M.Eng vs M.Sc.

[alwaink]

I'm considering going to grad school in Mechanical Engineering. But I realized that some schools offer Master of Engineering besides Master of Science. What's the difference? Does M.Eng have less prestige than the other? I've never seen any job posts looking for Master of Eng., it's always Master of Science. Thanks.

 

[mrMikee]

The description of these two degrees is going to be different depending on the University. I took the Masters of Engineering option which was 30 credits instead of the 24 credits required in the MS program. The MS was more theoretical and was a good background for continuing onto a PhD program. The M.Eng. had 9 credits of professional breadth that was used for non-engineering courses such as business, economics, contracts, etc. I also liked the fact that the M.Eng. had a design project instead of a thesis which I wasn't interested in doing. One problem I had was when I completed 24 credits, I realized that I would have been done if I had taken the other program. It just made it a little more difficult to finish the last 6 credits.

I don't think there is any difference in the prestige, at least none that I have noticed personally. If I had it to do again I would probably take the shorter program since the course work would have been pretty much the same, except the professional breadth that wasn't that useful for me.

You should continue to ask around however, to get a better perspective on what you want to do and where you would like to work.

Good Luck,
-Mike

 

[tygerdawg]

I ditto mrMikee. With a BSME, I entered an ME program in Mfg Engrg because I didn't like the career path presented before me for getting a MSME. I felt that the MS program at the school was pretty much an Applied Math degree. The ME degree was further training in my chosen field of endeavor, no thesis, but it might as well have been due to the "Master's Project" and the defense of which I had to do before the committee.

The MS program was focused on preparing for the next step: Ph.D., which I did not want. After I got back into the workforce, I never noticed any difference (job-wise) in having a MS versus an ME. No one seemed to care, maybe because I wasn't in a research-related job.

TygerDawg