked a handful of odd jobs that had nothing to do with engineering and all manual labor under a hot west Texas sun, and my employer knew from day 1 I would be leaving for something else in the near future. When I finally gave up on staying in the areas I really wanted to work in and just started applying for engineering positions of interest everywhere. I found a great company that relocated me on their dime, and built me up as an engineer that fits their needs.