Employers' thoughts on B.S. in Physics/M.S. in Electrical Engineering?

[Ryuk1990]

What do employers generally think of someone with a B.S. in Applied Physics and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering? Do employers see it as a negative that the person didn't get his/her B.S. also in EE?

 

[member 392791]

They probably think you are really smart =p

 

[Ryuk1990]

They probably think you are really smart =p

Haha.

In all seriousness, I have heard that employers do not like it when you're missing a B.S. for EE because of the ABET certification.

 

[doctorwhoo]

Haha.

In all seriousness, I have heard that employers do not like it when you're missing a B.S. for EE because of the ABET certification.

I thought ABET certification is rarely needed outside of things like Civil Engineering.

 

[Ryuk1990]

I thought ABET certification is rarely needed outside of things like Civil Engineering.

Maybe you're thinking of a Professional Engineer license?

 

[berkeman]

What's an ABET certification?

 

[doctorwhoo]

Maybe you're thinking of a Professional Engineer license?

Oh yeah I was. Never mind.

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

What do employers generally think of someone with a B.S. in Applied Physics and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering? Do employers see it as a negative that the person didn't get his/her B.S. also in EE?

Most of the time, the answer to that question would be no. However, there are many flavors of electrical engineering and some are more dependent on physics than others.

For example, if you're designing an embedded system for a piece of instrumentation (such as a flow meter), physics can play a big part in the design. However, if you're designing a software defined radio system of some sort, it doesn't help as much.

The ultimate question is whether an employer is willing to pay extra for someone who has a master's degree, or whether in their case experience itself is just as good.

I would submit that your extra education may serve you better in some electrical engineering endeavors than others.

 

[Saladsamurai]

What do employers generally think of someone with a B.S. in Applied Physics and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering? Do employers see it as a negative that the person didn't get his/her B.S. also in EE?

A good friend of mine did a combined BS/S program: BS Applied Physics/MS EE. He worked super hard and did really well. He also did 3 co-op experiences throughout school to gain real experience. He is doing awesome now. He has a great job working for Lincoln Laboratories making really good money.

 

[doctorwhoo]

I noticed a lot of colleges offer these "professional" masters degrees in physics. Would that be employable after a BS in physics, or am i better off just doing an ms in EE?