Is a BSMET limiting for a career in the aerospace industry and masters programs?

[Aero12]

I've been reading posts related to career options with a BSMET, but I have some specific questions on career directions that I'd like to address. First off, can we all please refrain from turning this into a BSME vs. BSMET battle royale?

A little background:

I started my BSME in 2001 at RIT with my main interest being in the aerospace industry because I was absolutely obsessed with anything space related. My high school didn't offer much in the way of AP, and I never had much exposure to the engineering field prior to college. I had a very difficult time understanding what I would actually be 'doing' in an engineering position. After a year I just didn't feel like I was 'getting it'. I wasn't seeing the big picture, just felt like I was taking classes here and classes there. My GPA was okay, a little under 3.0, not great, but I wasn't bombing either. I'll also mention that I did enjoy having a social life, so when I heard about the BSMET path having less rigorous theory, I looked into it and ended up switching over. I got caught up in typical college activities, lost sight of my initial career goals, and developed the attitude of 'just get out of here, get your BS and get a job, you'll be good to go with anything you want to do'.

Well, it's been almost 5 years since I've graduated and, after working for a bit, the big picture is making more sense. I'm starting to take a new, and even more intense interest in the aerospace field (design) than I had before. The thought of a masters and doing research interests me as well. I started looking into NASA careers to see what kind of backgrounds people typically have, as well as those with the other aerospace heavies. I looked at the general backgrounds and requirements of the caliber of people with these companies, and thought back to the fact that I have a BSMET with a so-so GPA and starting thinking 'uhoh'. Why didn't I have this epiphany when I started, before I chose the BSMET path? I don't know. Perhaps I didn't give a ****. I definitely did not have my sights on long term goals, and I didn't realize at the time that I was maybe closing some doors on myself down the road. Back to the more mature me...

I'm realizing that, although a BSMET can be essentially equal to a BSME in some engineering fields and industries, the aerospace industry and masters arena are probably the worst things I could be interested in with a BSMET background lol. I just haven't received the level of theory that is required for these areas. But that won't stop me! (which is why I'm rambling on here today).

I'm essentially wondering what people's opinions are on going back for a BSME. I guess my choices at the moment are:

1. Stay where I am in a job that pays pretty well doing something I'm sort of interested in.
2. Get as many credits out of the way as I can while I work and save money, then pull the trigger on full time school to quickly finish up the last 2 years of a BSME, so I can potentially get a job that pays even better (hopefully lol) and doing something I love, with more doors open for advanced study as well.
3. Try to get a job in the aerospace industry with a BSMET. (Although I feel that in this industry a BSMET will be more of a tech role, with BSMEs and MSMEs getting the big promotions and doing the important design work.)

I know that posing the question 'is it worth it?' is a little vague and is a situational/personal choice, but I'll say it anyways. Do you think it's worth it to go back for the BSME? I guess I'm wondering if I should try to push my way into the industry through some other educational route, or if I should just bite the bullet and get the BSME over with first. I personally don't see much of a way in without it, since I need the theoretical background whether I want an aerospace job or a masters program. Do you think there are good masters programs that would consider me if I just took (and aced) the first 2 years of bridge courses in calc, physics, etc, without going through with the entire BSME?

If you're still reading this, thanks for the patience. I felt like I needed to give a little explanation as to how I got to the point where I'm making this decision in the first place. Any insight and suggestions are appreciated and if you need clarification on anything I can certainly do that.

Thanks

 

[madmack692]

I am in the exact same boat...

I started college as a BSME major. I quickly learned two things. I didn't have the math background for it, and engineering wasn't at all what I thought it was.

My school also had a BSMET program. After learning about it, it seemed the better fit. It was more of what I thought engineering would be, and I could get done quicker since I wouldn't have to take lower level math courses to prepare for the higher level math courses.

After graduating, I quickly learned that many people frown on the BSET degrees. Many of the large companies in the area won't even talk to me, and others think I went to triangle tech or ITT tech or something.

In an attempt to make myself more marketable, I got my EIT and decided to look into getting a masters degree ( I was thinking about an MSME ). The closest school that offered an MSME is the University of Pittsburgh. They wouldn't even talk to me. Villanova has an online MSME program, and they were nice enough to look at my transcripts and they came up with a list of courses for me to take. They wanted me to take calc 1,2 and diff eq. plus a handful of junior and senior level engineering courses. No mention was made of engineering physics. I took calc 1-3 and even though I didn't need to, I took engineering physics 1 and 2 since they were offered evenings. When it came to the junior and senior level engineering courses, I hit a wall. 90% of the courses are offered during the day. Since I work full time, I cannot take them. I figured it would take me AT LEAST 3 semesters to get the classes since some were pre-reqs for others. Once I figured out that I would have to quit work for at least a year and a half to take the one or two classes a semester, I started looking at other classes I could take while I would be off work. It then occurred to me that since I was talking about going to school for 3 semesters (maybe full time) that I should find out what it would take the get the BSME.

Long story short... at my home institution, and with the Calc and engineering physics I took, I can get the BSME in 2 years. I am currently registered for re-enrolment this fall full time to get the BSME. I am taking two classes this summer, and then I should be on track for my junior and senior years as an ME.

The minimum requirement for any advanced degree in engineering is a BSE from an accredited institution. The school usually doesn't say it has to be in the same discipline, but BSET's almost always don't count. From my experience, schools would take physics, math, and chem. majors BEFORE BSET degreed individuals. That being said, you will likely have great difficulty getting into a masters degree program without taking at least 30 undergraduate credits.

One thing to think about: I am sure that mechanical engineers work in the aerospace industry. You may not NEED a masters degree. You could start out with a BSME, get a job in the aerospace industry and then if they want the masters, they may pay for you to get it. The other thing is engineering licensure. It seems there is this movement to bar BSETS from taking the FE / EIT and PE exams. I am not sure if you would need a PE license for Aerospace engineering. You should definitely find out.

I would start by contacting some local colleges that offer the masters in Aerospace engineering. I would recommend calling the school and asking if you can make an appointment to speak with someone rather than just e-mailing them or browsing the web. From my experience, people see you as more serious and go more out of their way to help you. See what the professors think. Ask them what courses you would have to make up and when they are offered.

If it is going to take you 3 years and the classes are all during the day, it may make sense for you just to get the BSME and try to get into the aerospace industry. You could try to talk to some people that work in the industry. I would recommend the eng-tips.com site or maybe linked in. Tell them your situation. Ask them if you need a masters degree. See what they think.

The one thing that pushed me over the edge personally was time. I went back and forth between a second bachelors and a masters for years. I finally realized that in a few years, (I am 28 now) that it would be impossible for me to get the bachelors. That door would be closed forever. At some point, I would have a family and need to work full time and it would be too late.

I guess maybe what I am saying is that I would (and am) opting for the BSME. With that, I can do anything. I can a masters degree in pretty much anything if I want, and if the company I work for wants one, they will probably help me get it. There are allot of masters degrees online. So that door would be open forever. But (at least for me) time is running out to get the bachelors, so I decided to do it now while I can.

Sorry for the long post. Hope I helped you out at least somewhat...

Good luck!

 

[lisab]

I wouldn't go back for a second bachelor's. Aim for a master's program. I think it would be a good idea to contact some schools you're interested in and talk to people in the department.

 

[Aero12]

I met with the engineering dept at my undergrad, and we discussed the bridge courses necessary for acceptance into a msme program. This list included calc, calc based physics, and many calc based eng courses. This is why I started considering te bsme first since I need so many bridge courses anyways. I'm also afraid of the met still being a red flag even after a masters. Like Mack, I'm 28 and if I'm going to do bsme it needs to be now. It may be somewhat redundant but it's my last window of time to quit work for a year if I need to.

 

[Aero12]

I wouldn't go back for a second bachelor's. Aim for a master's program. I think it would be a good idea to contact some schools you're interested in and talk to people in the department.

Hi Lisa -

I have contacted a few schools to see what they would require from me for consideration, which was the same answer I got from my undergrad school. Basically regardless of whether I choose BSME or MS, the calc-based foundation coursework needs to be taken for either path. So I'm going to start there, taking calculus and calc based physics, dynamics, statics, etc. part time while I work, then re-evaluate my chances of getting into a grad program after showing my new grades to some schools. The reason I considered a BSME was because it seems like with all the bridge courses I need to make up to get into a masters program, I'd be almost there anyways. But I've found a starting point at least.

Not sure what your background is, but the only thing that concerns me about jumping into a masters, if the MET degree would still stick out. I'll use NASA as an example - for any engineering and research position postings I've seen, they state that engineering technology is not considered qualifying for the position. If I were to get a masters, do you think the MET would still blackball me? I guess it's a special case since the app process through the government is probably based on keywords and such. But I've also heard that PE registrations might require a masters. Would my MET put me in a corner there even with a masters? I'm just afraid of putting all that work into a masters and being passed over for certain things because of a technicality such as BSMET. What do you think?