Should I get my masters in Computer Engineering?

[gotem3303]

I'm currently in my Junior year in college for my BS in CE. I've always figured I'd get my Masters as well but is it necessary?

I get very good grades and love what I'm doing. I have the opportunity to join this BSMS program at my school and would allow me to take graduate level courses while working towards my BS and those classes would count both towards my BS and masters. After I graduate with my BS I would have only a year left to complete my masters then.

Theres also an option to join with the thesis option or without. If I decided to join it, what should I do? I've read that a masters thesis really helps when completing your PhD, but I won't be going that far so should I do it?

I feel like I should join, because I feel like if I don't Ill regret it later but how beneficial is it really?

Thanks

 

[kote]

I won't answer all of your questions, but here are some things to think about. Is your current school the best place for you to get a masters degree? Would you benefit from the diversity of experience or better reputation of another school? Could you get a scholarship or other funding for your masters by going through the standard admissions process that you won't get for a fifth year at your current school? Most engineering masters programs are one year, so you really don't save any time by doing it all at once.

Also, have you considered that most large companies will pay your tuition and many give you a bonus for completing an engineering masters part time while you work?

It may be best to go for the combined BS/MS, but there are a lot of things to consider.

 

[gotem3303]

I won't answer all of your questions, but here are some things to think about. Is your current school the best place for you to get a masters degree? Would you benefit from the diversity of experience or better reputation of another school? Could you get a scholarship or other funding for your masters by going through the standard admissions process that you won't get for a fifth year at your current school? Most engineering masters programs are one year, so you really don't save any time by doing it all at once.

Also, have you considered that most large companies will pay your tuition and many give you a bonus for completing an engineering masters part time while you work?

It may be best to go for the combined BS/MS, but there are a lot of things to consider.

Ya that's another reason I am not sure if I want to do it, at least not right now.

Another thing is, the point in the masters degree is to try and focus on a point of interest and research a lot on that. Right now, I really like everything, and haven't really determined a specific area of interest that I would like to really focus on.

I was thinking if I waited until I've worked for a little while and learned more about the field and really learn what really interests me about my field, it would be better to go back at a later time and actually get the most out of it.

And it would definitely help if and employer paid for it too, though I have a couple scholarships as it is and would probably get help financially from the program.

 

[kote]

And it would definitely help if and employer paid for it too

Most employers will only pay for part tme degrees and won't send you back to school. It's tough to leave work to go back for an engineering degree, since you'll probably have to quit your job to do so and search for another while you study. For business, the experience is definitely helpful before going back, and business schools put a lot of effort into placing students after graduation. I'm not sure if the same is true for engineering.

From what I've seen, students with an MS or BS will typically be placed into the same engineering jobs initially. The MS usually gets slightly higher initial pay. After that, having an MS helps more with promotions and pushing up the glass ceiling. The point is, unless you are considering part time, returning to school for an MS after working may be more difficult or disruptive to your career. You may or may not essentially be starting over once you get the MS. But if you really find something you're interested in while working, you definitely could use grad school to specialize on that topic.

 

[gotem3303]

It’s a quite good decision to get some industry experience after completing your bachelors and get to know more about your domain and it would help to figure out your interests. You can even pursue masters in specific field of interest with online education programs to enhance your career further. You can find out various online courses with http://www.thedegreeexperts.com which acts as a platform to earn online degree from any accredited university.

Ya the more I think about it, the less I feel like I should rush into something like my masters. I really want to get the most out of it and would love to maybe take some time off, work in my field and discover what really interests me the most and then go back at that time.

I definitely want to get it eventually, that's for sure. But I guess there's no need to rush something as important as this you know?